Beyond that, what transpired over the last 12 months is pretty much what we expected: The unexpected.

We knew that the crown jewel of the neighborhood, the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, was going to complete its $2 million facelift, with a new wrought iron fence and renovated restrooms. But we didn't know that the park would serve as the site for a memorial to San Jose native Pat Tillman. Tillman, who gave up a budding professional football career to join the U.S. Army Rangers, was killed in Afghanistan in April. More than 2,000 people came to the Rose Garden to pay tribute to his sacrifice. It was later learned that Tillman was killed by friendly fire.

We saw some new businesses open on The Alameda and around the neighborhood, but we didn't expect that some of them would close before the year was out. Cents & Sensibilities and Tutuzzio's Italian restaurant both came and were gone before the calendar turned over. Still, other new businesses are going strong, helping to buoy the local economy.

We knew we would be losing an elementary school, as the San Jose Unified School District, in an effort to balance a $9 million budget deficit, decided to shutter Hester Elementary School after the school year ended in June. But we didn't expect the district to later announced another round of cuts would be coming, and two more neighborhood schools—Trace and Cory—were put on the short list for closure. We'll know if either of them will be closed in the next week.

But there are some things we know we can count on, though, and the neighborhood's residents celebrated their old traditions and annual events, such as the San Jose Greek Festival, which gets our mouths watering, and the Burbank Neighborhood Jamboree and its bed race, which gets our creative juices flowing. Creativity was seen during Halloween and Christmas, too, as our creative types decorated their houses with scary and cheerful decorations for the respective holidays.

The Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center celebrates two milestones this year, as it marks its 23rd anniversary and officially opens its new center in June after 21Ž2 years of construction.

And for the local Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (what, doesn't every neighborhood in town have an Egyptian museum?), 2004 was quite a year. Its planetarium was refurbished and opened for business in March, just in time for the spring equinox, some old out buildings were razed and an new Peace Garden was put in, and the museum published a catalogue of artifacts in its collection.

So with another year down and a new one dawning, we can make a prediction about the new 52 weeks. There'll be some happenings that we didn't expect.

The Year in Review

By Mary Gottschalk

January

J. Lohr Winery on Lenzen Avenue off The Alameda starts its 30th year in business. In 2004 it sells more than 700,000 cases of wine, making it one of the top 20 wineries in the United States.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales collapses while giving his State of the City address on Jan. 28. He is hospitalized and diagnosed as having suffered a mild stroke.

Recycle Bookstore on The Alameda opens a second store in Campbell.

San Jose City Council approves rezoning the property at 1523 W. San Carlos St., clearing the way for the demolition of Fiesta Lanes bowling alley. The site will become a housing development.

February

Cents & Sensibility opens at 982 The Alameda. Owner Roi B. Davis names the store in honor of his favorite author, Jane Austin, and stocks it with lampshades, chandeliers and small gifts.

Lemmon Percussion moves from Willow Glen to 1427 The Alameda, selling drums and other percussion instruments. Started by owner Galen Lemmon out of his garage in 1991, the new store is larger and includes five studios compared to the two he had in Willow Glen.

San Jose police close Beauty Skin & Nails on South Redwood Avenue on orders of a County Superior Court judge after the owners are charged with prostitution.

The Bellarmine Bells wrestling team wins the West Catholic League title.

San Jose City Council approves plans for a 13,500-square foot Long's Drug store on The Alameda.

March

San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager is re-elected to a second term in District 6.

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum's planetarium reopens on Mar. 19, in conjunction with the spring equinox. Once threatened with demolition, the planetarium was closed for more than six years before renovations started.

On March 9 the San Jose City Council votes to give benefits to same-sex, married city employees, equal to those given to other city employees.

Sophomores in the integrated science class at Lincoln High School participate in the annual Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement competition at San Jose State University.

The Rose Garden Shell service station at the corner of Bascom Avenue and Hedding Street closes its doors at the end of March after 49 years of operation. Owner George Fota, forced out by the landowners, continues operating the repair part of his business in a new location at 590 Coleman Ave.

Recovered from his stroke, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales completes his State of the City address before the Mar. 17 meeting of the Rotary Club of San Jose.

