Even as things are re-opening ever so slightly in Santa Clara County, it’s clear that we’re going to have a quiet, lazy summer in San Jose and the surrounding area.
When it comes to summer events, the big blows are the loss of the Rotary Club of San Jose’s July 4 fireworks show — a downtown San Jose tradition that was revived in 2014 — and the cancellations of the Gilroy Garlic Festival in July and San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest, which was slated for the second weekend of August. Those groups made the right call because it doesn’t make sense to hold events that regularly draw tens of thousands of people cramped close together — even outdoors — in this uncertain atmosphere.
The San Jose Downtown Association also has shelved plans for Music in the Park concerts this summer, and the delightful Rose, White & Blue Parade — which was to roll through San Jose’s Shasta-Hanchett neighborhood July 4 — has been tentatively pushed back to Labor Day. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Friday night beach concert series has been called off for this summer, and it’s unknown when the Boardwalk itself may be allowed to reopen. California’s Great America season has been postponed two months so far, and nobody knows when the Santa Clara amusement park will open its doors.
That adds up to a lot of idle people — grown-ups and kids alike — and creates some serious concerns about the Fourth of July. Anyone living in the South Bay can tell you that even in a normal year, neighborhoods are filled with illegal fireworks shooting off into the sky or on the street, creating the potential for accidents and fires. Can you imagine what it may be like without the downtown San Jose fireworks show to sate people’s thirst for pyrotechnics? The city of Santa Clara also has canceled plans for its July 4 fireworks, and the San Jose Giants aren’t even able to start their season yet so the traditional fireworks show at Excite Ballpark is surely still up n the air.
And don’t get me wrong — I love big, colorful fireworks shows, even though I know some people and many pets cannot stand the noise of it all. But the big neighborhood stuff — hardly the “safe and sane” sparklers of my 1970s youth — is just dangerous. Santa Clara County and individual cities have a lot on their plates already with COVID-19, but I hope public safety leaders are planning right now for Independence Day, which is just six weeks away.
LEVITT PAVILION SHOWCASE: The group working to bring Levitt Pavilion to San Jose wants to make sure you know they’re still working, even if plans to redesign St. James Park have skidded to a halt. Once constructed, the Levitt Pavilion would host a minimum of 50 free shows a year at the downtown park, and the Friends of Levitt Pavilion have a virtual version called “May Day for the Arts” planned for May 28.
The free, four-hour event will feature a variety of performances by South Bay artists and musicians, and you’ll be able to donate directly to support those artists as you watch from home. The current lineup includes performers from Opera San Jose, San Jose Taiko, New Ballet, Teatro Vision, Silicon Valley Shakespeare and San Jose Jazz.
More information, as well as a link to register for free tickets for the 6 to 10 p.m. event on Eventbrite, is available at http://levittsanjose.org/mayday-for-the-arts.
FARMERS MARKETS RETURN: There was good news Wednesday for fans of fresh produce as the Santana Row Farmers Market made its return. The market, scheduled to run from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through September, has instituted lots of guidelines to maintain safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, including requiring face coverings and eliminating samples.
The San Jose Downtown Association’s San Pedro Square Farmers Market is getting a late start but will open for business from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays starting June 5 and running through Dec. 18. The market will be limited to agricultural products — so no vendors selling dresses, greeting cards or jewelry — and there will be hand-washing stations in abundance.
“The great thing about farmers’ markets at this time is that we’ve simplified the food chain,” Downtown Association Managing Director Bree Von Faith said. “These are California growers selling directly to consumers.”