This year’s celebration offers annual traditions spiced with
performances
Gilroy – The downtown is preparing for its biggest Christmas bash ever.
In addition to the annual Monterey Street parade and tree lighting, this year’s holiday celebration will feature live performances by youth violinists, a pair of local dance troupes, and Mr. David, a popular children’s musician from San Jose.
The live events start 6pm Saturday, following the parade, with violinists from the Suzuki youth music group playing as Santa performs the ceremonial tree lighting. Next, David Alexandrou, whose second album was named by a national poll as one of the top 10 children’s records in 2006, will perform an assortment of music ranging from classics such as “Mother Goose” to his own odd creations, such as “I’m a fish.”
Following Mr. David, two local dance troupes will perform for an hour. All of the live performances will take place on a new stage erected around the traditional spot of the downtown Christmas tree at Fifth and Monterey streets.
“I’m trying to step it up this year,” said Dawn Guillen, parade organizer and owner of Dilly Dally Alley, a downtown children’s clothing store. “I’m expecting it to be a lot bigger than last year.”
She and other downtown merchants hope the parade, which in past years has drawn more than 100 families, will help continue the area’s resurgence following a seven-month construction closure.
Two blocks of Monterey Street re-opened to traffic in mid-October and now workers are putting the finishing touches on expansive 15-foot-wide sidewalks. Orange construction cones and fencing will remain along the street until shortly before Christmas, though none of the walkways will be obstructed.
The annual parade will pass by most downtown businesses as it travels north along Monterey Street. More than 20 floats are expected, including an assortment of animal characters, a live nativity scene, the Gilroy High School marching band and, of course, Santa’s sleigh pulling up the rear (with the help of the mayor and city councilmen).
After the parade and tree lighting, children can visit Santa in the chamber breezeway connecting Monterey Street and the parking lot off Eigleberry Street. While they wait for Santa, kids can munch on free cotton candy, cookies and popcorn, and watch cartoons or get their faces painted.
The parade will begin at the Caltrain station this year instead of its traditional starting point behind the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce at 7471 Monterey St. Officials hope to keep parking spaces behind the chamber available for visitors, according to Chamber Executive Director Susan Valenta.
Visitors should be on the look-out for special deals and later-than-normal shopping hours in the downtown.
“The holiday event is the perfect opportunity where a downtown business can welcome people into their stores and market their own businesses,” Valenta said. “There are things they can do on their own that plays off of the downtown event. Every opportunity where you have an audience, they need to maximize it by doing something in their own business.”
