Happy Hollow Park & Zoo Nabs $1M for Upgrades

Happy Hollow has just received an anonymous $1 million donation donation, which is the largest gift it has ever received. The donation will go towards planning a future multispecies exhibit (multiple animals cohabitating) as well as upgrading the lower zoo area.

While not exactly the largest zoo in the world, I was very impressed with the renovation that was done several years ago. The lemur exhibit at the entrance of the park is particularly interesting since it incorporates an area where children can play while watching/imitating the animals. Hopefully they keep this level of interactivity in mind when planning out their renovations and new exhibits.

Source: The Merc

San Jose Earthquakes 40th Anniversary Celebration!

The Quakes have been representing San Jose for four decades now, and they hosting a big party to celebrate on January 30th at the San Pedro Square Market. There will be live music, a meet & greet with the players, and they are giving away an autographed 2014 Earthquakes jersey. However, the highlight of the night will probably be the big reveal of their brand new logo and jersey.

The festivities go from 5:30pm to 9pm. The event is free and you can RSVP right over here.

Campaign to Reopen Cine Mexico Theater

The Cine Mexico Theater on Santa Clara Street opened as the Mayfair in 1949 and was once owned by Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak in the 1980s. Stephanie Chang has initiated a gofundme campaign to reopen the neglected landmark as a live music and entertainment venue. She is also proposing to reinstall a projector and show movies again as well as adding a coffeehouse, cafe, and art gallery. Stephanie is looking to raise $19,000 for the project.

For more information, just head over to the gofundme page. Thanks to Alyssa Kies for sending this in!

Latest from Bay Area Die Hard Co.

Check out the latest news about San Jose-based Bay Are Die Hard Co. in the release below. They also just launched a limited edition line for the US team at Sochi (use the promo code "GO USA" for a 20% discount, click here to see the options).

BAY AREA SPORTS APPAREL FROM DIE HARD COMPANY, ON THE RISE IN THE BAY AREA

 

SAN JOSE, Calif., — Since 2010, local clothing company, Die Hard Co. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team.  Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

“We represent the die hard fans.  We want them to be able to represent their team at anytime, giving them an alternative from the logos,” said Adam Mayberry, co-creator of DieHard Co.

           

In the spring of 2010, brothers Adam and Ben Mayberry wanted to create a line of clothing that reflected their passion for Bay Area sports while incorporating their skills as designers—Adam in architecture and Ben a graphic designer. Their first design, “Big Time Timmy Jim” was inspired by the 2010 ESPN commercial with Tim Lincecum and was a hit that following fall when the Giants won the World Series. 

 

 

Now with thirty designs to choose from in their online store—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—Die Hard Co. continues to grow, garnering a vast following of fans on their social media platforms.

 

One special fan of the brand, Alex Boone, offensive guard of the San Francisco 49ers, took interest in DieHard Co. and asked the Mayberry brothers to create a design that represented Boone’s moniker, “The Rhino” during the 2013 Super Bowl. It has been seen on Boone as well as on defensive end, Justin Smith and is among their product list to choose from on their website.  Amid last Sunday’s when against the Carolina Panthers, Boone announced on his Instagram profile that he will be donating the proceeds made from DieHard’s “The Rhino” t-shirt towards the San Francisco Zoo. 

 

Die Hard Co. has been awarded the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant through The City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation.  The money received from this grant will allow them to fund part of the budget needed to manufacture shirts at a higher quality to the exact specifications of Die Hard fans—color, material, size and branding will all be upgraded.

 

The additional funding needed will come from a KickStarter campaign in late February to match the money from the grant. The project will allow Die Hard Co. to bypass buying premade shirts from a distributor which has set colors and materials that are mostly made overseas. The new line will be Made in the USA.

 

With these future projects lined up, Die Hard Company will continue to grow as a brand and provide fans unique ways to Sport Their Colors no matter what they are doing.

 

For more information and updates on DieHard Co., visit http://www.diehard.co or contact adam@diehard.co

Saturday Stats: San Jose Metro is the #1 Area to Flip a House

Flipping a house involves buying a property, renovating it, and reselling it. It is a key measure of housing market activity. According to 24/7 Wall St., San Jose is killing it when it comes to flipping homes. In fact, they ranked the region as the #1 place in the county to flip a home. The average gross profit flippers nabbed in San Jose is $166,287. The average selling price of the renovated homes came in at $704,762... which is the highest among all areas in the study. Check out the full list of cities (metros actually) below.

