VTA’s annual Stuff the Bus, a donation campaign in partnership with the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots program, returns to Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. VTA staff and U.S. Marines will be on hand to collect new, unwrapped donations of toys and books, as well any monetary gifts. They’re looking for gifts appropriate for kids ranging from newborns to mid-teens, with one caveat: No plush toys.
And on Sunday, the 14th annual Santa Run Silicon Valley will make its way through downtown San Jose, with the 5K’s runners and walkers finishing the race at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. You can still register for either the main race, which starts at 3 p.m., or the kids’ Reindeer Dash at 4:30 p.m. at www.santarunsv.com.
Hillbrook School — a Los Gatos-based institution that goes back 90 years but is just in its third year of high school — cut the ribbon on a new classroom building in downtown San Jose on Friday that is steeped in history.
The three-story brick-and-sandstone Moir building at 227 N. First St. is a real beauty from 1894, with a massive skylight that rains sunshine into its interior and charming bay windows. It was one of the original work-live buildings downtown, with tenants who lived on the upper floors running businesses out of the storefronts on the ground floor. It served as a hotel for most of its life and, most recently, housed the offices of the Robinson & Wood law firm.
Inside the newly renovated building for Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Inside the newly renovated building for Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
A welcome sign for students at Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Students go inside the newly renovated building for Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
People celebrate during a ribbon cutting for the newly renovated Moir Building that is now part of Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
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Inside the newly renovated building for Hillbrook School in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
I’m glad that instead of building something brand new — which it could have done pretty much anywhere — Hillbrook decided to bring its students to downtown San Jose and specifically to two historic but vacant buildings near St. James Park that required millions of dollars of renovation.
“That was a very intentional decision to have a school in downtown San Jose and have this idea of the city as a classroom,” Head of School Mark Silver said. “We have these two buildings, which represent 70,000 square feet, but we have a classroom that is an entire city.”
Having both that building and the old San Jose Armory on North Second Street transformed into classrooms, maker spaces, art studios and a gym should keep those spaces vibrant for decades to come. While they’ve been modernized inside, the exteriors have kept their classic charm.
“The historical character of the building has been updated but hasn’t been lost,” Silver said. “The idea of bringing a historical building back into use is one of the most green and sustainable things you can do. Our ability to take these two buildings and reenergize them is a huge benefit to the city, and it’s a huge benefit to us.”
Hillbrook’s already been a good neighbor, helping to host the National Night Out event for the residents in surrounding buildings this month and asking the relatively new Hobee’s restaurant on North Second Street to provide its student meals. Of course, there’s another historic structure — the dilapidated First Church of Christ Scientist — between Hillbrook’s two buildings. Wouldn’t it be great if the school found a way to make that part of its campus, too?
CELEBRATION BELLS: Meanwhile, Bellarmine College Prep had its own dedication event Wednesday for the Wade Academic Center, a 43,000 square-foot building with 21 classrooms, a courtyard and and administrative offices. While this is an entirely new campus building, Bellarmine — which celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2026 — still paid homage to the school’s history.
The Wade Academic Center at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose was dedicated Aug. 20, 2025. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
It’s named after the Rev. Gerald Wade, Bellarmine’s former president and chancellor emeritus, and his parents, lifelong Santa Clara resident Clara Wade and Walter Wade, whose family had deep roots in Alviso.
And in a touching gesture, the school’s Class of 1983 raised money to dedicate a classroom in honor of Rev. Peter Pabst, the chancellor of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School. Pabst taught at Bellarmine in the mid-1970s and when he returned to campus from 1981 to ’83. They were among the hundreds of donors who contributed to the capital campaign, “Legacy, Inspiration, Innovation.”
An interior hallway in the Wade Academic Center at Bellarmine College Prep, which was dedicated Aug. 20, 2025, welcomes students in several languages. (Courtesy of Craig Cozart Photography)
CHAMBER’S SMOKIN’ BBQ: There were more than 850 movers and shakers at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce’s annual barbecue Thursday evening at History Park in San Jose, but the sweltering temperature kept the moving and shaking to a minimum.
People flocked to grab a popsicle from Paleta Planeta, which normally serves up its artisan Mexican frozen treats from its storefront on Fourth and Santa Clara streets, and the booth staffed by downtown accounting firm PP&Co., which was pouring ice-cold Moscow Mules in light-up plastic cups shaped like a boot. (And for those not feeling the love for Moscow these days, they also had bourbon and tequila versions.)
