Community

The candidates in this year’s presidential campaign have spent hours debating the subject of immigration. But how many of us actually understand the naturalization process?

Ride the garlic trainSome big changes on the rails for the 2016 Gilroy Garlic Festival, coming July 29-31. You want the good news first or the bad news?Here’s the good, since you have been such good readers. For the first time there is a train that can take as many as 1,000 people to the festival from San Jose, or from as far north as San Francisco.The festival has chartered a special passenger train that will leave San Jose’s Diridon Station at 10 a.m. and arrive in Gilroy at 11 a.m. There will be buses to bring passengers from Gilroy’s station to the fest. The train leaves Gilroy at 5 p.m. It costs $25 above the $20 admission for the festival, which is a steal if you consider how it beats the traffic and parking.But here’s the catch: you have to buy tickets in advance at the Gilroy Garlic Festival website. There are 800 seats on the train and room for 200 people to stand. Grab a seat quickly!Here’s the bad news. For the first time the festival is charging $10 for parking and there’s no parking near the festival. You will have to park at a site on Day Road or at Gavilan Community College and take free buses to the Christmas Hill Park site.Festival organizers say the cost of running the buses for free has left them bone dry, financially. The $250,000 they expect to raise from parking should offset the bus charges and allow a good chunk of the $3 million they expect to gross to go to local charities. The festival has raised $11 million since 1979.Each of the 4,000 volunteers who works at the festival earns money for the for one of 150 charities of their choice.More good news: on Friday, July 29, South Valley locals can take $5 off the admission price and locals can also buy a three-day pass for $30. That includes residents from Morgan Hill to Aromas and Hollister. You can only buy those tickets at the gate with proof of residence.You can ride a bicycle to the fest and save all transit fees. There is a free bike valet that will keep your wheels secure.Festival organizers have drawn 85,000 to 135,000 people over the years, depending mostly on the weather.Among this year’s new highlights are a Kansas City-based barbecue contest, with a $7,500 purse for the best cooking, some big-name country bands and a revamped children’s area.

 

San Jose Police Officer Michael Katherman, who was killed on duty June 14 when a minivan struck his motorcycle at 4:22 p.m., will be buried Tuesday in Gilroy and residents will line overpasses and streets in his honor.

Whether you prefer red or white, the secret to a tasty wine is a meticulously planted vineyard, and a five-year wait.

Be prepared to laugh in support of a worthwhile cause at Lend Me a Tenor, Limelight Actors Theatre summer comedy and annual fundraiser for Parkinson’s Disease research.

From Gavilan's Press Release: At their meeting on June 14, 2016, the Board of Trustees of Gavilan Joint Community College District named Dr. Kathleen Rose as the next President / Superintendent of Gavilan College. The appointment includes a two-year contract with compensation of $239,000 in...

Before her cancer diagnosis last year, Raquel Herrera, did not give much thought to the disease.

Gilroy Gardens has become an outpost for exotic Chinese artists who have set up a village and kitchen while they do six weeks of work preparing for an international art exhibit that will be displayed at the park for six months.

 Tired of the same old cover bands? Saturday is a night to support original music played by area musicians at Gilroy’s District Theater. San Jose’s MobLand headlines. The melodically metal band is releasing a new CD, which fans who buy tickets for the show will get for free at the door.MobLand is a four-piece featuring singer Rayne, guitarist Alan Kuczer, bassist Bryan Lujan and drummer Bill Mickesh. They’ve been compared to Scorpions, Def Leppard, Led Zep and Foreigner, with a mix of metal, rock and catchy tunes. We hear some Alice in Chains in there too.According to their bio: “After jamming with some local rockers for several months, Alan met Rayne (former singer of the Burnpool and White Noiz) through a Craigslist ad. In the first jam session, it was clear they made a powerful and cool guitar/vocal combination.”They take metal to some surprising places, like a cover of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” you have to hear.Also on this triple header is MAXX12, a San Jose band that doesn’t just bring hard rock, but has a whole apocalyptic world view. Check out the trio’s bio, which places it in a world where every nuclear reactor on the planet malfunctions and the survivors unite: “From the blackened sand of a fallen land, from a slaughtered people rises hope! Enter now the metal warriors, defenders of the MAXX12 Nation.“Rooster crows fiercely at dawn’s light awakening our sleeping minds, Mongoose quickly strikes the snake long cold in the grass coming to steal the warmth of our homes.”We said original, right? Yes, it’s good to see bands doing something new and not the same old covers.The third act of this triple crown is San Francisco’s Bradford, a name to which we are partial. They are a solid heavy-hitting five piece, whose members are Bret Bradford, vocals; Mark Randall, rhythm guitar; Tom Spencer, lead guitar, Scott Garbutt, bass; and Bill Morrissey on drums.They sound like a modern version of Van Halen and with some Pearl Jam thrown in. These are the kind of bands you used to have to drive to San Jose or Campbell to see, but they are right in our backyard at the District Theater. Don’t miss it.The show goes from 8-11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10, a steal of a deal.