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Almaden Valley Halloween 2022

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Almaden Valley Halloween 2022Trick or Treat? Halloween is here. Almaden residents, are you ready for the spirit of Halloween this year? If you are giving out candy, do consider putting yourself on the Nextdoor neighborhood treat map so the little tricksters don’t miss your home.

Almaden neighborhoods are promising to be spooktacular this weekend. In the Graystone neighborhood, look out for the Watanabe family’s Disney themed Halloween display, especially for the little ones; they will also be passing out allergy friendly treats. On Alston Way, the Miller family promises a frightful and ghoulish experience with their display of ‘Nightmare on Alston Way’.

Villagewood Way is hosting a neighborhood potluck block party on Monday, October 31st, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm with candy and a kid-friendly movie. All are welcome. The Almaden Neighborhood Church is organizing a “Trunk or Treat” on Sunday, October 30th, from 6pm-8pm. Participating families are invited to decorate the trunks of their cars and pass out candy in the church parking lot. This is a fun and free community event. For more information, visit: www.almadenchurch.org.

While you are enjoying the spirit of Halloween with your families and little ones, ensure a safe Halloween for everyone. Be especially careful with pets around pumpkins, candles and jack-o-lanterns. The San Jose Fire Department has put together a Halloween safety guide for those out celebrating. For information on these, visit: https://bit.ly/HalloweenSafetySJFD.

Post-Halloween, let’s all be mindful of the environment. The County of Santa Clara Household Hazardous Waste Program is offering free Halloween-related household hazardous waste disposal (HHW) by appointment. Please consider using their service for decorations with lights, electronics, batteries, and costumes with paint etc. Go to HHW.org or call 408-299-7300 to make a free drop-off appointment.

Happy Halloween 2022!

4th of July 2022 in Almaden

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4th of July 2022

Festival and Fireworks at the Almaden Lake Regional Park

Hooray! The most exciting event of the year for Almaden residents – the Fourth of July Celebrations and Fireworks at the Almaden Lake Regional Park – is back this year after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The festival begins at 3:00 pm and includes a family fun zone, live music and entertainment, a costume contest, activities and food trucks. The fireworks begin at 9:15 pm. Bring your family and friends to enjoy this spectacular show. Come early to find good viewing spots and remember to carry water, portable chairs or mats to sit down.

For more information visit:

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/5389/

Montevideo Neighborhood 4th of July Parade

The Montevideo neighborhood of Almaden has been celebrating Independence Day since 1968 with a fabulous float parade display and contest. This year’s theme is National Parks. Parade begins at 11:00 am at the Montevideo neighborhood clubhouse. This too is a great event for the entire family to watch.

For more information visit:

https://miahomeowners.com/fourth-of-july/

A Few Things to Remember During 4th of July in Almaden

Personal or backyard fireworks are illegal in San Jose. Some pets are sensitive to fireworks and can get distressed. Please take extra care of pets around fireworks displays. Let us all enjoy and celebrate safely.

Virtual 5K Art & Wine Community Event

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Virtual 5K Art & Wine Community EventThe Almaden Valley Women’s Club will be hosting its 2nd annual Virtual 5k Art & Wine Community Event from June 26-July 3, 2022, in place of the annual Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival. The Virtual 5K Art & Wine Community Event is fun for the whole family. Participants can follow a suggested mapped route provided by the Women’s Club, or they can use their own route at their leisure over the 8-day duration.

In keeping with the AVWC tradition, they will be kicking off this event with the 2022 logo contest. One winner and two finalists’ logos will be selected from submissions by eligible students. The final logo will be featured on their yearly commemorative wine glass, the 5K event t-shirt and swag bag, and 2022 marketing material.

As with the Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival, 100% of proceeds will be awarded to local schools and charities. For more details and to donate, visit: https://www.almadenwomen.org.

Almaden Community Center 2022 Spring Activity Guide

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Almaden Community Center 2022 Spring The Almaden Community Center 2022 Spring Activity Guide is now available! Registration for community center classes, spring break camp and a wide variety of summer camps begins Feb. 26 at 10am. You can register in person at Almaden Community Center or online at www.sjregistration.com.

Spring break camp for ages 5-12 will be held at the Almaden Community Center Monday-Friday April 11-15 from 8am-6pm.

Dozens of week-long full- and half-day summer camps will take place at the Almaden Community Center or at neighboring parks starting the week of 6/6-6/10 and continuing through the week of 8/15-8/19. Camp instructors are from such groups as Mad Science of the Bay Area, Young Rembrandts, Futsal Kings, Skyhawks Sports Academy, Engineering for Kids, Dance Arts Academy and more.

Registration for Active Adults 50+ begins on Feb. 23 at 10am.

