There will be one fewer place for San Jose fireworks fans to see the rockets’ red glare on July 4 this year, as the city has canceled the annual event held at Almaden Lake Park.
And it seems this is partly a case of an event being called off because of its own success.
San Jose City Councilmember George Casey announced the cancellation in an email to his district this week, saying that with more than 30,000 people attending last year, it has outgrown the park as a venue.
A fire broke out at last year’s ninth annual show in the foothills just east of Almaden Lake, and firefighters had to contend with the crowds leaving the show just before 10 p.m.
“Public safety agencies had a difficult time responding to calls for service due to the traffic congestion and indiscriminately parked cars. There are no fiscally responsible options to mitigate the safety concerns this year,” Casey wrote, adding that his office would work to find a more suitable venue. There was a proposal to move the show to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, but that’s also not happening, Casey said.
If you’re longing to see some pyrotechnic bursts in the area, there are still a few options: The city’s show at Lake Cunningham Regional Park will return for its second year. The San Jose Giants will also have a fireworks show, sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Jose, following its July 4 game; non-ticketholders will be able to watch the fireworks from Alma Avenue and Senter Road. And California’s Great America is bringing back its Independence Day fireworks show, Star-Spangled Nights.
It’s long been believed that having large professional fireworks displays acts to discourage people from lighting off illegal fireworks in their neighborhoods,. But anyone watching the skies — and listening — on July 4 and the days around it for the past few years would probably disagree.
Last year, Sunnyvale debuted a drone show for July 4, but this year’s announced plans only have a daytime festival on Murphy Avenue.
JAZZY SUNDAY: San Jose City Councilman Michael Mulcahy is the honorary host of Jazz in Bloom, a fundraiser for San Jose Jazz’s Jazz Aid Fund being hosted Sunday at the Rose Garden home of Gordon Biersch co-founder Dan Gordon and his wife, Melissa. In addition to bringing in donations to support struggling musicians, the event will also honor Henry Schiro, who was San Jose Jazz’s executive director from 1988 to 2004 (and was Mulcahy’s stepfather).
The 4 p.m. event includes performances by the Ryan Trujillo Latin Jazz Quartet and the SJZ High-School All-Stars, as well as food provided by San Jose restaurant Mezcal, wine by Gilroy’s Kirigin Cellars and I’m guessing some pretty good beer from San Jose. Tickets are available at www.sanjosejazz.org.
MUSICAL CHANGE: Los Gatos native Ren Geisick’s second full-length album, “The Place I Planned to Go,” is being released on streaming services June 20, and it may come as a bit of a surprise to listeners more familiar with her early work. Geisick started out as more of a jazz songstress, but her sound has been moving toward Americana/Country, and she says this album is really a full embrace of that change.
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The 14 original songs hit on themes of heartache, outlaws and mercy. “These songs all reflect the elements of hope and fear that run deep in the life of a musician, and run right alongside the day-to-day life struggles that we all face,” Geisick said. Hey, if going country works for Beyonce, why not Ren?
To celebrate the album’s release, she’ll be performing with her full band at the the Art Boutiki Music Hall on Race Street in San Jose at 8 p.m. June 21. You can get more information and tickets at artboutiki.com.
NICKO. CHEF NICKO: Pruneyard Cinemas’ brought in a ringer for this past Monday’s presentation of the 1965 James Bond thriller, “Thunderball,” as part of its very popular Culinary Cinema series. Chef Nicko Moulinos from the hot downtown San Jose restaurant Eos & Nyx was the curator of the three-course menu, prepared by head chef Trevor Hansen, that included crab cakes, jerk-marinated chicken thigh with coconut rice and a slice of cheesecake, topped with tamarind, almonds and mint.
You can check out the rest of this summer’s Culinary Cinema offerings at www.pruneyardcinemas.com/culinarycinema.
ONE MORE TIME: My apologies to anyone who showed up at Open San Jose this past Tuesday hoping to catch “Home Is Where the Art Is,” the art show featuring work by residents at HomeFirst’s housing centers. The showcase — which was originally delayed from last Saturday because of the “No Kings” rallies — was moved to Thursday, July 17. All the details — including the correct date — are at www.homefirstscc.org/home-is-where-the-art-is.
