The Annual Great Race, hosted by the Los Gatos Rotary Club, is back and in a new venue.
The Great Race: some new twists
Since 1978, the Great Race was plotted along Highway 9 between Los Gatos and Saratoga. Apparently it has become too costly to use that route, so this year, 2022, it will happen at Vasona Lake County Park and Oak Meadow Park (which are connected).
This year’s main event will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 8:30 a.m.
The Rotary Club’s website states that “Another benefit of start/finish line in Vasona Park is that for the first time ever, we are offering a 1-Mile Kids Fun Run at 8:10am prior to the main event.” And Sharkie will be in attendance, too!
While many participants do jog or run, others walk or stroll. It’s a family-friendly fundraiser sponsored by the Rotary Club of Los Gatos and is open to all. That said, the Rotary Club’s website also describes the race as “fast”!
The Rotary club offers this fun event each year with the help of a number of sponsors. For many years in a row, Sereno, where I work, has been a major sponsor for years. Many other local business back this great fundraiser too. See the list of sponsors, a map of the route, and run information at the Rotary Club link below.
While the annual CrabFest is postponed another year, the Rotary Club of Los Gatos is continuing a new tradition with their 2nd annual Virtual WineFest & Auction! Save the date for Saturday, January 29th at 5pm!
This year’s event centers around gourmet bites and Argentinian wines (or try the non-alcoholic selection) guided by sommelier Joe Chiodo. Tickets include a Wine Tasting Kit for 2 with curbside pick-up from Rootstock Wine Bar prior to the event. Evening entertainment includes a live performance by Lavender Fields.
And as always, the main event is the charity auction! Proceeds benefit the Rotary Charities foundations, and this year the “Raise the Paddle” auction item benefits Los Gatos House of Hope, West Valley Community Services, and Peninsula Food Runners to help fight hunger and food insecurity locally.
The event is also posted on the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce event calendar with easy links to save the date on your virtual calendar and view a video promotion for the event.
St. Mary’s Country Fair in Los Gatos is a fun, annual community event that occurs the second weekend of October (skipped last year due to Covid).
This year, it’s OctoberOct 10th – 10th, 2021. There’s also a great shopping opportunity on Thursday with the popular Harvest Market.
New this year, please note: Covid precautions. This is a masked event, and everyone is required to wear a mask except when eating or drinking. There will be no pancake breakfast or spaghetti dinner for safety reasons also.
Also new this year: this is a cashless event. You’ll be able to use credit cards or debit cards, but not cash.
Open to everyone, and with no admission fee, the three day fundraiser is a great place to enjoy so many cool things, including:
Butler Carnival rides (separate tickets)
bouncy house
country store shopping
arts & crafts (such as pumpkin decorating)
martial arts displays
dancing
dining (good and affordable!) – several food booths to choose from
raffle
play games
giant slide
full service coffee shop
margarita booth
talent show
live bands
bingo (of course!)
Harvest Market
Hours for the Country Fair:
Friday, October 8, 5 pm to 10 pm
Saturday, October 9, 10 am to 10 pm
Sunday, October 10, 10 am to 5 pm
Hours for the Harvest Market Thursday Oct 7:
11 am to 4 pm no entrance fee
Evening Shopping from 5 pm to 9 pm $20 entrance fee
Shop, Appetizers, Drinks, Raffle & Music
Tickets presale or at the door
This is a fabulous place to walk through and simply bump into friends & neighbors from all over Los Gatos and the nearby communities. It’s also a fun place to take photos. Each day is a little different, some return again and again!
Details
St. Mary’s Church and School are located in downtown Los Gatos on Bean Avenue near Tait (and near North Santa Cruz Avenue) in the historic Almond Grove neighborhood. You can also reach the party by coming from Main Street and Lyndon Avenue.
Purchase advance tickets for rides, raffles, food, and more using this form. To get all the details on the hours, booths, events, please check the St Mary’s Country Fair website.
