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After much anticipation, zesty garlic fried calamari made its debut at this year’s Garlic Festival. At $8 a pop, the calamari dish proved to be popular with many festival attendees.

Sometimes the simplest of dishes elevated in a unique way far outweigh a more complex extravagant entrée, as was the case at Saturday’s 2013 Great Garlic Cookoff.

It was business as usual at Christmas Hill Park Saturday.

Ribs glazed in olive oil and garlic and smoked in hickory and oak wood was just one of the concocted recipes for the first-ever “Pigs in the Park with Garlic” barbecue rib cook-off Friday at the 35th Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

The Fresno State cooking duo was the first out of the gates in a staggered start for the three competing college teams in the inaugural Garlic Bowl and the first to whet the palates of the six judges at Friday’s 35th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

A semi-truck and car were involved in an accident Friday at Highway 156 and Fairveiw Road, while there were no reported injuries.

Garlic Festival President Dennis Harrigan was a pent up ball of energy as he waited to get the 35th annual 2013 Gilroy Garlic Festival show on the road Friday morning. Standing just of front of the famed flaming garlic bulb near the entrance to the park, Harrigan appeared to be enjoying himself.

Garlic Fest, how do we love thee? Let me count the ways.

More than 4,000 volunteers representing local nonprofits work behind the scenes at the three-day festival, and are rewarded by the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association for their efforts. Over the festival's 35 years, more than $8 million has been donated to local nonprofits. Here is a look at a few the people ensuring the garlicky extravaganza runs smoothly this year.

California is in the middle of a severe fire season that started early, authorities say.