Lincoln High School Principal Chris Funk proposes setting aside 15,000 to 20,000 square feet of school property, at the corner of Dana and Hester avenues, for a community dog park.

April

The Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center marks its 23rd year anniversary with a $100-per-person gala dinner in downtown San Jose. The evening is a celebration of the Center, which started in 1981 in a two-room storefront on Keyes Street. At the time of the anniversary, the center was waiting for renovations to be completed before moving into its new 11,000 square-foot, two-story building.

The Rose Garden and Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Associations hosts its annual Easter egg hunt in the Rose Garden on April 3.

Bellarmine College Preparatory students on NASA Ames Robotic Team 254 bring home the coveted Chairman's Award from the FIRST Robotics National Championship in Atlanta. The win gives Team 254 automatic lifetime qualifying statue for all future National Championships.

On April 20, Felix Joseph Ramos of the Dominican Republic undergoes heart-valve surgery at O'Connor Hospital. The surgery and all expenses for Ramos and his wife Sonia Valois are underwritten by San Jose Rotary as part of its Adult Gift of Life Program. O'Connor Hospital donates all its services and the participating surgeon, physicians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, assistants, nurses and staff donate their time.

Sahlu Okebato renames the San Jose Coffee Shop on the corner of The Alameda and University Avenue. The name change to Queen of Sheba reflects its expansion, offering Ethiopian cuisine along with traditional American fare.

The San Jose planning director denies a permit for a wrought-iron fence blocking off the back entrances to Greenlee's Bakery and Cafe Roselina. Property owner Bertram Berns vows to appeal the decision.

Los Lupeños de San Jose celebrates its 35th anniversary of teaching and performing Mexican dance in San Jose. Now located at 42 Race St., the group offers classes at its studio and performs regularly. The group presents two anniversary concerts on April 23 and 24 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza to celebrate its milestone.

Plans for developing the 39-acres along Coleman Avenue, between W. Taylor and Autumn streets, are announced by Atlanta-based Cousins Properties. It will include a 385,000 square foot retail center.

Eighth graders at Hoover Middle School participate in the 17th annual Tech Challenge at the Tech Museum of Innovation. They are challenged to "design, build and operate a device that can find and collect one northern pike fish ... and place the fish within a collection area on the shore."

Bellarmine College Preparatory freshman Ben Greer and his younger brother Alex solicit Silicon Valley companies to obtain 150 backpacks and fill them with school supplies for underprivileged students to use during the 2004­05 school year.

Anthony Paez opens a second location for his Antoni Paez Hair Gallery at 1463 Park Ave. His first hair salon is in Willow Glen.

May

The Rose Garden Resident celebrates its first anniversary of publication.

Several Rose Garden area artists participate in 2004 Silicon Valley Open Studios tour on May 1 and 2. The largest group are in Alameda Artworks, 1068 The Alameda.

The San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is the site for a memorial service for Pat Tillman. The former San Jose resident and Arizona Cardinal football player who walked away from a professional football career to join the U.S. Army Rangers was killed in action in Afghanistan. The May 3 services attracts more than 2,000 people, including California first lady Maria Shriver and Arizona Sen. John McCain. The three-hour service attracts national media coverage. It is later learned Tillman was killed by friendly fire.

On May 8 the pocket park at the corner of Elm and W. Hedding streets is completed and dedicated. The area was a trash-filled blight on the neighborhood until College Park resident Stan Ochs got involved, obtaining city grants and enlisting volunteer help. His 31Ž2-years of effort results in a Mediterranean-style landscaped park with a park bench.

Mail carriers in the Rose Garden area participate in the 12th annual Help Stamp Out Hunger food drive on May 8. They collect 7,546 pounds of food, up from 6,140 pounds in 2003. The food is donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Following a $2 million facelift, the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden is rededicated on May 15, exactly 57 years to the day after it was first dedicated. A tubular steel ornamental fence replaces the barbed wire-topped chain-link fence; concrete and brick replace asphalt in the central parkway and new decompressed granite pathways are added. Additionally, the historic WPA restrooms built in the late 1930s are renovated and six new vintage-style light fixtures are installed.