As predicted, the Waymo self-driving car was a hit with the crowd, and — also as predicted — it did not move nor was a start date announced for San Jose service. But testing continues and sooner or later, we won’t have to drive ourselves around town.
PROVIDING A BOOST: Rigo Chacon, who was the longtime face of KGO-TV’s newscasts in the South Bay, founded his scholarship program Abrazos & Books in 1990 to help Santa Clara County students in need. But he says the program is going through its toughest fundraising period in its 35-year history, and he hasn’t been able to promote it as much as he’s recovering from major back surgery.
Chacon launched a GoFundMe last fall to raise $15,000 but it lost steam about six months ago with only about 40 percent of the goal raised. With the start of the school year, he’s hoping there are more generous folks out there with education on their minds. You can find out more about the campaign at www.gofundme.com/f/support-rigo-chacons-legacy-of-giving.
To borrow a phrase from the Go-Go’s 1980s heyday, “What a bummer.”
A COVID-19 resurgence among its cast forced City Lights Theater Company in San Jose to cancel this weekend’s final performances of its summer musical, “Head Over Heels.” The show, effervescing with the music of the iconic ’80s band, was also City Lights’ last show of the season, so there goes that.
City Lights Executive Artistic Director Lisa Mallette says keeping the cast, staff and audiences healthy comes first, but it has to be quite frustrating every time COVID — less deadly but still disruptive — shows up at the theater. City Lights cancelled previous performances in the run because of COVID, and San Jose Stage Company also cancelled the opening weekend of “Sweet Charity” in June for the same reason.
“This virus is still dealing financial and emotional blows to arts organizations — and to any group that gathers people together in community. Theaters all over the country have had to cancel shows this summer,” Mallette said. “It’s painful to lose performances for any show, but this one is particularly hard, with such a beautiful cast and story, and with such a timely message of love and pride.”
She said City Lights is actively working on an expanded understudy program that will begin with its next show, the first of the 2025-26 season, “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors,” in September. There’s no cure for COVID, but there are two easy remedies for helping any of our local theater companies survive their financial maladies: Buy tickets and donate money if you can.
FRONT YARD FESTIVAL: There were precious few silver linings to the COVID pandemic, but one of them in San Jose was PorchFest, an outdoor music festival that allowed residents in San Jose’s Naglee Park neighborhood to enjoy live music in a safer environment — outdoors, with bands playing on temporary stages in front of people’s homes.
The late Chris Esparza started it in 2020, and Annie Hermes of Messenger Events took the baton to keep it going — growing it into its sixth year as a great free music festival that really spotlights local talent. Eight bands will play three sets apiece between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday in front of different homes in the neighborhood just east of downtown.
One of the musicians playing this Saturday in the neighborhood just east of downtown is Jon Gibson, who grew up in San Jose and was a Blue-Eyed Soul singer before switching to Christian music in the late 1980s. He’ll perform a combination of music by artists including Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, along with some of his Christian hits during his three sets in front of 53 S. 13th St.
Other acts include Ren Geisick, Noah and the Arkiteks, Sofrito and the El Camino Revival Band. The full schedule is available www.nagleepark.org/porch.html.
SWEET SUPPLY: Retired San Jose State political science professor Larry Gerston moved to the San Diego area in the spring but flew back to Los Gatos for a quick visit recently. The most important reason, Gerston says, was to pick up “a refill of my Vitamin I prescription.”
Every morning Gerston enjoys one-fifth of a slice of chocolate chip pound cake from Los Gatos’ Icing on the Cake. He was down to his last slice, so he came north for his fix: Two cakes with 10 pre-wrapped slices each, about a three-month supply.
Gerston says when he was going through security at San Jose Mineta Airport, five TSA agents gathered to debate what kind of cake was in his bag. He told them the answer, but didn’t offer any slices. “Some possessions are just too valuable to give away, especially to the government!” Gerston quipped.
Six miles of streets of San Jose will be closed to cars — and open to bikes, walkers, runners and skateboarders — on Sunday for this year’s third edition of Viva CalleSJ.
