Photograph by Paul Myers
Los Gatan Daniel Zimardi is among the high-stepping, instrument-playing members of Los Gatos High School's Wildcat Marching Band, which was voted the best high school club.
Best of Los Gatos 2001: Civic Pride
It might not be Grover's Corners from Thornton Wilder's Our Town, where everybody knows everybody else, but Los Gatos is still small and homey enough for people to really get familiar with their local politicians and volunteers, not to mention the people they meet and greet at their own block parties. Other well-known community entities and issues include the local church, the dedicated high school club, a community fundraiser, the locally involved business and even the problem that generates the most rallying-cries. And let's not forget the one event that brings everyone in town together, whether to participate or just to watch. Here's a hint: everyone loves a parade!
Best Community Event
Los Gatos Children's Christmas & Holiday Parade
It's the kind of event that usually takes place in idyllic midwestern towns where neighbors exchange cups of flour over picket fences, and everyone turns out for the annual apple pie bake-off. Only in Los Gatos, that big annual event is the Christmas Parade, a nearly 50-year-old tradition that delights locals and visitors alike.
Co-sponsored by the Los Gatos Lions Club and the Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation, the parade happens the first Saturday in December. It begins around 11 a.m., but viewers arrive much earlier to stake their claims along the parade route, which begins on N. Santa Cruz Avenue at Almendra Avenue, proceeds southward to W. Main Street, makes a left and continues to Los Gatos High School.
Adding color to the spectacle are dozens of groups and floats, including decorated vehicles, antique fire trucks, local dignitaries (including the grand marshal and that year's Youth Citizens of the Year), police motorcades, bagpipe bands, school clubs and marching bands, Girl and Boy Scout troops, 4-H groups, baton twirlers, gymnasts, dog walkers, equestrians and a kooky local favorite, the Italian Gardeners' Cucuzza Squash Drill Team. And of course, bringing up the rear is the jolly old elf himself--Santa Claus!
Best Community Issue
Parking
There's nothing that can fill up the town's council chambers faster than a public hearing on parking, nothing that can rile up Los Gatans' tempers more than parking, nothing that costs the town more money for various programs and studies than parking. The lack of it affects just about everyone in town--from residents to business owners to tourists to town officials. And for as long as anyone can remember, it's been a topic on the town council's agenda.
This year, however, might just be the year when parking will get better. The town has hired a downtown parking consultant, Pat Gibson from Kaku Associates, who has received official approval to make some changes that will open up spaces for motorists. Last year's holiday parking program, a relief for those in the Christmas shopping rush, was considered a success and will be repeated.
Best High School Club
Los Gatos Wildcat Marching Band
The word "club" is somewhat misleading as a description of Los Gatos High School's marching band. Being a member of this organization requires an extraordinary amount of time and talent. Some members must be versatile enough to switch instruments after football season, when the marching band becomes a concert band. There is much competition and performance involved in being part of this organization. And what other club will get to go to Dublin, Ireland, next year and join the St. Patrick's Day Parade?
Band director Jim Francisco says the marching band is all about "great people, great teamwork and great experiences." The 63 students in this year's band spend a week together in band camp before school starts, and then play at events such as pep rallies, halftime during home football games and Back to School Night.
Francisco attributes the band's success in part to the students' parents, who are involved in fundraising and activities. "The band boosters are awesome," says Principal Trudy McCulloch. "You can see them fixing uniforms, driving people [and] baking cookies."
Best Community-Involved Business
C.B. Hanegan's
When the Los Gatos High School football team needs food for its annual lock-in, staff calls C.B. Hannegan's. When local charitable organizations are fundraising, they contact C.B. Hannegan's. When there's an Irish holiday, the venue is C.B. Hannegan's.
The Irish pub makes donations of food and culinary skills to the senior citizens' annual Thanksgiving dinner in Los Gatos, donates money to the Los Gatos Parent Nursery School and donates profits from its St. Patrick's Day bash to charity.
"It's just something that I feel very strongly about, giving back to the community, and especially the schools," says Chris Benson, the co-owner of Hannegan's who does all the grilling and cooking. John Hannegan is its other owner, and he handles the business dealings.
C.B. Hannegan's, 208 Bachman Ave., 408.395.1233
Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Chairperson of the town's Beautification Committee, Shirley Henderson doesn't mind working side-by-side with other volunteers to make Los Gatos a better place. It's no wonder she was named best civic-minded citizen and best volunteer.
