Christmas in the Park returned to downtown San Jose on Friday after a year’s absence, and hundreds of people turned out to welcome back the longtime holiday tradition.
Plaza de Cesar Chavez was packed with people waiting for Santa Claus to throw the switch that lit up the 65-foot Christmas tree at the center of the park, which will host the walk-through display’s 31st season through Jan. 2. And while the crowd numbers were 2019 big, many people were masked up as they made their way around the park, a reminder that we’re still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elias and Maggie Gonzales brought their girls, 7-year-old Eleanor and 3-year-old Adeline, to see the tree-lighting and enjoy cups of hot chocolate. While the San Jose family did the drive-through version of Christmas in the Park last year, they got through the pandemic repeatedly watching a YouTube video they made of the two sisters exploring Christmas in the Park in 2019.
So you could say they were pretty fired up for its return. “The first thing I did was check to see if they were doing the tree-lighting this year because we’ve been coming every year,” Maggie Gonzales said. “It’s fun every year because it’s the same but different.”
Eleanor agreed. “It’s exciting to go here because you get to see new things every year, like the big teddy bear,” she said, referring to an illuminated golden toy bear that holds court at the north end of the park.
There are a few new displays this year, though everything seems a bit new after last year’s hiatus. The most noticeable change may be the new Christmas tree, sponsored by San Jose Clean Energy, that has a tunnel that people can walk through and see the music-synchronized light show from the inside. Blinky’s Tavern, another new feature, was also doing good business on Friday night offering beer and wine to the 21-and-over crowd. And, despite what I reported earlier this week, the price of beer and wine was dropped to $10. Maybe President Biden tapped into the nation’s Strategic Beer Reserve to fight inflation.
Santa Claus is again back for kids to visit and take photos with, though his throne is outdoors, another obvious COVID-influenced change. And for those who aren’t even comfortable with that, families can sign up for a Zoom visit with Santa at Christmas in the Park’s website, www.christmasinthepark.com.
But Friday night’s tree-lighting ceremony also felt like downtown San Jose was reopening for the holidays. Nearby restaurants like Scott’s Seafood, Mas Pizza, Original Joe’s and Mosaic were filled, skaters were making the rounds at Kristi Yamaguchi’s Downtown Ice, and there was a vibrant atmosphere on the streets that downtown has been missing for a while.
Executive Director Jason Minsky said the downtown display is at the heart of Christmas in the Park. While last year’s drive-through was successful — and returned this year as Blinky’s Illuminated Holiday at Lake Cunningham Park — there was never a thought to not coming back to Plaza de Cesar Chavez. “Our organization is based in downtown, and I cannot be more excited to be back in downtown,” Minsky said. “I know how much people love Christmas in the Park. People want to get out and have a great time.”
MORE SUPPORT FOR CALLE WILLOW: Business owners and residents in San Jose’s Calle Willow district may be getting through with their message asking the city to not encourage large-scale development in the culturally rich neighborhood. The Planning Commission voted in agreement with city staff recommendations to remove Calle Willow from the policy framework that would allow such development, and now a member of the San Jose City Council is weighing in on the topic before the council takes it up Nov. 30.
Councilman Raul Peralez issued a memo last Wednesday recommending the council approve the staff recommendation for no change to uses allowed within the neighborhood business district, while also directing City Manager Jennifer Maguire to change the area’s land-use designation to discourage redevelopment that could displace Calle Willow businesses. Peralez says in the memo that he met with numerous small business owners during the process of the four-year general plan review who were concerned about the potential changes.
CELEBRATING BOB KIEVE: San Jose lost one of its strongest voices when Empire Broadcasting president Bob Kieve died last May. Kieve, who owned radio stations KRTY and KLIV (plus KARA before that), would have turned 100 years old this month, and the community is invited to celebrate his life on Dec. 3 at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose.
That’s a fitting venue thanks to Kieve’s long service on the board of directors for Symphony San Jose and perhaps the only more fitting place for a Sharks fan like Bob would have been SAP Center. Of course, the Harvard graduate had quite a life before he arrived in San Jose in 1967. He was an information officer for the U.S. embassy in Madrid, served on President Eisenhower’s speechwriting staff and spent a decade learning the broadcasting business in Rochester, N.Y.
The celebration begins at 5 p.m., and proof of vaccination will be required to enter. Guests are encouraged to emulate Bob’s signature neckwear with a bow tie of their choice.
BIKE COALITION’S NEW HOME: The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is having an open house Dec. 4 at its new offices at 155 S. 11th St., a former fraternity house near San Jose State University.
The casual get-together takes place from 1 to 4 p.m., and there’ll be lots of opportunities for people to learn about the bicycle coalition’s work to bring safer bike facilities to Silicon Valley. There’ll be refreshments throughout the event, with a brief program and bike-related prize drawings at 3 p.m.The one thing that won’t be there is car parking. But there will be lots of secure bike parking, and there’s even a bike ride planned to arrive at the office just as the event starts. Get more information and register to attend at bikesiliconvalley.org.
THE WRITE STUFF: Frank Carbajal, founder of the Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit, is having a great Thanksgiving weekend. “Latinx Business Success,” the new book he co-authored with José Morey, was the top bestseller among economics books on Amazon.com. The book explores the success of Latinx business leaders through interviews and how to close the digital divide that has kept that community largely shut out of positions of power.
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