The route this time, “Parks to Roses,” stretches from Roosevelt Park on Santa Clara and 19th streets through downtown to the Municipal Rose Garden and Japantown. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and, as usual, there will be several points along the route where vehicles can pass through.
There’ll be a lot going on along the route, like BMX stunt riders at San Jose City Hall, karaoke in front of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center on The Alameda and Pro Wrestling Revolution shows at the intersection of Race Street and The Alameda.
The route for the Viva CalleSJ event on Sept. 8, 2024. (Courtesy Viva CalleSJ/City of San Jose)
Bands and DJs will provide entertainment at Roosevelt Park, St. James Park, the Municipal Rose Garden and Japantown, where there will also be food trucks and free bike repair stations.
The SJZ Boom Box stage will be set up in Japantown, with DJ Cutso, Cado and Valley Wolf playing tunes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DJ Too Tall will be at Roosevelt Park, where Grupo Folkorico Yolotli Gurrerense also will perform at noon. The Muncipal Rose Garden will have DJ John Jimenez from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and St. James Park will host the bands School of Rock (10:15 a.m.) and Dear Radio (12:45 p.m.) along with jazz and cumbia music.
There were quite a few bow ties on display Thursday evening at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce’s annual barbecue at History Park. Nicholas Adams, chair of the Chamber’s board, noted it was just a coincidental sartorial choice.
“When a lot of people in the San Jose business community see a bow tie, there’s a beautiful smile that comes to mind of the late, great Bob Kieve,” Adams said, referring to the president of Empire Broadcasting, which owned radio stations KARA, KLIV and KRTY and was known for his neckwear.
The Chamber announced Thursday that it is naming a new foundation to preserve its downtown headquarters in honor of Kieve , who died in 2020 at age 98. Adams said the business organization wouldn’t have been able to acquire the former bank building — located at the high-profile intersection of Market and Santa Clara streets — in 2009 without Kieve, who was a longtime member and a past board chair of the Chamber.
“Bob was a fearless champion for our business community in San Jose. Bob was a man of action. He didn’t just speak about what he wanted to see, but he actually leaned in hard to help get it done,” he said. It was Kieve’s vision “to secure a home for the voice of business in San Jose now and in the future.”
DIGITAL PHOTO BY JUDITH CALSON….SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS….MARCH 29, 2002..SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA…… Bob Kieve is a San Jose institution as long-time owner of KLIV and community mover and shaker. He’s about to sell the station and move into internet radio. Friday, his soft music station “KARA of Santa Clara” finishes its 30 year run. Kieve has sold it to a large congloerate of Spanish stations called Hispanic Broadcasting
The Bob Kieve Chamber Building Preservation Foundation will be the repository for a capital campaign to raise more than $500,000 to make the building a hub and resource for San Jose businesses. The building includes a meeting room with space for 80 people, offices and drop-in spaces for Chamber members and other rooms for small meetings. The problem is that the building, designed by architect Ralph Wycoff and built in 1942, needs serious upgrades to tech, lighting and security to make it useful for today’s entrepreneurs.
The building also has a massive vault, which may not be useful for businesses, either, but it still looks really cool.
There’s a $50,000 matching donations for contributions made through the end of the year. You can find out more information at www.sjchamber.com/bob-kieve-foundation.
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: The hundreds of people who attended the Chamber barbecue made up a who’s who of not only business leaders but elected officials on hand, with Chamber CEO Leah Toeniskoetter welcoming many including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Jose Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei, and Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone. There were also a few candidates who are seeking office on Nov. 5 shaking hands (and possibly shake loose some donations of their own).
Three attendees I chatted with — Jay Ross, Liam O’Connor and Marissa Sinha — had name badges showing they were all employees at the prestigious downtown law firm Hopkins Carley. However, that won’t be the case in six weeks; they’ll be part Lathrop GPM, serving as the California outpost of a 360-attorney national firm based in Kansas City. Hopkins Carley announced a merger with the larger firm, which becomes official Oct. 1, on Wednesday.
Hopkins Carley — yes, the firm dropped the “&” from its name recently — was founded in 1968 by John Hopkins and Leon Carley and maintains its downtown San Jose headquarters in two adjoining historic buildings on South First Street, the 1889 Letitia Building and the 1891 Security Building.
