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It’s San Jose’s turn to honor the Grateful Dead in December

August 5, 2025
It’s San Jose’s turn to honor the Grateful Dead in December

Now that Dead & Company’s wildly successful shows have ended at Golden Gate Park, it’s San Jose’s turn to honor the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead in December.

San Jose Rocks, a nonprofit dedicated to highlighting Santa Clara County’s role in music history, has put its celebration plans into high gear to commemorate the site of the band’s first show as the Grateful Dead on Dec. 4, 1965.  The performance happened at an “acid test” party at a house on South Fifth Street in downtown San Jose. The house is no longer there, but in fitting irony, the building that happens to be on that site today is San Jose City Hall.

A rendering of a potential site at San Jose City Hall for a plaque honoring the first performance by the Grateful Dead under that name on Dec. 4, 1965. The nonprofit San Jose Rocks is raising funds for the plaque and a dedication ceremony to be held on the 60th anniversary, Dec. 4, 2025. (Courtesy San Jose Rocks) 

Dan Orloff, founder and executive director of San Jose Rocks, said initial design work is completed on a bronze plaque to commemorate the historic event, which city officials agreed to earlier this year.

“San Jose was ground zero for the Grateful Dead’s cosmic launch, and it’s high time we crank up the volume on that legacy. This plaque is more than just bronze on a wall — it’s a shoutout to the night the music got weird, wild, and wonderfully historic right here in our city. San Jose Rocks is proud to mark the spot where the Dead were born and history got loud.”

Orloff says the goal is to dedicate the plaque on Dec. 4, 2025. As part of San Jose Rocks’ deal with the city, the nonprofit will be raising all the money to pay for the 20-by-30-inch bronze plaque — featuring the band’s iconic “Steal Your Face” logo — and the celebration around its installation. That’s where Orloff hopes that Grateful Dead fans in Silicon Valley and beyond will come in.

San Jose Rocks has arranged for a pretty cool donor gift, too. Contributors at various levels starting at $125 will receive limited-edition handbills or commemorative posters designed for this cause by artist Stanley Mouse, who created posters for the Bill Graham-promoted shows as well as album covers for the Grateful Dead and Journey. You can find out more at sanjoserocks.org/article/the-grateful-dead-tribute.

Even San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — who was barely a teenager when Jerry Garcia died in 1995 — is backing the project, saying the Dead are an “undeniable part of San Jose’s rich musical history.”

“Our city council meetings are clearly not as exciting as a Dead show, but we’re proud to host a plaque for fans to honor the legendary band’s legacy where it all began, right here in San Jose,” Mahan said in a statement.

CREATIVE WEEKEND IN LOS ALTOS: The Fine Art in the Park festival is returning to Lincoln Park in Los Altos this weekend for its 50th year. The juried show features the work of more than 150 artists from across the country, who produced original paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles and ceramics. The weekend will include live music, along with a food court featuring nearby favorites including Chef Chu’s, Aurum, Redwood Grill, Rustic House and Taco Al Vapor.

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Purchases made during the show support scholarships, international disaster relief, clean water projects and other causes supported by the Los Altos Rotary Club. The show is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, and admission is free. Get more information at www.rotaryartshow.com.

HISTORIC HUNT: Sarah Winchester is pretty well-known in these parts thanks to her sprawling mansion, the Winchester Mystery House, which attracts droves of people every year to explore its 160 rooms and architectural oddities. But the life of her sister, Isabel Merriman, is probably a real mystery to most people in the Bay Area. That’s why the Los Altos History Museum is spotlighting Merriman — who lived in the area that became Los Altos — with its latest exhibit, “Building El Sueño: Isabel Merriman, Sarah Winchester, and the California Dream.”

On Saturday, the museum is inviting the public to take part in “Isabel’s Scavenger Hunt,” from noon to 4 p.m. in its garden (with a prize going to the first 50 people who complete it). Museum Curator and Director of Exhibits Amy Ellison said the event is centered around Merriman’s deep love for plants and animals. She grew a variety of flowers at her home, El Sueño, and sold them at a floral shop she ran in Mountain View. She also served on the board of the Palo Alto Humane Society and cared for neglected animals.

Appropriately, visitors can hang out with friendly therapy dogs from the Palo Alto Humane Society’s “Visiting Pals” program from noon to 2 p.m. during the scavenger hunt. The exhibit, which opened in late June, runs through Nov. 30. You can get more information at www.losaltoshistory.org.

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