Wednesday Wishlist: Halloween in the Park! (Part VI)

Why not build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and extend the event all the way into October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths could even be shared. This would also make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.

Below you will find four years of brainstorming on this concept, so please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

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The largest draw to downtown San Jose for many years now has been Christmas in the Park. It has continued to grow year after year and brings in visitors from all over the Bay. It's economic impact is substantial and helps keep many downtown businesses afloat.

What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:

• Animated Halloween Displays
• Created by local artists
• Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
• Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
• Halloween Lighting
• Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
• May be possible to use new controllable lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down effort.
• Halloween Food
• Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Food trucks
• Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
• Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
• Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
• Home decor/crafts like candles
• Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
• Costumes
• Zombie/Halloween make-up station 
• Halloween-themed Carnival Games
• Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
• A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
• Interactive Art
• ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
• Pumpkins
• Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
• Pumpkin carving station for families. 
• Pumpkin carving contest.
• Costumed Entertainers
• Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
• Haunts
• Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the convention center, or at SJSU.
• Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
• Potential Events
• Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
• Zombie Crawl
• Dia De Los Muertes Bike Party
• Horror Movie Trivia Contest
• Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)

As in previous years, please post your suggestions below and I'll merge them in!

Sharks Stay Perfect, Karma and Emotion Prevail

Karma is a you-know-what, eh St. Louis Blues?

In other words, your team is responsible for intentionally taking out Dan Boyle with a targeted hit, so we will embarrass you on the scoreboard.

The Sharks smoked you, and it was not even close.  Sure, the Sharks let up a little bit halfway through the third period, but the game was all Sharks.  Puck possession, shot count, goals, and pretty much any positive statistic that can be attributed was completely in the Sharks’ favor.

What made the Sharks’ 6-2 win especially positive for Sharks fans was the response and emotion poured in to the game by the team (such as the first two quick goals), especially after a cowardly act by a disgusting player on a dirty team that put the Sharks’ top defenseman, Dan Boyle, out of the game on a stretcher.  Boyle was reported to be in really bad shape as he was on the ice.

Just to put into perspective (give my word choice), an NHL team known as being “dirty” is classified as such for either of the following two reasons:
a) any team that employs a number of weasels (often, the word ‘agitator’ is used as a euphemism) with the sole intent of causing harm to opposing teams, or
b) any team that employs Maxim Lapierre (or Matt Cooke – honorable mention).

Maxim Lapierre’s hit from behind on Dan Boyle was both classless and dangerous.  As seen from this link, Boyle’s numbers (meaning, the numbers on the back of his jersey) were targeted.  As reported from Joe Pavelski, Lapierre started mouthing off to the Sharks bench before his intentional hit to injure.  (To get an idea of the kind of player he is, even his own fans hate him.)

This is not Lapierre’s first classless act against the Sharks.  For instance, here is a real beauty he laid on Scott Nichol at the Tank back in 2010.

Given what happened, some brought into question Brent Burns’ hit on Brenden Morrow, which I agree was not exactly clean, but not an intentional intent to injure.

With the major concern and dirty play overshadowing the first part of the game, the second period initiated a cleaner contest, with the Sharks taking control of the pace.

Concerning the injury inflicted upon Boyle, the Sharks’ response was fantastic, scoring two power play goals in quick succession to move into the lead.  While their power play was not exactly stellar for the first five games (with most goals coming at even strength), tonight it really shone against the Blues, with three of the Sharks’ six tallies coming on the power play advantage.  It really has shown significant improvement from seasons past.

Joe Thornton led the team with four points on the night (one goal – surprise! – and three assists), followed by Patrick Marleau with three points (a goal and two assists), then Logan Couture in consistent form with two points (one goal, one assist).  Thornton’s tally was his first of the year, as was Scott Hannan’s blast.  Tommy Wingels’ goal was a demonstration of true grit and determination by finishing his drive to the net.  Tomas Hertl added to his point streak with an assist on Joe Thornton’s goal.

What a team.

Soon, the Sharks will be getting back Martin Havlat, and after that, Raffi Torres – two players notably missing from the lineup.  Dan Boyle is reported to be doing okay, although prognosis concerning his injury is unknown.

With the Sharks staying unbeaten, they will next venture to Dallas to face the Dallas Stars Thursday evening to try for number seven.

Tonight's Important Contest (and More!)

The battle of the current NHL elites starts tonight.

At 5:00pm PST, the puck drops in St. Louis, as our San Jose Sharks face the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center.  So far this season, both teams carry unblemished records: the Sharks with five wins, and the Blues with four wins – all of these wins occurring in regulation, with no games going to overtime.

This much is guaranteed: one of these teams will finish with a less-than-perfect record.  Therefore, this makes tonight’s game that much more of a “cannot miss” opportunity.