MUSICAL ENCORE: If you were looking for inspiration Friday afternoon, you needed to look no further than Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The Valley Health Foundation held a lunchtime barbecue fundraiser outdoors for VMC’s Recreation Therapy department that included live music by Idol Hands — VMC’s “house band” that includes doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.
Friday’s gig was special, though, because it marked the return of Chris Wilder, the former executive director of the VMC Foundation, who founded the band in 2006 and played bass. Wilder survived a massive stroke in 2021 and had a long and difficult recovery, but he sat in playing his bass guitar with one hand for four songs Friday — including “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Summertime.”
Former Valley Medical Center Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder plays bass with the band Idol Hands, which he founded I. 2006, at a fundraising event for Valley Medical Center’s Recreation Therapy department. Wilder survived a massive stroke in March 2021. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
“We are really happy to have Chris back with us to play a few songs,” said Greg Price, Idols Hands’ guitarist and vocalist, who is also director of ambulatory support services for Valley Medical Center. Under partly cloudy skies in Renova Park, a big crowd of VMC staff, patients and visitors watched the performance, including Wilder’s mom, Lani, and his brother, Todd.
“That felt great to go play with the band again and do what I love to do,” Wilder said.
CHEERS: San Jose’s 10th Street Distillery has a lot to toast about after learning this week that its Triple Cask STR whiskey won the “Best in Show” award in the Whiskies of the World Awards, beating out spirits from Eagle Rare, Thomas H. Handy, Redwood Empire, Lindores Abbey and Blanton’s.
“The evaluation of whiskies is taken very seriously by our judges, not only to taste and make notes, but also discuss and consider many angles,” said Douglas Smith, proprietor of Whiskies of the World and the San Jose-based Whiskey Education Foundation.
Founder Virag Saksena says he’s very proud of the award, joining several others the distillery has won in recent years. Despite its geographic name, the distillery’s tasting room is open weekends at 442 N. Fourth St. Go to www.10thstreetdistillery.com to check it out.
MAGICAL MARATHON: Get your house robes and wands ready, as 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose is taking part in the annual “Back to Hogwarts” celebrations next weekend with an 8-movie Harry Potter marathon that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 and finishes 22 hours later.
There’ll be costume and trivia contests, a midnight buffet, a refillable popcorn and soda (now, that’s really magic.) You’re welcome to bring pajamas or a blanket, but watch the snoring or someone might cast a curse spell on you. Tickets are $75 or $60 for 3Believers members, and there are other Harry Potter events going on as well, including a party for 3Believers members only that includes a screening of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
Brooms at the ready? Head over to 3belowtheaters.com for the details and tickets.
There’s something inherently silly about seeing a parade of men — suited professionals, healthcare workers and union laborers among them — strolling around the fashion mecca of Santana Row in high heels.
That visual disconnect brings a touch of levity “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” a signature annual event by the YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley to raise awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence — and to raise money to fight it.
BayFC Coach Albertin Montoya helping the crowd warm up while wearing shiny blue heels with his gray Puma socks, and emcee Chris Chmura of NBC Bay Area noting that he felt about four-inches taller in his heels as he carefully navigated his way off the stage.
Niner Noise performs at the the finish line of “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
David Adams, center, from San Jose, with The Beer Channel, poses for a photograph after participating in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Members of IBEW Local 332, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, prepare to participate in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Jesus Sanchez, center left, from San Jose, walks with Dr. Rakesh Chaudhary, center right, physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, during “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya participates in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
From left to right Tom Hudson, from San Jose, David Adams, from San Jose, Sean Davis, from Santa Cruz and Nick Hammer, from San Francisco, all from The Beer Channel, take a break after participating in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
David Adams, from San Jose, with The Beer Channel, wears his medal after participating in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Tom Hudson, right, from San Jose, with The Beer Channel, participates in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
People participate in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Don Tynes, from San Jose, celebrates after winning the “Shoe Competition” for “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Jesus Sanchez, from San Jose, stands in pink high heels during “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Nick Hammer, from San Francisco, with The Beer Channel, participates in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
People participate in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
James Gibbons-Shapiro, center, Santa Clara County assistant district attorney, participates in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Jesus Sanchez, from San Jose, participates in the “Shoe Competition” for “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
People participate in “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley’s annual fundraiser, at Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2024. “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” raises funds and awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
And they were just two of more than 400 people who registered to walk and had raised more than $117,000 as of Thursday afternoon for YWCA programs. There were groups from Synopsys, IBEW Local 332, UA Local 393, Meriwest Credit Union, San Jose State University and nearly 100 walkers alone from Kaiser Permanente, which has been taking part for 15 years.
