The big question mark for downtowns is how to get people back into them since fewer are filling up office buildings in the post-pandemic world. It turns out that music, food and drinks can still draw a crowd.
And an interesting crowd turned out to soak up the sunshine and listen to tunes at Thursday night’s “block party” in downtown’s Historic District. There were artists, lawyers, small business owners, elected officials and families. Even San Jose State football coach Brent Brennan was out chatting up fans in Fountain Alley — a stretch between First and Second streets that just a decade ago was considered one of downtown’s danger zones.
But Thursday, it was the epicenter of activity with people lining up to get a chicken sandwich from Scratch Cookery or buy beer or wine from Fox Tale Fermentation Project and Good Time Bar. Bands — Eastside Funk, Andre Thierry, Jackie Turner and Sweet HayaH — kept the crowds entertained in both Fountain Alley and over on Post Street, creating a nice flow as people bounced from venue to venue.
George Lahlouh, co-owner of Paper Plane and Miniboss, two lounges in the Historic District, said it was the just type of event downtown needs on a regular basis to keep the crowds coming. “I don’t know if we could do this every week, but it would be great to do it once a month,” he said.
Of course, like any Silicon Valley start-up, the nonprofit Urban Vibrancy Institute is about prototyping and seeing if it can replicate success. So there’s already another block party planned for downtown next month on June 22 in the arty SoFA District. Go to www.urbanvibrancy.institute for updates.
SUCCESS STORIES: Year after year, the San Jose Sports Authority’s REACH Youth Scholarship breakfast never fails to start the day off on an inspirational note. This year’s event, held again at the San Jose Marriott on Friday, presented scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 to 10 Santa Clara County high school seniors who have overcome adversity in their lives through athletics.
NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the program’s honorary co-chair, finished his playing days a decade before these students were born, but he still kept their rapt attention (and definitely had fans among the parents and teachers in the audience). But there were plenty of other moments that had the crowd cheering and choked up.
One was when Brandon Louie of Los Altos High School — who was paralyzed from the waist down after a surfing accident but has taken up parasports — was greeted on the stage by Matt Scott, a Paralympics basketball gold medal winner who was the first Paralympian to star in a Nike ad — talk about inspiration! Another was when Leigh High School water polo player Natalie McCarroll, whose father was shot and killed when she was 9, thanked her mom and family for supporting her through their mutual loss. She’d never played water polo until she helped start Leigh’s team and now will pursue the sport at Indiana University.
NOW SEE THIS: If you haven’t seen San Jose Playhouse’s “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” yet, you’ve got more chances to get your Tolstoy on, as the musical has been extended until June 4 at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose. The fun farce about lovers and schemers in 19th-century Russia is based on a 70-page section of “War and Peace,” though you definitely don’t have to have read the book to have fun. Check www.sanjoseplayhouse.org for ticket information.
And ShakesBEERience is turning San Jose’s San Pedro Square Market into the forest of Arden on May 22 with a staged reading of “As You Like it,” co-produced by Silicon Valley Shakespeare and Buck Hill Productions. You might think you don’t know this comedy, but it’s filled with many of Shakespeare’s best-known lines. The show goes on at 6:30 p.m. on the courtyard stage; the performance is free, but you’ve got to buy your own beer.
HONOR ROLL: Newmark real estate broker Geri Wong has been named a 2023 Woman of Influence by Globe St. Real Estate Forum. She’ll be profiled in the industry mag and will be honored at an awards dinner July 25 in Lake Tahoe.
• San Jose Taiko co-founder Roy Hirabayashi was honored by the government of Japan last month, receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays for helping to introduce Japanese culture to the United States and promoting friendly relations between the two countries.
• Jim Walker, who has been a community champion for West Valley Community Services, the Cupertino Historical Society and the YMCA, will be honored for lifetime achievement at the annual CREST awards at Cupertino Community Hall on May 25. The other honorees at the ceremony are Friends of the Cupertino Library; Adhya Kasametty, who is receiving the Rising Star award; and Fari Aberg, who will be honored as both volunteer of the year and public safety champion. Get more information on the ceremony at www.cupertino.org/crest.
Source: www.mercurynews.com