On the first day of spring Sunday, the iconic fountain at San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez sprang back to life after two years of being dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic. They say “hope springs eternal,” but this might have been a little too on the nose.
Still, it was a welcome diversion for kids who ran through the unfenced fountain’s geysers, getting as close as they could to the water without getting soaked on a warm, clear day.
Of course, some will rightfully complain that it sets a bad example during a drought, even though the fountain uses recirculated water that is filtered in various high-tech ways to keep the water clean.
And if this were a purely decorative piece, I’d probably side with them. But to see the look of delight on the faces of the kids out there in park — kids who have had a tough two years like the rest of us, if not tougher — it’s hard not to say we can save water elsewhere. Skip a shower once a week for a while or let the car go unwashed another month or two.
WHEEL FUN: There were other kids getting smiles on their faces this weekend, and it had nothing to do with a fountain. Every year, Community Cycles of California gives away bikes to kids who need them, but the omicron surge at the end of 2021 complicated their distribution plan and the San Jose nonprofit ended up with a few dozen extra bikes. Community Cycles, founded by Collin Bruce and Cindy Ahola, reached out to Supervisor Susan Ellenberg’s office looking for an organization that might be able to use the bikes.
That led to a contact with the Cadillac Winchester Neighborhood Association in San Jose, which was able to give away more than 40 bikes at its litter pick-up event on Saturday at Rosemary Elementary School in Campbell. And the city of San Jose’s Department of Transportation provided free bike helmets for every kid who got a bike, too.
SHARKS IN MERCED: San Jose is already crazy about the Sharks, but the NHL team’s foundation is venturing well outside city limits on March 23 to cut the ribbon on a new Tealtop Street Hockey Court at Applegate Park in Merced. Besides the court, the community also is being gifted street hockey equipment to allow kids to practice and play at the court.
This is the 13th street hockey court the Sharks have sponsored, and it was possible because of a $25,000 donation to the Sharks Foundation by Sara Johnson Kerrest and Frederic Kerrest, who is chief operating officer of identity management company Okta, which has headquarters in San Jose and San Francisco. The foundation also partnered with Merced’s El Capitan hotel on the project. A foundation spokesperson said it offered a chance to expand Sharks Territory from Silicon Valley to San Joaquin Valley and create some healthy activities for Merced’s youth in the process.
The 3:30 p.m. dedication ceremony was expected to feature Merced Mayor Matt Serrato, Sharks President Jonathan Becher, as well as Sharks alums Scott Hannon and Devin Setoguchi and beloved mascot SJ Sharkie.
THE MAN BEHIND THE STATION: The past, present and future of the Diridon Caltrain Station will be discussed March 27 by someone who knows it pretty well: Former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon, for whom the station was named in 1994 following a restoration project.
The 2 p.m. in-person talk has been organized by the Preservation Action Council. The group has launched a campaign to ensure that the station’s Italian Renaissance building — originally constructed in 1935 — remains part of the plans as Google’s mega campus grows around it and plans are made to bring BART and possibly high-speed rail there in the future.
The event is being held at the Colliers International building, 450 W. Santa Clara St., which is itself a historic gem. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at preservation.org.
Source: www.mercurynews.com