The artwork of five Lincoln High School students goes on display for a year as part of the second annual Downtown Doors Project around downtown San Jose. The students' original designs are transferred onto vinyl adhesive panels applied to single-, double- and triple-panel utility doors on the Fairmont Hotel and San Jose Repertory Theatre.

On May 21 the Historic Hoover Theatre is inaugurated with a $100-per-person reception and gala concert with New Age pianist George Winston. The theater has 112 permanent seats and will accommodate 200 when portable seats are added.

A Night on The Alameda takes place on May 22 with a performance by the National Puppet Company, a magician, an ice cream social and an outdoor screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at Hester Elementary School.

June

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church hosts its 33rd annual Greek Festival with authentic Greek dancing, music and food. Thousands of people attend the event held on the Davis Street church grounds over a three-day period.

On June 16, the 143-year-old Hester Elementary School closes its doors as a cost-cutting move by the San Jose Unified School District. Students, staff and faculty are sent to other schools in the district.

The new Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center opens at 938 The Alameda. The renovation of an existing building took 31 months to complete, but now offers 11,000 square feet of space. It also provides new space for Sisterspirit Bookstore.

Tutuzzo's Italian Restaurant re-opens after a yearlong hiatus. David, Albert and Veronica Pignataro take over the business, founded by their father Gaetano Pignataro in 1989.

Paradise Art & Garden on Stockton Avenue closes its doors. A combination nursery, garden store and art gallery, the owners are forced to close when they lose their lease.

The Wilder-Hait House on the corner of Emory and Morse streets is designated historic landmark 150 in the city of San Jose. The English Tudor-style home was built in 1923. The YMCA used it for 34 years as office space before it was sold for a private residence in 2000.

San Carlos Street Antiques re-opens for business in a new, permanent location at 411 Meridian Ave. Originally, it was at the corner of W. San Carlos Street and Meridian Avenue and had been in business for a decade. It closed in July of 2003 when it lost its lease and the building it was in was demolished.

The annual Burbank Neighborhood Jamboree attracts a crowd of 2,500 for a day of activities. Ken Henning's design for the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association wins the popular bed race.

The Starting Line, a store specializing in gear for runners, opens at 1354 The Alameda.

A two-day-old baby boy is abandoned by its mother in a shopping cart behind Coconut Willie's Cocktail Lounge on W. San Carlos Avenue. Authorities find the woman who called to report finding the baby is the mother, but no charges are filed. The district attorney's office finds the woman, who is not a U.S. citizen, was confused but wanted her baby to be safe.

Asial Design, an eclectic business offering floral design services, garden sculptures and architectural items, opens for business inside a former granary at 245 McEvoy St.

More than 2,100 Rosicrucians from more than 60 different countries converge on the Rose Garden and the Egyptian Museum for the 2004 AMORC World Peace Conference.

Race Street Interiors closes the retail side of its operation and puts its building up for sale after owner Julie Riera Matsushima suffers a heart attack in May. Matsushima is continuing the interior design side of the business by appointment.

July

In conjunction with the 2004 AMORC World Peace Conference, the Rosicrucian Peace Garden opens as part of Rosicrucian Park, on Randol Avenue, off of Naglee Avenue.

The San Jose Planning Commission ignores planning staff recommendations and gives Bertram Burns permission to erect a fence around his parking lot that will block off the rear entrances to Greenlee's Bakery and Cafe Roselina. Berns owns property on both sides of the two businesses.

San Jose Unified School District reveals it is leasing the site of Hester School to Downtown College Preparatory with classes expected to begin in fall 2005.

InnVision and Clara-Mateo Alliance Inc. merge, coordinating services and programs for the homeless in both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

August

Anna Kozlova, a Shasta Hanchett resident, competes in her third Olympics in Athens. She returns with two bronze medals in synchronized swimming.

The Rose Garden and Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Associations hosts its annual Ice Cream Social in the Rose Garden.

CineÁrts opens at Santana Row and uses the clout of owners Century Theatres to block the films they are showing from also showing at the new Camera 12 in downtown San Jose. The California State Attorney General announces it is conducting an investigation of this practice, which is known in the industry as "clearance."

Coconut Willie's Cocktail Lounge is hit by a two-alarm fire on Aug. 15, causing an estimated $650,000 in damages. The San Jose Fire Department offers a $500 reward and owner Ron Lucatelli says he hopes to reopen within six months.

