Gilroy’s hallowed Garlic Festival returned to form this weekend,
as Monday totals tabbed the three-day event’s attendance at
109,067, festival president Kurt Svardal said. Though not a
record-setting figure, it’s still about 10,000 more than a year
ago.
Gilroy’s hallowed Garlic Festival returned to form this weekend, as Monday totals tabbed the three-day event’s attendance at 109,067, festival president Kurt Svardal said. Though not a record-setting figure, it’s still about 10,000 more than a year ago.
Sales from the festival’s 33rd rendition rose 11 percent over last year, Executive Director Brian Bowe said. He said the festival hauled in $2.15 million, and sponsorship revenues and other incoming fees could raise that total by another $400,000, he said.
In what Gourmet Alley volunteer of 20 years Mike Sterner coined “one of the best days we’ve ever had” in Garlic Festival history, standing in line for a combo platter at 1:30 p.m. Saturday felt like waiting to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland.
But where there’s a craving, there’s a will. Visitors who flock to Gilroy in want of garlicky goodness are poster children for a dogged commitment to good eating.
“No,” replied San Franciscan Wilson Chan, a festival first-timer and stranger to garlic ice cream. “I haven’t had it. That’s why I’m willing to wait.”
Demand was off the hook several feet away at the Christopher Ranch garlic fries booth, where Young Life volunteer Ron Zimmerman observed, “we’ve had a line like this all day.”
Zimmerman pointed to a trail of more than 100 people stretching yards back.
Festival-goers gobbled up about 25,000 online tickets, according to figures released early Sunday, which dwarfs the 8,000 a year ago, said festival spokesman Peter Ciccarelli.
And thanks to more than 7,961 combo plates sold online, volunteers at Christmas Hill Park’s Gourmet Alley saw a 23 percent increase in sales, bringing in $612,000, Bowe said.
This was the first year visitors had the option to buy a combo plate ticket online, sending lines at least 100 people deep Sunday, for the second day in a row.
“Lines in Gourmet Alley were never-ending,” Svardal said.
As the lines for combo plates amassed to a steady count of 100 people or more, several visitors were re-thinking the decision to pre-purchase their meal.
Waiting dead last about 2 p.m. was Luz Donahue of Bakersfield, who said “I figured I paid for it, so I gotta use it.”
Not that the more than 7,000 combo entrees sold online as of Saturday is a bad thing. It’s a sizeable increase from 2010, when sales of combo plates totaled 7,000 for the entire weekend, according to festival spokesman Peter Ciccarelli.
With a success rate like that, another booth may be needed to sway visitors like Mary Hvistendahl to reconsider her stance on buying the combo plate ahead of time.
“I will never do this again. It’s not worth the discount,” said the San Franciscan, who timed her wait at 20 minutes.
This sentiment was echoed by San Jose residents Diana Lin and Peter Abramson, who estimated their wait at 30 to 40 minutes.
“Worth it? Not anymore,” said Abramson, a first-time attendee.
But some found a cold beer the perfect antidote.
Thoroughly enjoying his beer was Anthony Renteria of San Jose, who likes to pair one good thing with another.
“Garlic and Belgium Wheat?” he said, considering the marriage of flavors after taking a sip of beer and lick of garlic ice cream. “I’d recommend it. It’s a good combination.”
As the festival waned into its final hour, some booths still boasted 40-person lines.
“There’s a lot of festivals in the world, but none of them touch this one,” said Hugh Davis, who will serve as festival president next year.
Earlier in the day, a crisis at Gourmet Alley was averted.
“In Gourmet Alley, we reached ‘critical stage’ calamari,” Svardal said.
By mid-morning, fear began to seep into the Alley that customers might be at sea over the missing – and essential – festival food group. Svardal dreaded that, “there was no calamari within 300 miles of Gilroy,” he said.
“Calamari has been cleaned out as far as the eye can see,” Ciccarelli added about 2 p.m. If that weren’t enough, officials also reported beef shortages for the prized pepper steak sandwiches, and Svardal said volunteers were sent to local Nob Hill stores to claim nearly ever last ounce of bread. An 1,000 additional pounds of calamari were later located at warehouses in Morgan Hill and San Jose and volunteers hauled in enough extra steak to keep the sandwiches in patrons’ hands throughout the day.
“I don’t know when Nob Hill is going to have bread again,” Svardal smiled.
“We’ve had nothing but good problems,” Bowe said in reference to nearly running out of food.
Some were concerned the famous flame-ups by pyro-chefs would be disrupted without calamari, though worries fizzled as the chefs took to their row for all to “ooh” and “ahh” over the great balls of fire.
“We’re scrambling, but we’re not letting anyone go home hungry,” said Vito Mercado, co-chairman of Gourmet Alley, who has volunteered for eight years.