“We’re honored to be here again today,” said Dr. Rakesh Chaudhary, Physician-In-Chief at Kaiser Santa Clara, who practiced walking in his heels around the halls of the hospital this week. “Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to the community extends beyond the walls of our medical centers and we fully support the YWCA mission to end gender-based violence.”
YWCA CEO Adriana Caldera Boroffice said commitments like Kaiser’s and other groups are important, not just for bringing the issues to the attention of their employees but because federal and state budgets are tightening.
“For us, events like this that provide support for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence are more crucial than ever,” said Boroffice, who was wearing a pair of sparkling orange sneakers that were flat and looked quite comfortable.
SAINT OF SAN PEDRO SQUARE: Frank Cucuzza isn’t a name that’s probably well known to a lot of people who pack San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose, but he’s a big part of the reason there’s a there there. It was Cucuzza who opened some of the first restaurant buildings there in the 1970s and was a driving force, along with Leonard McKay, on the restoration of the Gonzales-Peralta Adobe during the same decade.
Cucuzza, a San Jose native and son of Italian immigrants who attended Bellarmine College Prep and Santa Clara University, passed away at age 91 on May 30.
Former Mayor Tom McEnery said Cucuzza was an old friend of his father’s and recruited the younger McEnery to lead the adobe restoration project committee. They later worked together on developing San Pedro Square Market.
“It was always his dream for there to be a big market in San Pedro Square,” McEnery recalled. “Not too many get to see their dream become reality in their lifetimes. He was a real good man.”
TRANSIT AND TRAFFIC: Former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and California Transportation Commission Chair Carl Guardino were among the guests joining elected officials and VTA and BART leaders at the groundbreaking Friday for the West Portal of the BART Silicon Valley extension — the future site of the much-debated Santa Clara Station and where the huge tunnel boring machine will be launched.
Guardino, who now works for Tarana Wireless, was a big proponent of the project when he led the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Gonzales, now CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, was also a strong backer of bringing BART to the South Bay when he was on the San Jose City Council in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Speaking of traffic patterns, I crossed paths recently with KCSB traffic reporter Kim Vestal at History Park in San Jose. Vestal, who provides updates on the roadways “on the 8s” for the station, is doing her broadcasts from 1 to 7 p.m. from the historical museum at Kelley Park on Senter Road.
Most of the “traffic” she sees live from her window on the ground floor of the Pacific Hotel consists of historic trolleys. But hold the jokes about how radio broadcasts belong in a history museum during the internet age: The tech set-up and line to the CHP that Vestal has makes her cutting edge for sure.
MUSICAL NOTES: If you’re still looking for something to do with Dad for Father’s Day, there are a few musical options available in San Jose on Sunday, depending on your tastes.
Portuguese violinist Carlos Damas and Italian pianist Mauro Dilema will perform Portuguese chamber music at 3 p.m. at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church, 1375 E. Santa Clara St. They’ll be joined by a string quartet from the Mission Chamber Orchestra.
City Lights will be hosting a concert featuring Bay Area musicians Cory Cullinan (also known as family entertainer Doctor Noize) and his daughter, Riley Max. They will be performing original songs — and will include the audience to create some original songs live. The show starts at 7 p.m. at 529 S. Second St. and tickets are available at www.cltc.org.
The Levitt Pavilion Spring Concert series in St. James Park also wraps up with New Jersey-based duo the Jack Moves. Don’t forget to bring a blanket or a lawn chair for the free show, which starts with an opening act at 3:30 p.m.
There are some things you just don’t expect to happen in a residential neighborhood in San Jose. Like a U.S. Army helicopter touching down at an elementary school.
“Since the school opened in 1959, it’s safe to say only birds, kites and maybe drones have landed on our field,” said Sartorette Elementary School Principal Debbie Stein, “but never a Blackhawk military helicopter.”
