Happy Fourth of July!

The Rotary Club of San Jose and Symphony Silicon Valley are once again hosting a world-class fireworks show in Downtown San Jose this year. "Symphony Summer Pops" music will start at 5:30pm at Discovery Meadow. The fireworks show will begin around 9:30pm.

For more info, head over here.

Good Karma gets a new artsy paint job

One of the best Vegan restaurants and craft beer spots in Downtown San Jose has a slick new facade. Surprisingly, the was the first place Downtown to feature an assortment of rare craft beers. Now there are five such places within a 3 minute walk and about a dozen in Downtown San Jose. If you have yet to try out Good Karma--regardless of whether you are vegan or a carnivore--you must check this place out!

Source: Quadshock from The San Jose Development Forum, SubZERO via Twitter

Saturday Stats: San Jose has the 4th highest percentage of upper class residents in the US

The Pew Research center conducted a study to see how income classes have changed over time in 229 US metros. Part of the study was highlighting the 10 metros with the largest percentage of upper-income populations. "Upper income" was defined by being more than double the US median household income relative to the national average cost of living. That means that very expensive areas are adjusted downward. Despite this, the San Jose metro can in 4th on the list, with 31% of the population considered upper class and a median household income of $187,390. San Francisco was 9th on the list with 28% of residents considered upper class and a median income of $185,290.

However, I would argue that if you have a household income of $187,390 in Silicon Valley, you are not wealthy and most likely in the upper middle-class bracket based on purchasing power. Likely you are not living in an extravagant house or enjoying a lavish lifestyle. If you have kids and a mortgage, you might barely be getting by. Check out the source link below for the top 10 list and more details.

Source: Business Insider, hat tip to Barclay Livker for sending this in!

Bryan Adams headlines Big Bang Concert on the Fourth of July

94.5 KBAY & Mix 106.5 fireworks viewing party gets even bigger

SAN JOSE – 94.5 KBAY and Mix 106.5 are bringing rocker Bryan Adams to San Jose’s premiere fireworks viewing party this Fourth of July.

Adams, known for hits including Cuts Like A Knife, Summer of ’69 and more, is on tour with his album Get Up!. Mix 106.5 and 94.5 K-BAY are hosting the show, which will include a great view of the Rotary Fireworks, food trucks, kids activities, pre-order BBQ, beer, wine and more.

Tickets are now available at www.sjdowntown.com/BigBang

Bryan Adams concert & fireworks viewing party
Center for Performing Arts Plaza, downtown San Jose
4 p.m. – 10 p.m. July 4.
$25 advance VIP area access with tables, chairs.
$15 advance General admission
Pre-order BBQ: $15 adult, $10 child under 12

A VIP viewing area will be set up along Almaden Boulevard for prime fireworks viewing.

Tower of Power performs at Music in the Park

SAN JOSE – Bay Area legends Tower of Power returns to Music in the Park on Aug. 25.

Acclaimed for its venerable five-piece horn section, Tower of Power tours the world each year, playing hundreds of dates and pleasing their audiences with a parade of funk and soul classics including: “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Down to the Nightclub,” “So Very Hard to Go,” “Time Will Tell,” and “What is Hip?”

Tower of Power previously appeared at Music in the Park in 1994 and 1995.  Founding members Emilio Castillo (tenor sax and vocals), Stephen “Doc” Kupka (baritone sax), Francis Rocco Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drummer), have never stopped recording or touring in 48 years.

Marcus Scott joined T.O.P. as its new lead singer in April.

The show begins at 5:30 p.m. with Super Soul Brothers, which combines funk and jazz with familiar melodies from classic video games, anime and TV and movie soundtracks.

All Music in the Park shows are at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, located in downtown San Jose along Market Street and surrounded by the Fairmont San Jose, Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose Museum of Art and other downtown landmarks.

The Tower of Power date is the last of four Music in the Park concerts scheduled for 2016:

July 14:  AC/DShe, The Killer Queens and The Drought
Aug. 4:  Ozomatli and Sonido Clash Session
Aug. 25: Tower of Power with Super Soul Brothers

For more about the Aug. 25 artists, visit http://www.towerofpower.com and http://www.supersoulbros.com.