TOP 10 BEST CITIES TO FLIP A HOUSE

1.) San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2.) San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
3.) Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
4.) Ocean City, NJ
5.) Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
6.) San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
7.) Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
8.) Salinas, CA
9.) Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
10.) Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

Source: 24/7 Wall St., Hat-tip to Barclay Livker

San Jose: The Smartest City In America (as seen on The TODAY Show)

In case you missed it - San Jose was featured on The TODAY Show this morning. In their "Healthy, Wealthy, Wise" segment, they showed a video about the innovative and awesome place we call home - San Jose.

Check out the video:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rockage 3.0: February 7-9th @ SJSU Student Union

Three days of indie music and retro gaming will be coming to Downtown San Jose in early February. Rockage 3.0 features 25 bands (several local ones), DJs, and 50+ classic arcades and pinball machines. You will even be able to meet independent game soundtrack composers and learn about their craft. This sounds like a great event for fans of either indie music and/or video games, which I'm sure you will find a lot of in San Jose.

This is the largest Rockage event so far, and is targeted towards all ages. You can learn more at RockageSJ.com or their Facebook page. Head down past the flier for the full release.

ROCKAGE INDIE MUSIC AND RETRO VIDEO GAME CELEBRATION RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE FOR THE THIRD YEAR AT A NEW VENUE ON SAN JOSE STATE CAMPUS
            

* * Featuring live music from 25+ bands/ DJs and a huge collection of retro video games **

WHAT:            

For three exciting days, music and video game fans will experience some of the most cherished old school video games in the ultimate celebration of independent music, digital nostalgia, and retro bliss as Rockage 3.0^® returns to Downtown San Jose!  More than 25 dynamic indie rock bands, chiptune artists and DJs will perform over the weekend in front of a classic free play arcade backdrop of more than 50 rare classic cabinets and pinball. 

In addition to the live music and arcade, die-hard fans can meet the composers of many modern independent game soundtracks and learn how to make their own chiptune music through workshops and panels. The intimate venue on campus at San Jose State University gives fans unparalleled access to meet and play their all-time favorite video games with their favorite independent musicians! 

Bit Brigade, video game rock band from Athens, Georgia, will be headlining the event. They will perform the full soundtrack and simultaneous speed run of The Legend Of Zelda for the first time on the West Coast live on Saturday, February 8^th.

One of the steady-growing independent music festivals in the Bay Area, Rockage 3.0^® has doubled attendance each year providing quality low-priced family entertainment in Downtown San Jose. Now in its third year, Rockage 3.0^® looks to extend its appeal to a like-minded audience with more bands, more games, and more excitement.

WHO:               

Bit Brigade, Mega Ran, crashfaster, Slime Girls, Danimal Cannon, The Megas, Curious Quail, Matthew Joseph Payne, Super Soul Bros., Picture Atlantic, Good Hustle, Gnarboots, Space Town Savior, Cartoon Violence, Petriform, Together We Are Robots, Hawk Jones, The Albert Square, Ghost & The City, Porch, Lady Game Lyric, Space Boyfriend, Cartoon Bar Fight, Boboso, Jean Baudin, Continuum Kingdom, DJ Mr Smith, DJ Coco.                       

WHERE:          

San Jose State University, Student Union Ballroom – One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192

WHEN:            

Friday, February 7 – Sunday, February 9, 2014Friday 3:00 PM – midnight
Saturday NOON – midnight
Sunday NOON – 8:00 PM

TICKETS*:      

Ticket prices – $30 for a 3-day pass or $20 for one day, at the door.                       

Advance tickets – $30 for a 3-day pass http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/540015

Kids tickets (ages 2-12) – FREE on Sunday (2/9) at the door with adult admission.

*Tickets may be subject to service charges, facility and handling fees.  

For more information and updates log onto http://www.RockageSJ.com

Or visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1414152018821817/ or http://twitter.com/RockageSJ

Josh Marcotte @ Bela La Vie

Come check out local guerrilla photographer Josh Marcotte's latest work this weekend at Bela La Vie!

Source: Phantom Galleries

Bela La Vie presents: "Mobile Manipulation" Hipstamatic photos by Josh Marcotte. Opening Reception January 25th, 7–10pm 311 E. Campbell Ave. Campbell, CA