Our visit to the Garlic Festival didn’t turn out as expected
this year. My husband and I were pleasantly strolling along Miller
Avenue, heading toward Christmas Hill Park, when I tripped over a
raised section of the sidewalk. I hit the cement with a force I
never would have predicted, landed on my head, skidded along on my
face and ended up a dazed, bloody mess.
Tripped on sidewalk on the way to the Fest, thanks to all who helped
Dear Editor,
Our visit to the Garlic Festival didn’t turn out as expected this year. My husband and I were pleasantly strolling along Miller Avenue, heading toward Christmas Hill Park, when I tripped over a raised section of the sidewalk. I hit the cement with a force I never would have predicted, landed on my head, skidded along on my face and ended up a dazed, bloody mess.
I’ve been aware of the sidewalk repair issue in Gilroy but had no idea how hard the impact would be or how much damage could be done until I fell myself. Isn’t that the way it always is?
The purpose of my letter is not to address the sidewalk issue, though. I actually am writing to thank the kind people who stopped to help me. I don’t recall many faces because I couldn’t look up for awhile, but I heard voices – someone offering to call 911, people trying to assess the injuries and others suggesting what I should do to stop the bleeding.
As I sat there with my head in my hands, I could see them from the knees down out of my left eye. From that perspective I saw someone setting down a bottle of water, several others handing me paper towels and a thoughtful lady leaving her name and phone number.
One nice young man was a particular comfort, staying with us the whole time. He stayed with me while my husband went to get our truck and remained until we drove away.
I am guessing many of these people were locals since they were using this route to get to the festival, and will see this letter of appreciation. While I would not call this experience a pleasant one, I AM left with a feeling of warmth about our community.
Tammy Vickroy, Gilroy
26 percent dropout rate for high school students in Gilroy bogus
Dear Editor,
Here we go again … the July 18 headline “1 in 4 four students drop out in Gilroy.”
In the mid-’80s, our new superintendent of schools brought in consultants to study Gilroy High School faculty racism, ineptness, i.e. lack of student achievement (all students were not qualified for Stanford and UC entry!), dropouts and more.
The consultants came up with a four-year dropout rate of 33 percent for the class of 1984. This was my class, and I had done my own dropout study with a figure of 13.8 percent.
The consultants were asked to define “dropout.” They replied that in 1980 there were a certain number of freshmen. Four years later there were 33 percent less students.
We asked, “But what about the G.E.D., alternative school diplomas, military, marriage and most significantly, students who moved away?”
The superintendent’s response was, “We have to stick with the data given us.”
The Dispatch article notes that the dropout rate will probably improve “when the data is cleaned up.” Duh.
The person best qualified to know the status of missing students was the school secretary – she received requests for GHS transcripts from the schools where our students had moved. Unbeknownst to me, she had also done a dropout study of the class of ’84. Her figure: 13.2 percent.
Roger Anderson, Gilroy
Sha-Boom band leader bids a fond farewell to our fair city
Dear Editor,
As the old saying goes “All good things must end; it’s time to go.” And so it is with Sha-Boom.
As the leader of the band, I wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude for the love and support you’ve given us for the past 25 years and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We have played music in hundreds of towns across the nation, but nothing ever came close to the relationship we had with Gilroy.
We want you to know that it pains us greatly to say goodbye. We were proud that we virtually kept our price the same for all those years because we loved, for that one weekend a year, being part of your community. We loved being able to help generate funds for your community projects, that’s why the band was formed in the first place. We loved performing for you.
With the retirement of Mike, Dee and myself and our relocation to Texas and Arizona the costs associated with our performance became prohibitive. It’s time for local talent to fill the void and continue this fine tradition.
We want to especially thank Don Christopher. It was his generous contribution that allowed us all to bid a proper farewell. A very emotional farewell it was. The void that has been created is every bit as big in our hearts as it is in yours. With Warmest Regards,
John Dotson, Sha-boom, Gilroyan at heart
Penne con pesto not so besto, bring back the noodles so beloved by oodles and oodles
Dear Editor,
Oh the days of pasta con pesto
with basil and garlic, oh how we miss you
these years of success, why the change?
whose idea was this, were they deranged?
We don’t want any, of that crummy old penne
those big fat old noodles, and they give you oodles
the pasta con pesto, with butter and basil
deliciously nasal, was loved by us all
But penne is easy, not so fettuccini
would you rather have steak than a tasteless old weeny?
old Val Filice, should have called the police
when penne’s venue showed up on the menu
Why it’s even ugly, ponderously so
and we’re tired of someone, ruining the show
All that I talked to, I mean everyone
agrees that the penne next year should be gone
so dump out that penne, we don’t want any
don’t be a weeny, bring back fettuccini
George LeDon, Gilroy
