Japantown Mural Project Dedication Event Today

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey



Sam Rodriguez

You're invited to the July 14th dedication of the Japantown Mural Project, a remarkable art and design project by Japantown artist Tamiko Rast and Rasteroids Design that has been in development for the past two years.

The Japantown Mural Project will be a colorful "urban gallery", a celebration of the vibrancy of the Japantown neighborhood and community through images and artworks by 50 San Jose artists. The content also includes references to the historic Heinleinville Chinese settlement that predated Japantown in the area.

It will contain more than 60 panels, each one about 5'5" high by 9' long, installed on the City's Corporation Yard fence along Jackson Street between N. 6th and N. 7th Streets and extending part of the way up N. 6th Street.

DEDICATION EVENT
The dedication of the Japantown Mural Project will be in conjunction with the 2012 Obon Matsuri Festival in Japantown on Saturday, July 14. The Mural Dedication is at 3:45 at the corner of Jackson Street and N. 7th Street. There will be a short program, followed by a walking tour of the entire mural project with lead artist/designer Tamiko Rast and some of the project artists.

This event is free and open to the public.
All are welcome.

More information about the Obon Festival is available at: Japantown 2012 Obon Festival.

Imagination Design Works Nominated for 'Top Haunt' in the World!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congratulations to the Imagination Design Works Special Events team.
After personal review by members of Top Haunt magazine, we are proud to announce Winchester Mystery House "Fright Nights" as one of the top 20 haunted Halloween attractions in the world!

On behalf of Imagination Design Works we would like to thank our family, friends and staff for making last year’s inaugural Winchester Mystery House Fright Nights a success! We are grateful for the opportunity to have brought a new Fall offering to the property and we are thrilled to make it an annual hit.

There is no way this kind of production can happen without the dedication of numerous people. The months of preparations and long hours of execution is a truly commendable feat.

That being said, we need the support of our fans for the opportunity to be selected as one of the Top 13 Haunts. As an Official Selection, voting begins Sunday, July 1 and ends Friday, August 31, 2012. Winners will be announced on Saturday, September 1, 2012. Winners will be determined and ranked by popular vote and votes are limited to one per day.

For more information about Top Haunt Magazine or to vote, please visit: www.TopHaunts.com.

Fans and critics agree - Here are some testimonials about the "Fright Nights" experience:

Scare-Zone - Best Maze of 2011: "This haunted attraction has captured the elusive magic of Halloween in a nearly perfect way."

NBC News (think this was a local NBC blogger) - "This is a classic Halloween haunted house. At a house said to really be haunted. Yeah, that's awesome."

Last Doorway Productions - "I must say the WMH Fright Nights is one thing to put on your list of things to do for the month of October. This is a must!"

The San Jose Blog - "I would go so far as to call this the most anticipated Halloween attraction anywhere in the Bay Area, and it did not disappoint."

About The Winchester Mystery House:

The Winchester Mystery House is a California State Historical Landmark (#868) and was designed and built by Winchester rifle heiress, Sarah Winchester. The attraction is one of the top tourist attractions in the world and has recently been honored with the following accolades: World's Most Haunted Places #2 Travel Channel; The Scariest Locations In America #3 HauntWorld Magazine; 10 Great Places To Get Spooked #5 USA Today.

About Imagination Design Works (IDW):

IDW Productions is an independent entertainment Production Company formed for the purpose of creating feature length motion pictures, television programming and live entertainment productions. The company is owned and run by Brett Tomberlin and is the creative entity behind this year’s Fright Nights. IDW has also announced a major feature film about the House slated to premiere in 2013.

For more information about IDW please visit: www.ImaginationDesignWorks.com

FYMO’s 3rd Annual “Giving to Live” 5k Cancer Run/Walk

Benefiting Greater Bay Area Cancer Patients and Survivors

San Jose, CA.  – Fashion Your Mind Organization is seeking to honor the STRENGTH, COURAGE, and POWER of cancer survivors and patients at its 3^rd annual “Giving to Live” 5k non-competitive run/walk fundraiser in South San Jose, CA at the Almaden Lake Park on July 14, 2012.

“Every year we look forward to giving more and gaining more supporters. I am so happy to see that we are making a difference and moving closer to our goals”, says Tiffany Mays, founder of FYMO. “For the first time I can agree with those that tell me that my mother would be proud of me. With great joy I honor my mother and others who have been affected by cancer.”

In September of 2009 Ms. Mays’ mother loss her battle to a rare cancer type and since then Ms. Mays’ has been dedicated to supporting cancer patients on their journey to wellness along with raising awareness to the importance of cancer screening and early detection.

“I will continue to support FYMO’s cause and next year my goal is to raise $2500,” remarks cancer survivor, Janis Crumb. Raising $643 in 2011, Crumb first became involved with FYMO after a cancer screening and early detection saved her life, “I love what FYMO is doing and that they are here providing the support that they provide.”

