by Mary Pope-Handy | Sep 16, 2023 | Events
Screen on the Green is coming back soon – playing that night will be “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
The event will be Friday, September 22, 2023 on the Civic Center Lawn, which is not the normal venue for Screen on the Green (in recent years it has been at Oak Meadow Park). The mayor will make a welcome statement at 7:15.
Attendees, it is important to bring layers and something low to sit on – blankets, cushions, or low backed lawn chairs, are alright. I always bring a flashlight for after the show.
Screen on the Green additional info
For additional details, please see the Los Gatos town website page for Screen on the Green by using the link or clicking on the image to the right. We’ll update this post when we know more details.
Also coming up in September: Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival Sept 16 – 17, 2023.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 31, 2023 | West Los Gatos, Events, Los Gatos Neighborhoods
The scenic English Oaks and Oakwood neighborhood consists of two adjacent subdivisions set in a pretty area of west Los Gatos not far from Quito Road and just off of Bicknell Road. The are part of the 95032 zip code. The English Oaks and Oakwood neighborhood are a unique area in a town full of distinctive tracts and subdivisions, as these two, particularly, showcase gorgeous oak trees and open space in a way that harkens back decades, before so much development was prominent here.
English Oaks
Imagine waking up to this view each morning from your home or yard! That’s the situation for many of the English Oaks residents in west Los Gatos, where 24 acres of oak trees are the common area (small HOA fee of $450 per year to maintain and preserve this exquisite California landscape).
Below please find a map with approximate boundaries of these neighborhoods. Although I studied the plat maps at length, the county does not lay out the parcels neatly tied together in subdivisions, so ascertaining the boundaries means flipping from page to page and back again. Hence my disclaimer: these boundaries are not exact.
Where is the English Oaks subdivision?
It would be easy to miss the English Oaks neighborhood of Los Gatos as it requires traveling away from the main roads. This tidy subdivision is located generally off of Quito Road, accessed specifically from Bicknell Road and More Avenue. Streets include:
- part of Bicknell Road
- Shire Court
- Chippendale Court
- Ash Court
- Hepplewhite Court
- part of Montclair Road
If you drive along Montclair Road, especially, you will find lovely pockets of oak trees – they seem like a park, not part of someone’s back yard. These are the common areas, for which homeowners pay small fees each month. (And well worth it! They are lovely!)
Oak Grove in west Los Gatos part of English Oaks area
The Oakwood subdivision
A smaller subdivision, but with equally large lots and houses, Oakwood lines part of Bicknell toward the end of the road and all of Smith Creek Drive. (more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 14, 2023 | Events
OktoberFest LG returns on Sunday, October 1st, and it’s an event not to be missed! This will be the 2nd annual one.
OktoberFest LG details
Sunday, October 1
The hours are 12:30-6:30
Location: Los Gatos Civic Center Lawn
110 E Main St. Los Gatos, CA 95030
Family-friendly & FREE!
Enjoy a full day of Oktoberfest-themed activities, all benefitting KCAT, our public ratio and TV with news and information on Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Silicon Valley.
Good food and drink, too, with Grilled Brats, German-style Pretzels, Oktoberfest Gelato and more!
More info will be available in September at KCAT’s OktoberFest page.
by Mary Pope-Handy | Aug 2, 2023 | Events, Los Gatos Events
The annual Los Gatos Fiesta de Artes is back. Now called the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival, in 2023 it’s celebrating 51 years of art and entertainment in downtown Los Gatos. (It returned in 2021 after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.)
Fiesta de Artes, Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival dates
Mark your calendars Sept 16 – 17, 2023 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Yes, you can bring your dog!
If you’ve never been, it’s a fabulous opportunity to mill around the Civic Center lawn and enjoy art of various types. It’s free! If you’d like to partake of food and wine, the proceeds all go to a very good cause. And of course, there are plenty of beautiful art pieces for purchase, too.
What happens at the Fiesta de Artes or the Los Gatos Art & Wine Festival?
Think food & drink, art & shopping, dancing & socializing! Once again, there will be more than 150 vendors with a huge variety of artists and vendors displaying and selling their artwork, plus booths with food and wine and of course loads of music throughout both days. Please check out the musical lineup and food offerings info here: Fiesta music and food
Fiesta de Artes will be at the Civic Center lawn across the street from Los Gatos High School – 110 E Main Street, Los Gatos CA 95030
Patrons are encouraged to bike, walk, carpool, use public transportation or get friends and loved ones to drop you off. Apparently there’s even a bike valet to facilitate arriving on two wheels. (Per the FAQ page, which is loaded with great information.)
Many thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos and all of the other sponsors for making this wonderful event possible yet again.