A move to create an Alameda Park conservation district gets underway. If successful it will encompass homes on the east side of Schiele Avenue and all of the homes on Hoover, Harding and Pershing avenues.

The owners of Cafe Roselina receive permission from the city's planning department to build a 2,700-square foot-catering kitchen next door to the cafe. It is expected to open in early 2005.

Don Iglesias takes over as superintendent of the San Jose Unified School District on the final day of August, inheriting a multi-million-dollar budget deficit.

September

Lincoln High School inaugurates its new synthetic turf football field on Sept. 11 with the Lincoln Lions beating the Del Mar Dons 35-5.

Diddams Party & Toy store opens its sixth store in the chain at 460 Meridian Ave.

Century Theatres drops its bid to block films showing at CinéArts from being shown at Camera 12 downtown. The state Attorney General's office says it will continue its investigation.

Frank Fiscalini, former San Jose vice mayor and city councilman and a long-time Rose Garden resident, is awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the government of Italy. He is made a knight for his contributions to the Italian-American community.

October

Councilman Ken Yeager hosts a meeting for input on the possibility of a dog park at Lincoln High School on Oct. 27. The meeting attracts more than 80 area residents who argue passionately for and against the idea. Nothing is resolved and the following day the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association sends a letter to Yeager supporting the concept of a dog park in the area, but opposing the Lincoln site for "a variety of safety, cost and aesthetic issues that could not be overcome or mitigated."

The annual Autumn in the Rose Garden Tour offers area residents a chance to glimpse inside neighbors' home for a price. The ninth annual event benefits St. Martin of Tours School.

OutNow magazine celebrates its sixth anniversary with a dinner benefiting the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center.

San Jose Unified School District announces that both Cory and Trace elementary schools are on its short list for closure in the 2005-06 school year. The district, facing a $9 million shortfall for the upcoming year, already designated Steinbeck Middle School for closure.

Be Civilized announces that after nine years on The Alameda, it is relocating to Willow Glen.

November

Jan-Willem Knapen, better known as JW, auctions off some of his artwork at a Triton Museum fundraiser. The 16-year-old, who has a terminal brain tumor, is raising money for a JW House where families of children being treated for cancer at Kaiser Santa Clara will have a free place to stay. The event raises $65,000.

The Lincoln High School Lions complete their 9-1 football season by beating the San Jose Bulldogs 47-7 to win the 61st annual Big Bone Game at San Jose City College on Thanksgiving Day. Lincoln bypasses a chance to play in the Central Coast Section playoffs in favor of the Big Bone Game.

Roi B. Davis closes Cents & Sensibility on The Alameda, citing the weak economy, difficulties with the city of San Jose about displaying merchandise on the sidewalk and a desire for more personal time.

The city of San Jose realizes that St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church has been staging its annual Greek Food & Cultural Festival without a permit since 1999. The process starts to grant them a permit in time for the 34th annual one in June.

San Jose City Council gives unanimous approval to the San Jose MarketCenter development on Coleman Avenue. Expected to open by the end of 2005, the 385,000 square feet retail development will include major stores and restaurants.

Two new versions of the landmark Mission Bell street markers go up on The Alameda. They mark the historic 700-mile El Camino Real route that started in San Diego and ended in Sonoma.

December

Paradise Art & Garden re-opens in a new location, 1490 Park Ave., at Magnolia Avenue.

The YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, in partnership with the Mid-Peninsula YMCA, is awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Carol M. White Physical Education Program. The money will be used over three years for physical education programs.

Ed Hodges, a former Hoover science teacher and local historian, put a plaque in place under the WPA stained glass window in Historic Hoover. Hodges did the research on the history of the window and made the plaque himself.

The San Jose City Council approves a plan to help host an open-wheel street race to be known as the San Jose Grand Prix. The July 29-31, 2005 event is expected to attract as many as 200,000 spectators and will be staged at the HP Pavilion, near The Alameda.

Construction starts on a new Chevron service station at the corner of Hedding Street and Bascom Avenue. The new station is expected to open in March 2005, a year after the previous Rose Garden Shell station on that site closed.