Tickets are now available at www.musicintheparksj.com.

Advanced tickets are $10 per adult and free for 12-under when accompanied by an adult.  At the door, admission will cost $15 per adult.

Music in the Park is presented by Metro Newspapers and produced by the San Jose Downtown Association. The events are supported by a grant from the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs.

Visit www.sjdowntown.com for information about Downtown San Jose and the San Jose Downtown Association.

###

About San Jose Downtown Association:  SJDA, a non-profit membership-based organization founded in 1986, represents business and property owners and works to enhance downtown’s vitality and livability.

Wednesday Wishlist: Skinny Towers

Towers do not always have to consist of residential, offices, or hotel rooms. Many cities around the world have towers that exist solely as a landmark or tourist attraction. They do not always require a lot of space and can have a minimal (and usually beneficial) impact on the skyline.

Brighton (UK) is building a 531 foot-tall "skinny tower" that is only 13 feet wide called the Brighton i360. Once completed later this summer it will be the world's tallest moving observation tower. Given the tiny footprint of a tower like this, it could be located pretty much anywhere.

Since Downtown San Jose is burdened by height limitations, it would make sense to locate something like this just outside of Downtown. Somewhere in the Santana Row / Winchester Mystery House area or in Kelly Park would be ideal since tourists are already visiting those locations and they would provide amazing 360 degree views of the valley.

A tower like this looks extremely expensive but the cost is around $60 million at 531 feet. Levi's Stadium was more expensive than 20 of these and a shorter tower would be even less expensive to build. The cost is actually not that much for a landmark attraction that would help define our skyline.

Source: inhabitat

Downtown San Jose ground floor activation

Our good friend Mark from Think Bigger San Jose has a new blog post about how Downtown San Jose is changing at the street level. There are a lot of new towers that will be coming online over the next few years, forever changing the skyline. However, the changes that will have the most impact on the overall success of Downtown will be the amount of vibrancy that these new projects bring to our streets.

Head over here to read the post at Think Bigger San Jose and learn why the map below is important to Downtown.

San Jose photo contest

History San Jose and Content Magazine are teaming up for the "This IS San Jose 2016" photo contest. The goal is to promote our uniqueness, diversity, and support our art community. Winners will have their photos displayed in the City Hall Routunda, win prizes, and will be featured in a future issues of Content Magazine.

Below you can see instructions for entry. For additional details (and a district map for tagging your photos), head over to the "This IS San JOSE" website over here.

Help Capture the Uniqueness and Diversity that IS San Jose!

Continuing the annual tradition, History San José will be accepting submissions for the 2016 Photo Competition, This IS San Jose.  There are several benefits to this contest including:

• Promotes the uniqueness and diversity that is San Jose 
• Supports the photographic arts and artists 
• Helps contest winners build their photographic portfolio and resume
• Documents each of the ten (10) districts with recent photographs for preservation for future generations

There are many ways for artists to participate - through our Kick-off Instagram Contest and then using any camera format the General Photo Contest.

Instagram Kick-Off Contest - Starts May 20 Thru July 1, 2016
Instagram contest begins May 20, 2016. Use @thisissanjose and the district number where the photo was taken (e.g., for District 1, use #district1; for District 10, use #district10, etc.) with your mobile device. District map can be found at San Jose Council Districts. 1, 2, 3. Honorable Mention winners will be automatically entered in the General Photo Contest.

General Photo Contest - Starts July 1 thru September 23, 2016
Primary photo contest begins June 20th and is open to all types of cameras and levels of ability (professional, non-professional or student under 18). Submissions for the primary contest need to be made before September 9th at contest@thisissanjose.com. Include your name, category (professional [earn over 50% from photography], non-professional or student under age 18), district taken, and your photograph in jpg document format.

All winning entries form all districts will be displayed in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda from October through December 2016. We are planning an awards reception in October with prizes. Winners will also be included in an upcoming issue of Content Magazine.

Sponsors
Presented by History San José
Media Sponsor Content Magazine