But that’s exactly what happened just after 1 p.m. Friday, as more than 300 Sartorette students, faculty and parents watched the dark green chopper approach the Cambrian Park school from the south and land on its field to cheers. The special visit was arranged through the California National Guard to celebrate the completion of the drug awareness program called DARE by the school’s fifth-graders, who got to explore the helicopter.
Students and faculty gather to take a school photo in front of a Blackhawk medical helicopter that landed on the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school’s fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Sartorette is piloting the DARE program for Cambrian School District, so for the past 10 weeks, fifth-grade students have gotten weekly visits from two members of the National Guard who talked to them about ways to avoid drugs and lead healthier lifestyles. One of them, Staff Sgt. Victor Del Real was at the school for Friday’s big event, providing updates to Stein as the helicopter made its way to San Jose from Fresno.
Stein first heard a helicopter visit was a possibility last fall and worked for months with the National Guard to make it happen. She was told this was the first time the National Guard had been able to get clearance to land a helicopter at a school, which clearly involves a lot of logistical planning. Stein made sure San Jose police were notified about it, and neighbors got wind of it recently on Next Door after the school advertised it on their sign. Several residents lined up along the fence on adjacent Noreen Drive to watch the midday spectacle.
Principal Debbie Stein stands next to the field at Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose where a Blackhawk medical helicopter had landed just minutes before on Friday, May 31, 2024. The visit, arranged by the California National Guard, was to celebrate the completion of DARE, an drug awareness program, by the school’s fifth-graders. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose City Councilmember Pam Foley also was on hand to witness the historic event in her district, too.
“What a fun way to reward these students for all their hard work with the DARE program,” Foley said. “Having a Blackhawk helicopter landing is awesome.”
And undoubtedly more interesting than anything going on at City Hall on a Friday afternoon.
CHAIRS OF CREATIVITY: Students at Yavneh Day School in Los Gatos expressed their creativity and emotion with the completion of “A Seat at the Table: A Feast of Jewish Identity,” a semester-long project inspired by artist Judy Chicago’s famous feminist installation, “The Dinner Party.”
Art teachers Judy Murphy and Julie Krigel provided students with recycled chairs and then encouraged them to reimagine them, altering the chairs — removing upholstery, sawing off pieces, painting the chairs a new color or adding pieces made of different materials. In addition to exploring their creativity, some students expressed their sentiments about the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The display will be on view during the Art Walk at the school, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday. You can get more information on the event at jvalley.org.
HITTING THE BRICKS: Legoland Discovery Center Bay Area in Milpitas will crown a new Mini Master Model Builder this weekend. More than 50 Lego enthusiasts between ages 5-12 submitted photos of their builds and shared why they deserve the title over the past few weeks. That group has now been narrowed down to 10 finalists who will be put to the test Sunday.
They’ll compete head-to-head in two rounds of building, judged by Legoland Discovery Center Bay Area’s team of Master Model Builders, led by Lester Mendaros, as well as General Manager Cami Masters and Marketing Manager Angel Sison-Ngo. The winner of this competition will go on to represent the Bay Area in a nationwide Lego building challenge this summer to crown the Mini Master Model Builder of North America.
You can watch the live competition from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a general admission ticket if you want to head to the Great Mall to cheer on the builders. Get more info at www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/bayarea.
RAIN CHECKS: Remember how that strange bout of rain at the beginning of May forced a couple of events to postpone? Well, the Saratoga Blossom Festival will be trying it again on June 8. The festivities will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center and Heritage Orchard on Fruitvale Avenue, with lots of art, antique cars, food trucks, orchard tours and live music — including Bluegrass, Dixieland jazz and easy rock. Free parking is available at West Valley College.
And the Santa Clara Valley Wine Auction is now aiming to take place July 27 at Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin. The elegant evening, presented by the Morgan Hill Community Foundation and the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley, is sticking to its “Derby Style” theme, which made more sense when the auction was being held the same day as the Kentucky Derby. But there’ll still be a Best Derby Hat contest and a Kentucky Derby trivia competition to go along with the food and wine. Get more information or tickets at www.santaclaravalleywineauction.org.
Less than a week after its sixth anniversary celebration, Camino Brewing Company told its social media followers Thursday that it had decided to close the doors of its South First Street brewery on the edge of downtown. There’s no big farewell bash planned; the taproom and beer garden already had been closed the previous few days for electrical repairs.
