It’s going to be an historic year for the City of Gilroy.
On March 12, the Garlic Capital will mark 150 years since its incorporation as a California city, and sesquicentennial celebration organizers are gearing up for a year’s worth of events and activities.
Gilroy Planning Commissioner Amanda Rudeen is chair of the city’s 150th committee, which consists of government, business and other community leaders, and said the group of roughly 15 people has been meeting monthly for the past year.
“We’ve really picked up momentum,” Rudeen said. “We’re really excited.”
The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce will hold a March 12 mixer to celebrate Gilroy’s incorporation at 5:30pm at Old City Hall, 7400 Monterey St.
A family event is scheduled for March 14 from 11am to 2pm at the Gilroy Civic Center, which consists of City Hall, the library and the police department.
Rudeen said the goal is to incorporate sesquicentennial activities into other events throughout the year. Expect to see 150th anniversary banners downtown and other areas around the city in the near future, she added.
Residents are also invited to share their memories of Gilroy by visiting gilroy150.com.
“We really want to get the community as involved as possible,” Rudeen said.
The logo for the 150th celebration was designed by Gilroy native Carol Peters, who was among a number of artists who submitted concepts to the city for a contest in 2019. The design features Old City Hall as well as some garlic cloves. It will be used on sesquicentennial merchandise and advertisements.