Please check out all of the details at the event’s website:
https://losgatosfiesta.com/
Related reading:
Los Gatos Spring Wine Walk (there’s usually a Fall Wine Walk in October, too)
Los Gatos Free Music Concert Series
Los Gatos Youth Theatre Summer Musicals
by Mary Pope-Handy | Jul 12, 2023 | Events
Each August, the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and W.E. “Bill” Mason Carousel host their End of Summer Night Ride, a pasta dinner fundraiser!
End of Summer Night Ride details
This year, the event will be held Sunday on Aug 13, 2023 from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
At the very end of the summer season, the railroad and carousel hold their second major fundraiser of the year – the End of Summer Night Ride and Pasta Dinner. Evening activities begin at 5:30pm, and the last train departs at 8:30pm. You can either purchase one combo train and carousel ticket, for one ride on each, at $7, or get the unlimited pass (sold per person) and ride as many times as you want all evening for $20 per person.
Remember that children 2 and under ride free with paying adult.
Dinner is served from 6-8pm, and a donation (amount not currently listed, it was $10 a few years ago) will get you a plate piled high with spaghetti and meat sauce, a garden salad or caprese, and garlic bread. Vegetarian options are available, and beverages are an extra fee (beer and wine will be available for purchase). Additional donations are always welcome.
(more…)
by Mary Pope-Handy, Clair Handy | Jul 9, 2023 | Events, Parks
Billy Jones Day is a fun, annual event at the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and the W.E. “Bill” Mason Carousel at Oak Meadow and Vasona Parks in Los Gatos. There’s so much to do – why not make a day of it?
Billy Jones Day details
- Date: Sunday, July 23, 2023
- Times: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (weather permitting)
- Price: it’s up to you!
- Food will be available to purchase – see details below
During Billy Jones Day YOU get to name the price of the train and carousel ride! Just as Billy Jones did on his ranch*. You may donate as little or as much as you can for each ride on the train and the carousel on this special day.
*Where was Billy Jones’ ranch? The BJWRR website (link below) says it was in Los Gatos. Wikipedia situated it at the corner of Daves Avenue and Santa Clara-Los Gatos Road, which today is Winchester Boulevard. That intersection is a “T” intersection and both of the corners are in Monte Sereno now – it was incorporated in 1957, so perhaps the ranch existed when the area was a county pocket with a Los Gatos mailing address.
The Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad Los Gatos is a certified 501 (C) 3 non profit organization. They receive no outside funding and solely rely on the generosity of their valued customers.
The fabulous snack shack will be open from 11:00am to 4:00pm, with the barbecue cooking from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Parking
There are parking lots at both Oak Meadow Park and Vasona Lake County Park. Los Gatos residents (those in the town, not just with a Los Gatos mailing address) can park free at Oak Meadow, if space is available. On summer weekends it does tend to fill up early.
There is a fee for parking at Vasona, and I believe it’s $6 per car in 2023. If you are a frequent visitor, you might want to purchase an annual pass to the county parks (nearly all of them) for $95, or $48 for those age 60 and up. It’s a bargain!
Street parking is an option, too, along University Avenue or further out. There are pedestrian entrances from University into Vasona Lake County Park.
A word on beach traffic
For anyone unfamiliar with our beach traffic issue, it’s important to add that both Highway 17 and surface roads leading to it in Los Gatos can be quite congested on weekends in summer. We used to say that it was imperative to be on the road by 11 a.m. on a weekend morning, but recently it has been much worse, so anytime after 10 a.m., possibly sooner if there’s a heat wave, could be bumper to bumper both on the freeway and a myriad of streets feeding to it – even a mile or two out, even residential roads that don’t seem to be “feeder” roads.
To avoid the worst of it, you might want to go on the early side (arrive around 10 or earlier, enjoy the playgrounds, the lake, and the sights). The flow of traffic will be impacted by the weather, so check the forecast for both Santa Clara County and also for the coast at Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Aptos, too. If it’s foggy there, the traffic should not be so terrible here. Fingers crossed!
Alternatively, if you can, biking in is a great option!
Celebrate the man who started it all and visit the park and enjoy some rides on Billy Jones Day!
Other things to do
While at Oak Meadow or Vasona Lake County Park, there’s lots to do, including playground equipment in several places and boat rentals on the reservoir (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The area is quite scenic, so bring your camera (or use your phone) to snap images of family, friends, and nature!
Related reading:
Who was Billy Jones? Read up on the history behind this day and this railroad on the the BJRR websites. It’s historical and entertaining!
Info on the BJWRR site about this event (published first in 2018 but updated each year)
Screen on the Green is coming back soon – playing that night will be “Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
