The Willow Glen Resident Photograph by Skye Dunlap Concentrated Effort: Joe Grandin (left) and Jesse Warmuth, age 4, have serious fun creating with clay at the San Jose Parent Participation Nursery School Booth. Glenites stay true to their community and forsake other festivals for Founders Day Despite competition from the SoFA Festival in downtown San Jose and art and wine festivals in several surrounding communities, the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association managed to draw an estimated 20,000 to its Founders Day celebration on Sept. 20. "We were really fortunate to have such a great turnout, because everyone else was having a festival [that day]," said WGBPA manager Demitri Rizos. "A lot of locals turned out, and we really appreciate the community support." Rizos was also pleased to have drawn 50 vendors to the arts fair, particularly since it was re-established this year as part of the Founders Day festivities after a hiatus in 1997. "For us, it was starting over," Rizos said. "The feedback was very positive. The [vendors] I talked to will be back." The morning after the big day, Rizos said the WGBPA had yet to tally how much beer and wine and how many commemorative wineglasses had been sold at the event. --Anne Gelhaus [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, September 23, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.