Joe and Ellie Cagnina have traveled to each of the 50 states and
have never seen anything like what they experience every July in
Gilroy.
”
We wouldn’t miss the Garlic Festival for the world,
”
said Joe, who stood with his wife about 10 people deep in the
line that formed before the gates opened Friday morning.
”
We stop everything.
”
Joe and Ellie Cagnina have traveled to each of the 50 states and have never seen anything like what they experience every July in Gilroy.
“We wouldn’t miss the Garlic Festival for the world,” said Joe, who stood with his wife about 10 people deep in the line that formed before the gates opened Friday morning. “We stop everything.”
The couple – a retired school teacher and sales executive from Berkeley – pack up their Volkswagen camper every time the travel bug strikes and head wherever the wind blows them. But the Garlic Festival is a must see every year, they said.
“It’s the most well-organized local function we’ve ever seen,” Joe said looking around as volunteers put the last-minute touches on booths and food stations. “Every year, everything is consistently in the same place. This is really well done.”
Overcast skies gave way to temperatures in the mid-80s and many festival goers said it was one of the best years they could remember, thanks to the ideal weather.
Ticket sales figures were not available as of 7 p.m., and Garlic Festival Executive Director Brian Bowe did not want to venture a guess about the crowd turnout.
“I hear anecdotally that it was up, down and sideways,” Bowe said of Friday’s attendance.
Georgia Garfink, a volunteer at the beer booth said she thought sales might be slow because of the cooler temperatures and the slow economy, “but we’ve been real steady,” she said. “I think everyone’s having a good time.”
Only a couple hours into the first day of the festival, revelers packed into shaded areas to enjoy their favorite foods. As for the early attendance speculation, Garlic Festival President Greg Bozzo joked he didn’t want to jinx himself, “it looks great.”
Janet Krulee, the Garlic Festival’s retail co-chair, said the festival seemed particularly busy for a Friday, and she speculated many local residents were drawn by the local entertainment and discounts for Gilroy residents.
“It seemed like all of Gilroy turned out, which is great to see,” Krulee said.
Drawing in South County residents by naming Friday “Locals Day” – which offered local residents a discounted $12 ticket price – was one of the goals of this year’s festival. The weather it seemed tried to lend a helping hand.
“If the weather stays like this, how could you not come,” asked Susie Connell, who sits on this year’s advisory committee for the festival. “It’s a blessing.”
Still, that did not translate into better sales for everyone.
Gina Orozco of Cajun Crawdads said sales seemed lower than usual, saying she figured she would break even.
Gilroy High cross country coach Art Silva thought the Friday crowds were lower than usual, attributing it to the hike in ticket prices to $17 this year from $12 in the past.
Jeanie Xiong, who sells popcorn and peanuts, said it seemed like a typical Friday.
The amount of criminal activity also seemed to be the norm, according to Gilroy Police Sgt. Wes Stanford.
“We didn’t have any fights,” he said. “It was a good day.”
Police made about 10 arrests, mostly related to adults supplying minors with alcohol, Stanford said.
Most attendees at the festival were merely interested in good family fun.
Davis residents Tawny and Mike Yaubrovich and their son Cole said the festival is an annual tradition for the family.
“We make an annual pilgrimage for the yummiest event on earth,” said Mike Yaubrovich, as he was finishing a garlic ice cream cone from Gilroy Foods and Flavors.
Looking ahead, several vendors said they were optimistic heading into the weekend. Canyon Lake resident Pat Tutt, who sells bowls that allow dips to remain chilled, was one of them.
“We’re on par for being a really good weekend,” Tutt said.
