They are in the trenches. Amid the garlic aroma, nearly 4,000 volunteers work to crank out every pepper steak sandwich to perfection, take every photo for visitors in front of the giant garlic bulb and answer questions on anything and everything Garlic Festival. The volunteers made it happen again this year. We tip our hat to you.
View more volunteer profiles online at gilroydispatch.com and morganhilltimes.com.
Clyde Kreeger; age: 74
Years volunteering: 14
Responsibility: Helping with utilities, including power, water and portable toilets.
Why I volunteer: Because I like the people of Gilroy and the Garlic Festival is so much fun.
Favorite memory: Many years ago, I remember there were two little boys that would crawl under the Cook-off stage and help pull power cables through to the other side. Now, they’re 18 years old!
Favorite festival food: Cherry vanilla ice cream.
Roxie Thomas; age: 81
Years volunteering: 30
Organization: Gourmet Alley for Gilroy Presbyterian Church
Why I volunteer: I just love the festival, and love what it represents. It’s a great way to support the church and interact with people.
Favorite memory: I served as an ambassador on the buses that were transporting people from the parking lots. Our job was to tell riders about the festival and its benefits. A family boarded the bus and said they just followed all the cars and decided to check it out. In my conversation with them I discovered they were headed to San Francisco for a 1:30 p.m. flight. I had to tell them they really did not have enough time to check out the festival and make their plane, so they stayed on and rode back to the parking lot. Upon getting off, the dad handed me a $20 tip! I was blown away. I think I donated it to Gilroy Presbyterian Church.
Nolan Getty; age: 12
Years volunteering: First time
Organization: Morgan Hill Boy Scouts Troop
Favorite thing about volunteering: It’s so cool to work in Gourmet Alley, because you get to see how the food is cooked. When you’re a pedestrian, you get to eat it but don’t get to go behind the scenes.
Favorite memory: Getting to take pictures with thousands of people while dressed as a garlic bulb. Some younger kids cry when they see us, but it makes most kids really happy.
Louise Shields; age: 51
Years volunteering: Two
Charity: Gilroy Arts Alliance
Favorite memory: Watching my daughter perform Taekwondo on the gazebo stage three years ago. It was so awesome to see those kids promoting sports and physical fitness. They did such a great job.”
Favorite garlic food: The garlic fries. I’m just about to have some for lunch today.
Favorite thing about the festival: I love how it brings the community together and raises so much to go back to charities. It is things like this that sustain a community.
Kristi Holder; age: 48
Years volunteering: 10
Charity: GHS’s Parent Club
What keeps you coming back: I love the community spirit, how everyone is here to give back.
Favorite garlic food: The pepper steak sandwich. But today I changed it up with a greek Gyro and a smoothie, and it was delicious.
Favorite memory: This weekend I’ve really loved learning about all the different ways people use garlic. Today a lady from Iran said she snips the greens off the top of her bulb and uses them for salads and cooking.
Lynn Liebschutz; age: 74
Number of years volunteering: 21
Responsibility: Volunteering with the Boy Scout Troop, working in Gourmet Alley and taking turns being “Herbie” in the children’s area.
Why I volunteer: The Garlic Festival is a tremendous organization. It’s like working with family when you’ve been here that long. The organization is second to none.
Favorite memory: Supervising the Boy Scout Troop in the Children’s Area.
Favorite festival food: Pepper Steak Sandwich, but I wouldn’t turn down anything from Gourmet Alley.
Hal Thomas; age: I’m as old as dirt…87
From: Pasadena
Number of years volunteering: Nine
Responsibility: Volunteering in Gourmet Alley for the Gilroy Presbyterian Church and Gilroy Rotary.
Why I volunteer: I like meeting all the people and running into the same people – the garlic bread division in particular.
Favorite memory: Meeting all of these great people. It’s so much fun.
Favorite festival food: Pepper Steak Sandwich
Enrique Perez; age: 39
Years volunteering: 10 years
Organization: Gateway School in Gilroy, working security at Gourmet Alley
Favorite memory: Working with the festival with his wife and family
What do you love about the Festival: My favorite part is meeting the people. Gilroy is a small community and the more people you meet the better. I think every year, they keep up with technology. I’ve noticed at the ticket purchase, they actually allow you to purchase them with an iPad. I think that’s a really good idea, that they’re keeping up with technology.
Favorite food: Every year, I come on multiple days so that I could pace myself with the food. But I always get a turkey leg, it’s really yummy. After that, I like the calamari, a pepper steak and after that maybe I’ll grab a beer.
Jason Medenceles; age: 26
Years volunteering: 10 years
Organization: Sobrato Girls Voleyball and Christopher Boys Basketball, working as Assistant chairman of information for the Garlic Festival Association
Favorite memory: Working the festival all throughout high school, doing everything from trash, gourmet alley and selling lemonade.
What do you love about the Festival: It’s a good opportunity to be a part of this event that helps the community… I think what satisfies me the most is providing an opportunity for outsiders to come to Gilroy and enjoy the Garlic festival. I think for me to see all the happy people, that’s the most satisfying part.
Favorite food: My favorite food here is the shrimp scampi and the garlic ice cream, it’s an acquired taste, but I really like it.
