Now that the silver anniversary garlic party is over and we can
say we pulled it off again, ever so smoothly of course, it’s
occurred to us that 2003 volunteer Garlic Festival President Janie
Mardesich picked exactly the right official shirt for the 25th
bash.
Now that the silver anniversary garlic party is over and we can say we pulled it off again, ever so smoothly of course, it’s occurred to us that 2003 volunteer Garlic Festival President Janie Mardesich picked exactly the right official shirt for the 25th bash.
What could be more perfect than a baseball shirt for the silver anniversary?
The Garlic Festival and baseball. Think about it:
• Teamwork is essential for success.
• There’s something particularly American and endearing in Gilroy’s signature event and the nation’s pastime.
• Summer’s the time for both.
• A beer and something good to eat go hand in hand at fest and at a game.
And we could even stretch it …
There are mascots (we’ve got Herbie) and star players (we’ve got the pyro chefs, they’ve got Bonds and Ichiro). Like major league pitchers, our pyro chefs start and put out fires. The media loves the festival and dotes on it – like baseball, it’s unique.
And after 25 years, there’s a key ingredient that makes this fun little analogy stand up tall: tradition.
Gilroyans have built that tradition over the past quarter century. It’s our three-day World Series every year the last weekend in July and we’ve got more than 4,000 volunteers who take the field for the big games.
Before that, there’s lots preparation and planning – hey, spring training – and every year team Gilroy Garlic Festival makes a few important roster moves as committee chairmen make way for new managers with fresh ideas.
But hard work alone won’t make for a consistent winning streak. Those who make up Gilroy’s festival machine are relaxed and confident when they stride to the plate.
Our players are tops, experienced veterans like Gene Sakahara and Sam Bozzo who came up with the big Gourmet Alley hit for the 25th, garlic chicken ginger stir fry. And we have people whose jerseys should be retired for all the effort they’ve put into the festival – like the late Rudy Melone, Val Filice and Don Christopher.
So, after 25 years perhaps we can get one of our local poets to commission a new Garlic Festival song, “Take me out to Garlic Festival, take me out to the crowds …”
Now that Festival XXV is in the history books, it’s time to share the joy of yet another job well done. We can of course point to the spectacular numbers: nearly $7 million Garlic Festival dollars plowed back into local community organizations. That’s a home-run number to be sure, but what has really made a difference is the working-together spirit that has enriched this community. That’s a grand Garlic Festival slam that we’ve all hit together.