The Almaden Community Center is located at 6445 Camden Ave., San Jose, CA 95120. The center follows all state and county guidelines regarding mask requirements and daily health screenings. For more information about classes, camps or health guidelines, call the Almaden Community Center at 408-268-1133.

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights Contest Winners

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The 2021 Almaden holiday lights contest winners in Shadow Brook have been announced! Every year the popular Almaden Shadow Brook neighborhood holds this contest, and this year there are two winners. If you’re looking for some holiday fun, drive through the neighborhood and enjoy the show! And while you’re there, take note of the dozens of red bows hung by the Red Bow Brigade, a neighborhood group of volunteers committed to making the Shadow Brook neighborhood an extra special community for the holidays.

Here are the winners of this year’s holiday lights contest:

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights

6774 Bret Harte Drive

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights

965 Summerleaf Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The People’s Choice award went to:

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights

6744 Heathfield Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mentions went to:

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights

1089 Hedgecroft Place

2021 Almaden Holiday Lights

6704 Bret Harte Drive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, Best Decorated Street this year goes to the southern end of Heathfield Drive.

May your holidays this year be as bright as Shadow Brook!

Halloween in Almaden 2021

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Halloween Almaden 2021Happy Halloween, Almaden!

It is the most spooktacular time of the year! Ghosts, witches, jack-o-lanterns, and of course, mountains of candies. Halloween is here, and Almaden is a funtastic place to soak in some real scares.

This year some of our more ghoulish neighbors are hosting haunted houses that are definitely worth a visit. At David Vengerov’s home in the Montevideo neighborhood, this year’s theme is “Toy Factory”. Don’t forget to peek into the attached trailer at the property. Says David on his Nextdoor post, “the distinctive features of the house will be the “dynamic” scares.” Address: 1487 Montalban Drive.

Daniel Paulazzo of the Almaden Meadows also invites neighbors and Halloween fans to his haunted maze at “Deadmond Ave.” Address: 1394 Redmond Ave.

For Jamie Lee Miller’s family, Halloween is by far their favorite celebration. Miller promises tricks and treats and invites friends and neighbors to their ghostly display having spent “countless weeks on our family home making it a sight to see and experience to have with your friends/ family and kids”. Address: 1104 Allston Way

Beth Swartz of Glenview Serenity promises a fantastic display with some pop-up scares, skeletons and more! “This year we will have candy in individual bags and pop-up scares that kids can activate themselves. Please drop by our place on Halloween – 6pm – 9pm (or until the candy runs out!)” she says. Located on Corvallis Drive between Elwood and Glenview in Almaden.

For more locations of haunted houses and a quick look at streets to hit for candies and scares, visit: https://nextdoor.com/treat_map/?is=nav_bar

Almaden Community Center and Almaden Library Updates

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Almaden Community Center and Almaden LibraryExciting updates from the Almaden Community Center and Almaden Library!

The Almaden Branch Library is now open for all in-person activities after the pandemic restrictions are lifted. Check out the new hours here.

While the Almaden Community Center is still awaiting opening for indoor in-person activities, there are a lot of sports camps and outdoor activities that you can register for. Some of the activities that are still open for July registration are:

Camp Dance:
July 19 to July 23. For kids aged 3 to 12 years. At the Almaden Community Center, Tiny Town Courtyard. This is an outdoor activity, masks are required.

Camp San Jose Strong at Vista Park: Full Day
July 6 to July 9, July 12 to July 16, July 19 to July 23. For kids aged 5 to 12 years. This is a full day camp from 8 am to 6 pm at Vista Park.

Camp San Jose Strong at Almaden: Half Day
July 6 to July 9, July 12 to July 16, July 19 to July 23, August 2 to August 6. For kids aged 3 to 5 years. This is a half day camp at the Almaden Community Center.

Beach Volleyball at Almaden Lake Park:
July 14 to August 4. For kids aged 8 to 12 years. Wednesdays from 3:45 to 4:30 pm.
July 26 to July 30. For kids aged 10 to 14 years. 9 am to 12 pm.
These are outdoor activities, masks are required.

Spots fill up fast. Register for activities here: https://apm.activecommunities.com/sanjoseparksandrec/Activity_Search

Happy summer! Stay safe, everyone.

Happy Holidays, Almaden Residents!

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Happy Holidays Almaden ResidentsMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Almaden residents! This holiday season is like no other, but there is a lot of cheer right here in Almaden. Driving around or walking the streets to view the beautiful neighborhood holiday lights displays have always been a favorite activity for most families. This year too, despite many constraints, some of our wonderful neighbors have outdone themselves to provide safe holiday display viewing experiences to everyone.

Lucas Guazelli, a high school senior, has been putting up his holiday sound and light show for the last six years at 1398 Medallion Drive. The show will run from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm every night. Says Lucas on his Nextdoor post, “It features 10,000 lights sequenced to music from Star Wars to Frozen 2. Tune into the music via FM radio on your car.” The frequency is displayed at the address.