The Sharks started last season (2012-2013 NHL season) with seven straight wins, and subsequently dropped the next seven games, in what seemed a very unusual turn of events (although most chalked it up to the over-confidence the dominant first half of the season provided to the team).  Unlike last season, however, the team looks much better, with more visible talent and hunger to win.  Much has to do with the chemistry provided by the lines setup, in addition to fresh talent that may have taken some fans by surprise (i.e. Tomas Hertl). 

To support the former, the pairing of Joe Thornton with Brent Burns has done wonders for his productivity, turning Thornton from a finesse only player into one that has both finesse and a high work ethic.  Thornton has always been one of the League’s top centers, however his dominance has always been represented by his natural ability to pass the puck and set up plays, to a certain extent “without even trying,” because of how good he is.  Now, with Burns, a player who boasts one of the highest work ethics in the League, Thornton is now shooting the puck more, forechecking much harder, and contributing tremendously to  the Sharks’ current success.

It is also amazing to see some players with moderate success in prior seasons stepping up and adding to the score sheet.  Fans have to love Patrick Marleau coming back with a very strong showing, in addition to Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who (as a defenseman) has already put up five points within the first five games.

In case some of you are superstitious and would rather not read an opinion on who is more likely to win tonight’s game, I will not provide it here.  I have watched both teams play this season (most of the Blues’ games and all of the Sharks’ games), and what I see are two incredibly well-balanced teams (i.e. both offensively and defensively capable), with the deciding factor coming to, “Who wants to win more?”

In case some of you are particularly interested in the “head to head” statistics, refer to the bottom of this blog post.


(Now, to update on some specific areas!)

Tomas Hertl’s Performance
Before the regular season started, few Sharks fans had no idea who #48 was, and even fewer before the pre-season (as his scoring touch definitely was felt there as well).  Now, the whole league knows who he is, winning the NHL's "First Star of the Week" for last week.  Already five games into the regular season, rookie Tomas Hertl is leading the league in goals (with seven) and second in points (behind only Sasha Ovechkin).  In quite amazing fashion, the young rookie scored four goals against the New York Rangers, finishing with this between the legs beauty, which already has been proposed as a potential “goal of the year.”  Hertl’s success is no fluke, either.  Every game he has played so far this season, his visible ability to score is quite incredible.  Within these five games, two of them were multi-goal games for Hertl, goals earned by his ability to find the open net and to get the puck there with his awesome stickhandling skills.  As long as he is well protected by his teammates, which he should be (as he has already been targeted with head hits by Alex Edler of the Canucks and Clarke MacArthur of the Senators), and is paired with Thornton and Burns, who can provide fantastic setup and passing.

As some of you may know, Hertl’s highlight-reel goal attracted some “controversy,” sinc e it was overly flashy, notably attracting the ire of current Washington Capitals coach and Hall of Famer Adam Oates, who called it “disrespectful.”  Perhaps Oates and those who think the way he does need to keep those comments to themselves, because they sound foolish.  (So, are we supposed to believe that ‘showboating’ is when a player does something nice that the fans like to watch?)

Joe Thornton’s Defense of Tomas Hertl
As the Sharks have consistently been the bane of the Vancouver Canucks’ fortune, winning the last eleven contests the two teams have faced off, it is no surprise the weasel media up in Vancouver would make any attempt possible to make the Sharks look bad.  Following up on comments made about Hertl’s flashy goal, Thornton engaged in typical “locker room talk” – any hockey player can tell you what this is – where he commented that not only does the media have no place to comment on Hertl’s flashiness (as they have never played serious hockey before), but had he scored the four goals, he would “whip it out.”  Granted, he was not being serious, and should have been kept to the confines of the team locker room, a reporter allegedly heard him say this and immediately reported to the Vancouver media.

The Sharks Look Like A Cup Winning Team!
Certainly, when the Sharks are hungry, they do, however it is far too common for comments to be made way too early in the season (such as Hertl being a Calder Trophy – for Rookie of the Year – favorite).  As the season progresses, given the Sharks play a steady stream of teams, that concept of course will be re-evaluated.

Silicon Valley Restaurant Week! October 16-23

Silicon Valley Restaurant Week is back and includes around 50 participating locations! Each restaurant will offer a fixed-price 3-course menu with several options. Cafe Stritch even has a 3-course $15 menu that looks really good.

There are 14 restaurants participating from Downtown San Jose and 12 restaurants from other parts of San Jose. The event runs until October 23rd and you can find a full list of restaurants over here.

I'm in Love With a Church Girl Premiers in San Jose

Okay, normally I wouldn't be promoting a mainstream theatrical movie on the blog but there are three important reasons why "I'm in Love With a Church Girl" is an exception:

1.) The producer/writer is a pastor in San Jose, the funders and the crew are also based here.
2.) The national premier of the movie is today at the California Theater Downtown (playing in movie theaters everywhere starting this Friday, Oct 18).
3.) The film was almost entirely shot in San Jose. Check out the trailer below. There are at least three shots of Downtown San Jose (Fairmont, Plaza de Cesar Chavez, California Theater) and one of Santana Row. I'm sure you guys will find more.