Extra tips:
Like a bargain? There’s an easy way to save money. Visit the parish or school office before Friday at 2pm and buy your Butler ride tickets at a substantial discount – and avoid the lines! (Tickets are sold in the 2 weeks leading up to the fair most years.)
Also, much of the Almond Grove District of Los Gatos has permit parking only in the evenings. So don’t park in the neighborhood! There are lots of public parking spaces between North Santa Cruz and University Avenues in Los Gatos, and they are no cost, so park there instead. I usually like to park between North Santa Cruz Avenue and University Avenue in the public lot. If you’re in biking distance, consider cycling in – just remember lights are required when biking in the dark, and remember road safety!
The Los Gatos SoulCycle and mobile dog walking app, Wag!, are showing they’ve got soul with a special Paws & Pedals fundraiser this Saturday, October 6. Cyclists are invited to bring their dogs to class for a free walk with a Wag! walker during their spin workout. For every walk taken (cost is the regular fee of $36), Wag! will donate $25 to Unconditional Love Animal Rescue in Los Gatos to help adoptable dogs. Both attendees and their pups will get a great workout!
The event will take place during the 8:30 am and 9:30 am classes at the Los Gatos SoulCycle located at 212 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030. You can see more details on the Facebook page here.
The Los Gatos Community Foundation is once again putting on its formal gala, CATillion, to raise funds for the good local causes it supports. This year is the 8th annual event and the theme is “All That Jazz”. It will take place on November 3rd at La Rinconada Country Club. Cost is $150 per person.
In addition to the formal dinner, there will be a silent and live auction.
Where does the money go? Back into the community. The organization’s website says
“In the past seven years, this event has brought in over $250,000 allowing the Los Gatos Community Foundation, Inc. to funnel money back into the community through its its Grant programs and Scholarship programs as well as improvement projects throughout the Town of Los Gatos. This year we will be raising monies to support the relighting of the 154 trees along Santa Cruz Avenue in our beautiful downtown Los Gatos with energy saving LED lights.”
Kudos to students at Los Gatos High School’s Gold Ribbon Club and many local businesses for raising awareness and money in the fight against childhood cancers. This Saturday is “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” in town and participating Los Gatos businesses (click on the link to see which ones) will donate money for pediatric cancer research via CureSearch for sales happening on that day.
Additionally, the club will be selling luminarias for $5 each and will have them on display that evening, according to the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce’s events page. The Chamber’s page also states ” If you would like to participate, or have any questions, please contact Lu Ann, 408-206-3931, luannf@comcast.net. Click for INFORMATION“.
The VENUE will have a garage sale to support the Facility! Please suport The Venue by contributing Items to the sale, or buying from the Garage Sale! They would like to use the money for new games and equipment for the teens to use, as well for the kitchen upgrade this summer so that healthy and yummy food can be be sold in The Venue Cafe this coming school year!
Garage sale details:
Address:The Venue, 4 New York Ave. Los Gatos 95030.
Time:Saturday July 23rd from 10am to 1pm
Furniture: Sofa’s, End Tables, Storage Cabinets, Book Cases
Computers: File servers, computers, Key boards, mouse, Computer Monitors, power leads for computers and networking equipment and cables.
Electronics: TV’s, DVD’s Karaoke, Microwaves, Office Calculator, First Data Credit Card Terminal.
Music Recording and performing equipments, Microphones and stands, Harbinger mixers, Dance Revolution Platforms
Office supplies: clocks, Whiteboards, notice boards, stationary, 4 drawer filing cabinets, files and folders, envelopes, Filing trays, Clothes: T shirts etc.
Home & furnishings, dishes, platters, area rugs, Picture frames,
Large Fish Aquarium – Stand alone fully housed and kitted out with pump, and fully interior decoration for fish. (comes with supplies for cleaning and feeding.
Games: x box Video and PC games, Board games, chess sets, pool Table Balls and brushes.
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