Raymond Burleigh has his annual holiday lights show up this year, too, at 6367 Vegas Drive. Says Raymond on his Nextdoor post, “Lots of new lights and graphics this year, and an expanded selection of songs to play from the button box.” To hear the music, tune the radio to 88.7 FM in your car. The lights will be on through New Year’s Eve. This year Raymond is also requesting everyone who enjoys the lights to show their appreciation by supporting the American Diabetes Tour de Cure fundraiser at http://main.diabetes.org/goto/rayspage The contributions go to the American Diabetes Association.

So enjoy these and many other beautiful holiday displays from our wonderful neighbors at Almaden. For those driving through the neighborhoods, be sure to check out the holiday lights cheer map on https://nextdoor.com/cheer_map/?is=nav_bar to get the best out of your tour.

Let’s all stay safe, happy and healthy while enjoying the holidays and ringing in the new year.

Halloween 2020 in Almaden Valley

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Halloween 2020 in Almaden Valley Happy Halloween, Almaden residents! Even with a very challenging year with the pandemic, I am happy and excited to see that the celebratory spirit among our neighbors at Almaden is undaunted. Here’s how Halloween 2020 in Almaden Valley is being celebrated, with a spooky twist to the story.

Enthusiastic residents from various neighborhoods of Almaden are buzzing with ideas about how to enjoy Halloween safely, following all social distancing norms and Santa Clara County health guidelines (see country health guidelines for Halloween and Diá de los Muertos here: www.sccgov.org/cv19halloween). Simon Aslanpour, a resident of the Almaden Mockingbird neighborhood says in his Nextdoor post, “We are not going to take away the tradition of trick or treating in the neighborhood this year because of this pandemic. We will do it safely and follow the guidelines of Santa Clara county.”

Others like Michael Harding of Almaden Williams will have a “candy chute and skeleton arms for 6ft of social distance and extra Halloween fun” between 6 and 8 pm tonight. In the Glenview Serenity neighborhood, Michelle Watanabe says, “The ‘Disney House’ on Bret Harte Drive near Graystone Elementary School will be open as well. We will have one direction foot traffic, social distancing, masks and sanitized candy bags for the kids to pick up. The theme this year is Tangled so nothing scary for the little ones.” Many other residents are also offering bagged candy.

One of the most popular haunted house displays in Almaden attracting huge crowds has been the Haunted Graveyard on Little Falls Drive. Don McNally, who has been painstakingly hosting this for years, writes that he “did not want to ‘cancel’ the Halloween spirit, especially given these stressful times.” To adhere to social distancing norms, he will have an all projection/hologram display this year, “with the same intent to delight 5-year-old’s and terrify ‘kids’ over 35!”

The other street attracting huge crowds normally is Chateau Drive, which will be a bit low key this year. Janice LaVelle, writes of how she started her scary “haunted front yard” tradition 30 years ago for their own children. “The spirit soon caught quickly on Chateau, making our street the ‘BOO’ street for decades,” she writes. Micki Karrer, another resident of Chateau Drive, has been serving beverages to adult trick-or-treaters for years. This year, however, they are staying away from displays to keep everyone safe.

For those of you who intend to drive through Almaden’s neighborhoods tonight, there will still be jack-o-lantern displays and haunted yard decors to admire. Check out the Nextdoor treat map for Almaden Halloween 2020 here: https://nextdoor.com/treat_map/ for exact locations.

Almaden Valley History: Pierce Ranch Neighborhood

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Pierce Ranch The Pierce Ranch neighborhood in Almaden Valley is flanked by Camden Avenue to its north, McAbee Road to its east, and the verdant green expanse of the Almaden Quicksilver County Park to its south. It developed into a beautiful residential neighborhood in the mid 1970s.

Like much of Almaden, the Pierce Ranch neighborhood has an interesting history dating back to the 1930s. Back then, the land – about 250 acres of it – belonged to Dr. Mark Hopkins, a San Jose based physician. Hopkins, a hunting and riding enthusiast, used his country estate as a base for his hunting trips and a home for his horses.

Tony Pierce, the person after whom the neighborhood came to be named, was a young farmer and a patient of Dr. Hopkins. Pierce and his wife, Mary, saw in the land a potential for dairy farming. They acquired the land, and in 1947, began a dairy farm. They developed a commercial herd, which grew to about 600 cattle heads at the peak of the operations, added barns, homes for themselves and their dairy workers on the land.

The Pierce Ranch dairy operations flourished till 1974. By then, the demand for residential land grew in San Jose and the Pierce Ranch’s land was subdivided and sold for housing development.

For more information, listen to Joe and Teresa Pierce talk about the history of Pierce Ridge and visit http://onlineexhibits.historysanjose.org/neighborhoods/pierce/index.html

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