Oh, it's also based on a true story. Check it out!

TWO BUCK Tuesday Tomorrow!

From Phantom Galleries:

Join us at KALEID Gallery for this upcoming TWO BUCK Tuesday, October 15th, 7pm-10pm! Come enjoy an inspired evening of performances, live painting, $2 art, drop-in sketching table & quirky people get together! It’s open to all ages and free! Here are some of of the participating artists who will be joining us this time: Jodi Mascarenas will teach us how to decorate sugar skulls for Dia de Los Muertos. James Pollard will be painting in oils and working on "THE CUBE". David Mejia will draw your portrait while you wait in ink and watercolor. Nicolas Caesar will be drawing ferocious and adorable monsters. Lara Sophia will draw you in oil pastels. Andre J Hart and Al Preciado will be collaborating on a flower painting in preparation for their upcoming show at KALEID. Enjoy music by DJ Bob Johnston TWO BUCK Tuesday, October 15th, 7pm-10pm! Free & open to the public RSVP on our event page here. KALEID Gallery 88 South Fourth Street (@ San Fernando) San Jose, CA 95112 info@KALEIDGallery.com 408-947-1785 Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, noon -7pm Free admission

Trammell Crow Bringing 575,000 SQFT of Manufacturing Space to Alviso Area

There has been a lot of news on new residential or commercial development in San Jose, but it has been quiet on the industrial front for quite some time. In fact, there hasn't been an industrial building built in San Jose for 15 years. However, manufacturing is slowly coming back to the US. With more advanced robots and 3D printing technologies in the pipeline, the trend will likely continue if not accelerate in the future.

Trammell Crow has decided to take a leap of faith and speculatively build a massive amount of manufacturing space on the edge of Alviso on 57 acres of empty land formerly owned by Cisco. The first phase will be a single 250,000 SQFT building for high-tech manufacturing. After that, an even larger 325,000 SQFT building will be constructed. Finally Trammel Crow plans to top off the project with 400,000 SQFT of office space between two and three story buildings on North First.

While there is quite a bit of manufacturing space in the North First area, most of the facilities are outdated and are much smaller in sized than what is being planned by Trammel Crow. This could really attract an interesting tenant or two to the Alviso area.

Source: SVBJ

Playful People Productions Presents: Willy Wonka Kids and Willy Wonka Jr

Sounds like a fun local production for those with kids:

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Playful People Productions Presents:

Willy Wonka Kids and Willy Wonka Jr

This scrumdidilyumptious musical is guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth! Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR and Willy Wonka KIDS follows enigmatic candy manufacturer, Willy Wonka, as he stages a contest by hiding five golden tickets in five scrumptious candy bars.  The lucky winners will get a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are brats: the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie, who takes the tour with his equally amiable Grandpa Joe. This scrumdidilyumptious musical is guaranteed to  take the audiences on a fantasy ride into the land of pure imagination!

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theater, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

Show Times:

Willy Wonka Kids - 

Friday, October 25th  7:00pm

Saturday, October 26th 10:00am,  2:00pm and 7:00pm

Sunday, October 27th 10:00am and 2:00pm

Willy Wonka Jr - 

Friday, November 1st 10:00am and  7:00pm

Saturday, Novemer 2nd 10:00am,  2:00pm and 7:00pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net

$12 attendees 12 and up, and $8 children 11 and under 

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)

$15 attendees 12 and up, and $10 children 11 and under

For questions: barb@galiotto.com

Playful People Productions provides a quality, caring environment in which children, youth & their families have positive theatre experiences, while being involved in many aspects of on-stage/ back-stage theatre. Our company fills a need of providing beginning through advanced theatre for the whole family to the community. The founders have expanded the program to include classes & summer camps.

Playful People Productions is run by mother-daughter team, Barbara Galiotto & Katie D' Arcey, who between them have approx 50 years experience in the musical theatre world. Both are Positive Discipline trained & worked as early Childhood Educators as well as in theatre. Both have worked as professional directors with children's theatre for many years.

For each production we employ professional designers, artists, choreographers and directors to guide our students. We also hire experienced college & high school students to do jobs in the production such as directors, stage managers, lighting, make-up, & set designers, choreographers and assistants. This allows students to gain work experiences in all aspects of theatre. The goals of Playful People Productions are to provide the community with a variety of performing opportunities for children, youth & families to experience. Playful People Productions will challenge young people in the community, provide a safe, caring environment, & involve parents in a wholesome, well-rounded activity. We believe that a good theatre experience will greatly improve the lives of the children, youth and families in our community.