Camino had been among the better-known and most popular of San Jose’s craft brew operations, and fans mourned the loss of its laid-back atmosphere, not to mention its Fruit Cup IPA and Cafe Con Leche coffee milk stout. The post about the closing pointed to the usual suspects: inflation and a slow pandemic recovery, echoing what S27 — another San Jose craft brewer — said when it ended operations last year. Camino also said that a major funding plan that had been in the works for a year had fallen through.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 17: The front entrance at the Camino Brewing Co. in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Taken by itself, Camino’s closing is unfortunate, and it shouldn’t be a harbinger of downtown doom. After all, in the past few months, Rollati Ristorante opened across from City Hall, Urban Putt added a fun, new dimension to Urban Catalyst’s new Paseo building and Still OG and Alter Ego have made the historic district a little cooler already. For months, downtown boosters have proudly talked about statistics showing that overall activity is at about pre-pandemic levels, seemingly avoiding the “doom loop” of other downtowns.
But most of that action is happening after dark; the office-return statistics are still hovering around 40 percent. And there’s a lot of whispering about other venues around downtown San Jose that may be in serious trouble. Even the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in the SoFA district has announced an emergency campaign to raise $300,000 (and has brought in about a third of that so far).
Fortunately, the next big announcement is the grand opening of Elyse, which has relocated from the Pavilion Shops to the corner of South First and San Fernando streets. But the next one could be another unexpected closing of a downtown gem.
If there’s a lesson, maybe it’s that we should all be visiting the places we like and haven’t been to for a while. These restaurants, museums and theaters are all dying to have people come back — and some may be really gone before long if they don’t.
TRIPPIN’ WITH PEARL JAM: “Dark Matter,” the new album from Pearl Jam, is being released April 19 — but fans can get a memorable early first-listen of the music at a movie theater of all places. “Dark Matter in Theaters” is a one-night only experience April 16, and that’s a happy coincidence for Ray Villarruz, the supervisor at Pruneyard Cinemas’ Cedar Room bar in Campbell. Villarruz has a long association with the band and has been part of opening acts for some of their shows, so he’s going to lend a hand introducing the screenings.
Audiences will get to “experience” the band’s new album in two ways: First, it’ll be played straight through in the darkened theater — audio only; after that, it’ll be played again but this time with mesmerizing visuals. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it reminds me of the old iTunes “visualizer.” Pruneyard has two showings planned — 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. — and is offering two specialty cocktails: The Dark Matter and Kille, Hit the Lights, but I’m betting a chunk of the crowd may show up a little buzzed to begin with.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Beatriz Chaidez is the new chancellor for the San Jose Evergreen Community College District after the district’s board of trustees unanimously selected her April 9. She had been serving as interim chancellor since July 2023 and has been with the district since 2019, previously holding the position of vice chancellor of human resources.
And Elisabeth Ward will be stepping down May 1 after seven years as executive director of the Los Altos History Museum. She’s moving back to Mission Viejo in Orange County where she grew up.
“I hope to take some of what I have learned here about community building and apply it to my hometown, an area that is not as tightknit as Los Altos,” Ward wrote in a farewell note to supporters. “Membership in organizations like the Los Altos History Museum is part of the fabric that makes a community strong, and I hope you continue to prioritize learning from and supporting one another in the years ahead.”
ARTISTIC ADDITION: Nominations are now being accepted for the Cornerstone of the Arts awards, presented by the city of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the city’s Arts Commission. The awards started in 2013 as a way to honor people who had a long-standing impact on the arts like Opera San Jose founder Irene Dalis, San Jose Stage founders Cathleen and Randall King, former Mayor Susan Hammer and then-SV Creates CEO Connie Martinez.
A few years later, awards were added to recognize organizations and events that had a creative impact on the area or provided business or nonprofit support.
Now, the program’s categories have been tweaked again with a new award for a Luminary Artist, which “recognizes an established, professional artist who has a substantial body of work that reflects excellence and contributions to San Jose’s cultural vitality.” I can think of several people who qualify, and I’m sure you can, too. Nominations for all the categories are due by 5 p.m. May 3, and the winners will be honored Oct. 11 at the Hammer Theatre Center.
