Gilroy
– A new outdoor concert series will start June 24 in the hope of
drawing visitors and patrons to downtown shops and restaurants.
Dubbed Fifth Street Live, the series features a different band
each Friday from 7 to 8:30pm. The bands will take the stage on
Fifth Street between Eigleberry and Monterey streets from June 24
through Aug. 26.
Gilroy – A new outdoor concert series will start June 24 in the hope of drawing visitors and patrons to downtown shops and restaurants.
Dubbed Fifth Street Live, the series features a different band each Friday from 7 to 8:30pm. The bands will take the stage on Fifth Street between Eigleberry and Monterey streets from June 24 through Aug. 26.
“We want to promote downtown and get some folks in to the area,” said Larry Mickartz, vice president of Gilroy’s Downtown Business Association and owner of InfoPower Communications.
Fifth Street was chosen by the association as the locale for the concerts after the group looked at the specific plan that is being developed to improve downtown.
“Fifth Street is one of the gathering areas that we are looking at,” Mickartz said.
The concerts coincide with the start of Streetscape, the city’s plan to add an artistic flair to the downtown area with sculptures and fountains between Fourth and Sixth streets along Monterey Street.
While the concerts are free, Mickartz joked that the Friday night venue is BYOC – Bring Your Own Chair, since the outdoor venue will not provide seating. The association has already received a permit from the city to close down the block to traffic so there will be plenty of room for music fans to set up their lawn chairs.
Hungry music fans will not find food booths or vendors along the streets but local eateries who are sponsoring the series and will be open for business before and after the concerts. Nearby restaurant sponsors include Happy Dog Pizza Company, Los Pericos Taqueria, Carnitas Michoacan and Gilroy Bowl.
The 10-week series is the first time the downtown area has attempted a summer-long concert program.
The bands feature a variety of musical styles and were chosen to feature local artists that fit the budget for the concert series.
“A few years back, a couple businesses had a brief stint,” Mickartz said. “Maybe two or three nights.”
Mickartz said the association hopes the downtown concert series will become a mainstay in Gilroy each summer.
They are even printing up T-shirts with the Fifth Street Live logo that they will sell at the concerts .
The summer concerts are sponsored by the Gilroy Downtown Business Association, the Theater Angel Art League and a grant from the Gilroy Foundation, as well as many other local sponsors.
Father’s Day Faire
Gilroy – Downtown will celebrate dad’s and doodads at the annual Father’s Day Antique and Collectibles Street Faire Sunday.
The fair runs from 8am to 4pm Sunday and will feature more than 100 vendor booths as well as local antique shops where treasure hunters can search for collectibles. Between 11am and 1pm, collectors can have one item appraised free of charge with additional items charged at a nominal fee. The verbal appraisal will establish the authenticity of the age and an estimated value of the items.
While mom and dad are searching for trinkets, kids can jump around in two bounce houses or dance to the tunes of sidewalk musicians. The whole family can stop by to view a quilt show in the Chamber of Commerce breezeway.
Several booths will offer snacks from strawberry shortcake to Hawaiian grill and downtown restaurants will also be serving up their fare throughout the day when the family is ready for a break from shopping.
Dave Peoples, owner of the Nimble Thimble said the fair brings people into downtown to showcase what the area has to offer.
“We still have a significant number of restaurants and small businesses. Antiques and collectibles, places to eat,” Peoples said.
In years past the event has drawn as many as 6,000 visitors to the Garlic capital’s center, but most years draw about 5,000, Peoples said.
The fair is sponsored by the Downtown Business Association of Gilroy and local antique stores.
For more information, please contact Dave Peoples at 408-842-6501 or visit us online at www.gilroyvisitor.org.
Fifth Street Live performers/dates
Fifth Street Live will offer a variety of styles in Gilroy all summer.
• June 24 Triplex – Dance
• July 1 Damien Carter and band – Rock
• July 8 Shiloh – Rock/Pop
• July 15 Hecker Pass All Stars – Dixieland Swing
• July 22 Silver Spur – Country
• July 29 South Bay Swing Band – Big Band Swing
• Aug. 5 South Valley Wind Symphony – Brass Ensemble
• Aug. 12 Rio – Latin Rock
• Aug. 19 Interstate – Rock
• Aug. 26 Monterey St. Music Academy – Piano Band
