GILROY
– Temperatures soaring into the upper 90s didn’t stop more than
1,000 people from heading downtown Saturday for the third annual
Garlic City Fun Run.
GILROY – Temperatures soaring into the upper 90s didn’t stop more than 1,000 people from heading downtown Saturday for the third annual Garlic City Fun Run.
Downtown was converted into a parking lot for classic cars, and the corner of Lewis and Monterey streets turned into an amphitheater. Sha-boom had the dance floor packed at 8 p.m.
The event – sponsored by the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association, Downtown Development Corporation and South Valley Street Rods – kicked off at 3:30 p.m. with a parade of cars led by the garlic queen and her court singing “Proud to be an American.”
Following the court was Garlic Festival President Janie Mardesich, who was tossing garlic bulbs out to the crowd. There were two stages of non-stop entertainment keeping visitors on their feet.
Cara Pierleoni, 22, stood in front of Gilroy Bowl watching the cars cruise by. She brought her 2-month-old son Kaiden to the first garlic-related event of his life.
“This is a great opportunity to get my fix of garlic before the festival,” Pierleoni said. “And the cars are so beautiful.”
Gilroy residents who wait all year long to eat their favorites from Gourmet Alley got a preview of what is to come July 25 to 27. The festival association served up pasta con pesto, sausage sandwiches, calamari, scampi and garlic bread to hundreds of hungry people.
Jim Baggese, who was cooking the sausage, was swapping samples with Phil Buchanan, who is the head garlic bread chef of the festival.
“We have got to taste everything to make sure it is great for the public,” the two said as they laughed and enjoyed cooking throughout the afternoon.
Assistant Chair Lillian Supnet said the event was a huge success and accomplished its goal of being family oriented.
“It started a little slow, but the crowd is starting to get a little bigger now,” she said during the afternoon. “It’s a great event for families to come down and spend together.”
As temperatures cooled down and the sun began to set, the crowd grew, and by dusk the dance floor was packed when Donald Prieto “Elvis” took the stage. Earlier in the day local bands entertained guests sitting on hay bails enjoying their food. Up-and-coming Gilroy locals “Five Minutes to Freedom” entertained people at the south end of the parade.
Between enjoying the entertainment and snacking on garlic dishes, many people walked around the closed-off street and check out the variety of more than 400 classic cars on display.
Carl Swank, organizer for the South Valley Street Rods, said car owners enjoyed their time in Gilroy.
“Things went very well,” he said. “If you asked any of the owners, I think they would tell you that it was probably one of the best car shows they have been to.”
Garlic Festival President Janie Mardesich said she learned a thing or two.
“This is such a great crowd,” she said. “I have definitely learned a lot about cars today.”
Eddie Cabrera, of San Jose, brought his 1965 cherry red Chevy pick-up to the show and said he was having a great time.
“They really did a great job organizing this show,” he said.
Businesses downtown sponsored plaques for $30 each. Instead of having judges choose the top three, businesses got to chose which car they personally liked, and more than 30 awards were given out.
The finale of the event was the lighting of the bulb, signifying the beginning of the Garlic Festival festivities of the year. The crowd cheered and the bulb was lit.