Best Civic-Minded Citizen, Volunteer
Shirley Henderson
"I always want to be active. I couldn't just sit here all day and let things happen," Shirley Henderson says. The co-owner of best antiques shop Antiquarium moved to town 35 years ago, and hasn't been still since. Currently Henderson is the chairwoman of the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce's Beautification Committee, which she has been involved with for more than 10 years; she also serves on the town's Parking Commission.
Henderson's a familiar name in the community--she's done everything from leading Girl Scout troops to campaigning on behalf of Mayor Joe Pirzynski to working for the Los Gatos Community Foundation. Several years ago, she helped found the town's newsrack committee when she noticed the newsracks in the downtown area were unkempt.
"I really care," Henderson says. "You'll see a newspaper flying in the sidewalk across the street. And a hundred people will walk by and not pick it up--but I will."
Best Council Person
Joe Pirzynski
The majority of Los Gatans probably have never seen Mayor Joe Pirzynski run a town council meeting, or weigh in on a town issue, but many likely voted for this highly visible council member because he makes himself available for all sorts of community events.
During this year, his first as mayor, Pirzynski spoke at everything from a tree-cutting ceremony to a forum about Social Security at the Los Gatos Meadows to the Los Gatos Film Festival. At each of these events, Pirzynski's friendly nature and empathetic personality emerges--no doubt developed in part from his day job as a counselor at Archibishop Mitty High School. He also has a private practice as a marriage, family and child counselor.
Within the Town Council, Pirzynski is knowledgeable, reasonable and deliberate when making decisions. He runs meetings with an appropriate balance between brevity and giving everyone time to speak. In addition, he has the gift of patience, as evidenced by his ability to exhibit patience with those who become disruptive at council meetings.
A resident of Los Gatos since the 1970s, Pirzynski lives with his wife Pamela. His year as mayor ends next month.
Best Place of Worship
St. Mary's Catholic Church
Sure, everyone's heard of St. Mary's School, for kindergartners through eighth-graders. And they've been to St. Mary's annual Country Fair, which takes place in October. And they see the active role St. Mary's takes in helping the homeless and the children in the area. They also know of the Rev. Justin Zawadzki, who is a personification of what the church stands for. "It's just Father Justin that makes St. Mary's what it is," says parishioner and town planning commissioner Phil Micciche.
In addition to all those things, though, St. Mary's has a worship service that draws people from all over the area. Micciche says the church is able to change in order to keep up with the times. The way Mass is conducted--the songs that are sung, the method of Communion, the homilies performed by Father Justin--relates to people in today's world.
St. Mary's Catholic Church, 219 Bean Ave., 408.354.3726
Best Neighborhood Block Party
Tait Avenue Halloween Party
Every year, the Tait Avenue Halloween party seems to get bigger and better: The street's residents are increasingly starting to put up decorations in September. Each house is decorated more lavishly than the year before. More and more children show up from surrounding neighborhoods to go trick-or-treating.
Tait Avenue resident MarLyn Rasmussen estimates that between 1,500 and 2,000 youngsters came for candy last year to the row of houses near Los Gatos-Saratoga Road and N. Santa Cruz Avenue. "You know darn well that they probably don't even live in Los Gatos, but nobody cares," Rasmussen says.
The little witches and goblins typically start showing up between 5 and 7 p.m. They stop by Rasmussen's house, where she makes any trick-or-treater over 12 years old do a performance. They ask for candy from Cat Griffin who, along with her brother Steve Drake, has a Gothic cemetery on her front yard and uses a fog machine. And then at around 9 p.m., the ghosts and goblins quietly go home.
Best Fundraiser
Peckler Memorial Run & Relay
The Peckler Relay, as it's commonly called, is the epitome of making something good out of something bad. The event, which completed its fifth year earlier this month, honors the memories of three Los Gatans--Jim Peckler and his children Jill and Jeff, who died in January 1997 when a drunken driver collided with their car on the way to Lake Tahoe.
With the support of Jim's widow, Judy, and surviving daughters, Jana and Jennifer, the Pecklers' innumerable friends in the community organized this relay to raise awareness of healthy lifestyle choices--something in which the Pecklers believed--and to raise funds for three local organizations that support those choices--Community Against Substance Abuse, the Teen & Family Counseling Center and A Place for Teens, also called The Outhouse.
Runners, walkers and relay teams of all ages and skill levels participate each autumn, proudly paying their entry fees and traversing a scenic route through various parts of town, including the Los Gatos Creek Trail. The start and finish is the track at Los Gatos High School, the alma mater of the Peckler children. After the event, everyone celebrates with snacks, cold drinks, prizes, live entertainment and a health fair.
Information about the relay is available online at www.teenfamilycounseling.org/peckler/index.html
Best of Los Gatos 2001
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