If Garlic Festival officials could harness the weather, they
could throw the perfect party.
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If Garlic Festival officials could harness the weather, they could throw the perfect party.
Festival-goers, volunteers and venders suggested everything from free beer to multiple garlic festivals a year, but most agreed that the weather needed to change the most.
“If we could get it to be no hotter than 80. If we could do that, that would be cool,” said Kathy Hansell with a big thumbs up. An English teacher at Britton Middle School, Hansell remembers the first festival, where Rudy Melone had to give away tickets to get interest in the event. Dr. Rudy Melone, one of the festival’s founders and the past president of Gavilan College was her husband, John Hansell’s boss.
“We’ve been here from the first garlic festival; to all 30 of them. We’ve eaten so much garlic that when we go to Italy, the Italians stay away from us,” said John Hansell.
On a more serious note, Kathy Hansell suggested easier walk-in access to the festival.
“And I’d say don’t change any of the recipes – the pasta con pesto and the calamari,” said John Hansell.
Wearing a foot tall garlic hat decked out with garlic cloves and ringed in dried red peppers, Rudy Perez suggested more places to sit.
His wife Janie Perez was seated in the shade on a portable chair wearing another of Perez’s home-made garlic hats. Perez also made a hat for his daughter who came from San Francisco.
An attendee or volunteer at the festival for 28 years, Perez, now 80, wishes there were more places to sit.
“We need more seats – more tents – because there’s not enough. And that’s the most important thing – to sit down and relax,” said Perez.
Volunteer Diana Shockey suggested cooler weather and more rain tents.
“The rain tents are great. We can’t control Mother Nature, but to it’s great to bring a little bit of rain to the festival because it cools you off,” she said. Shockey has been at the festival on and off for 12 years and has sold bubble wands for 13 years.
“It’s not super hot this year,” said Matthew Moyles, a festival pyro chef since 2003. It’d be nice if the festival was free, but they do so much, he said.
Crystal Mellen who has attended the festival three times said she would try to make parking easier. But overall she said the Garlic Festival is one of the best festivals she has attended. She liked the level of security too and said she felt safe.
“I’m glad to be here,” she said holding up her garlic braid with a laugh.
This year the festival experimented with a popular large screen television said 2008 Festival President Ed Struzik who has been involved in the festival for 11 years. On Saturday and Sunday, Struzik heard people ask for smaller screens near the Cook-Off stage.
One change next year is the loss of the band Sha-Boom.
“We know there’s not going to be Sha-Boom next year, so it’s going to be a big problem for us. Kind of a bummer. But we’re trying a lot of new bands this year and hopefully we can find someone who’s that popular to replace them.” Struzik said.
Frank McGill who has escorted contestants off the Cook-Off stage for the last five years and worked Gourmet Alley for 11 years had a different suggestion.
“It’s a selfish wish; I would like less people here so that I would be able to enjoy the park, but I love how many people come and the more the merrier because that’s what makes the festival such a success.”
“I think I would add an additional festival – have a winter festival and a summer festival” said his wife, Del McGill. “Two a year and I’d be happy” she said.
Fifteen-year-old Adrian Espinoza with two garlic ice-cream cones in hand suggested more ice cream. It’s Espinoza’s third festival. He attended the 2008 festival both Saturday and Sunday.
“Knowing what won’t change is pretty obvious,” Struzik said. “We know we won’t change Garlic Showdown. We won’t change garlic fries.”
Despite the heat, Gilroy’s garlicky tradition continues.
