Los Gatos, California Since1881
Town News
| Town preparing for a big bash this September By Gloria I. Wang When Los Gatos Town Plaza Park is rebornthis fall, it will be greeted with thelargest party the town has seen in years. The town is pulling out all the stops for theSept. 22 celebration, which will includeall-day street closures and a street dancewith the Joe Sharino Band. The schedule for that Sunday begins with anofficial ribbon-cutting by the mayor and towncouncil and the starting of the new fountainat noon, followed by children's activities,music and A Place for Teens' Great Los GatosFood Fest. At the same time, said Susan Buxton,volunteer services coordinator for the town'scommunity services department, there will behistoric displays all over the area:presentations and volunteers in costumes willbe in and around the plaza, while antiquecars and farming equipment will be parkedalong Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue. At 5 p.m., the locally based Joe SharinoBand - which is also performing at the Aug. 10Fiesta de Artes - will play on a stage on N.Santa Cruz Avenue, encouraging a streetdance. Since the park will have been recentlyrenovated, Buxton said all of the activitieswill take place on the periphery. That way,there will be less pressure on the "newgrass" inside the park, Buxton said, andpeople will be encouraged to look inside andsit in the park. According to Mayor Randy Attaway, the 1997town council had made the commitment torenovate the park and kick it off with agrand opening. "It feels good that we'reliving up to the commitment we made to thecommunity," Attaway said. The improvements to the park - new landscapingand a new fountain, the construction of whichbegan in March - will only enhance the town'svision and charm, especially when combinedwith the current streetscape improvements,Attaway said. Attaway said he hopes the public will enjoythe activities as well as "reminisce aboutLos Gatos' past history and its present-dayhistory." Town Manager Debra Figone said the event wasoriginally scheduled for Sept. 28, but therewere conflicts with other events in the area.Sept. 29 was not an option, Figone said,because a large fundraiser is planned at theLos Gatos Opera House, and several of themerchants involved in the Food Fest areinvolved with the fundraiser. Figone also said the park opening will notinterfere with the Los Gatos Farmers' Market,held Sunday mornings in the nearby civiccenter parking lot. "The Farmers' Market hasits own draw, wherever it is," Figone said. The anticipated $20,000 cost of thecelebration comes from the special eventsection of the current town budget, accordingto Figone. Buxton said, however, that the eventcommittee is receiving plenty of donationsfrom local businesses as well as volunteerhours from residents. According to a staff report, street closuresinclude Montebello Way from 6 a.m. to 10p.m.; and N. Santa Cruz between Elm Streetand Broadway, and Main Street from VictoryLane to University Avenue from 10 a.m. to 10p.m. In addition, the Highway 17 ramps at S.Santa Cruz Avenue may be closed. "It's definitely going to be a neat Los Gatosday to celebrate the park," Buxton said. |
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