The 5k-run/walk-course route follows the Los Alamitos Creek trail connected to the 32 acres of lake, hike, and bike in the Almaden Lake Park. The paved trail will take you by scenic agricultural lands and riparian communities.

Registration is now open. Early registration is $25 for each participant and $10 for children age 10 and under. All donations and proceeds will be going towards cancer patients’ health related costs, such as: medication, living expenses, transportation, supportive services, and home care.

Walk or run, but come…to the 3^rd Annual “Giving to Live” 5k-cancer run/walk fundraiser for cancer patients and survivors.

Visit http://www.fymo.org or http://on.fb.me/f-y-m-o for more information or to register for the race. Follow Fashion Your Mind Organization on Twitter at FashionYourMind.

Fashion Your Mind Organization (FYMO) is a Non Profit 501 (c) (3) Corporation. Our mission is to support cancer patients on their journey to wellness. Each year, our vision grows as does the need to provide a better quality of life to cancer patients. By promoting healthy living and the importance of early cancer detection we hope to decrease the lives loss to cancer in our community.

Summer Kraft Brew Beer Fest 2012

Next week Beer-fans can rejoice, the Summer KraftBrew Beer Fest is happening in Downtown San Jose! On Post St. you will be able to sample an insane number of craft beers while enjoying live music. This is the perfect location, which is a stones-throw away from Good Karma (phenomenal selection of craft beers), A Perfect Finish, San Jose's own Gordon Biersch, and Original Gravity Public House. That last one is my most highly anticipated new Downtown restaurant/bar this year and you will definitely have to check it out when it opens.

Also don't forget to have a look at the BetterBeerBlog for full coverage of Summer KraftBrew 2012.

New Interactive Directory Premiers at Santana Row

This year is Santana Row's 10 Year Anniversary. In honor of the occasion, they are planning a few "upgrades."

Santana Row is the very first Northern California location to launch a next-gen outdoor touchscreen directory. In fact, this may be the best outdoor touchscreen available anywhere. Think of this as a giant 46" HD iPad with an interactive map, way-finding (navigation), and constantly updated SR events. It's also fan-less, weather-sealed, and designed for use in direct sunlight.

The technology and programming powering the massive touchscreen was actually developed in San Jose by Array Interactive. To check it out for yourself, just head over to Santana Row between Sino and Left Bank. 

San Jose is Getting a US Patent Office!

In 2010 a staggering 10,074 patents were filed in the San Jose metro area, far more than any other region in the United States. By comparison, the New York metro (with 8 times the population of San Jose) only filed 6,383 patents. San Francisco came in 3rd place with 6,290 patents.

What is crazy, is that anyone who wants to meet with their patent examiner has to fly to the sole US Patent Office in Virgina. To top it off, there is a three year backlog on processing patents. Finally, last year it was decided that the US Patent Office would start opening satellite offices. Out of 600 applications, San Jose was one of the few areas chosen for one of these offices -- although based on the numbers above I think this should have been a no-brainer.


The end result is that Silicon Valley innovators will be able to file and process their patents faster, more conveniently, and at a lower cost. The office will open in 2 years and employ 150-200 patent examiners, which will likely specialize in technology. Sounds like a huge win for San Jose.

Source: KQED, SJBJ

History San José Hosts Series of Family Days: Gold Rush Day on July 15 Launches Series

San José, CA – June 18, 2012  – Summer is a good time to have an adventure, and History Park will provide the backdrop. Gold Rush Adventure Day will allow families to be a ‘49er for a day---as in the original gold rushers of 1849---Sunday, July 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be family activities, including panning for gold, cowboy grub (food available for purchase) and good old-fashioned music. Other activities will include the hand car, trolley rides, pony express relay and the Wells Fargo Stage Coach will be available for photo opportunies.

The second of the series of Family Days will be on Sunday, August 12, Happy Birthday Car 124!, a celebration of Trolley #124’s 100th birthday party. This signature red trolley will be running on its track, there will be a horse car, and hand-car rides will be available. The newly-acquired caboose will also be featured. Vintage vehicles on display will include fire engines, an electric car, and Model T’s.

There will be choo choo crafts for the kids, live music featuring the Peninsula Banjo Band. And what a birthday party! Even the San Jose Giants will celebrate. Party-goers can stay, picnic and watch the fireworks after the baseball game. Food typical of the Gay Nineties will be available for purchase.

The following week, Sunday, August 19, is the annual Fandango at Peralta Adobe, in the heart of the new San Pedro Square Market.

This date is signifant in that it commemorates the death 161 years ago of Maria Luis Peralta. He was the Californio who lived in the Peralta Adobe with his family, and was one of the first Accolades (mayor) of Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe.

Typical of that era, there will be music and dancing, as well as a descedant of the original horses that were brought by the Spanish explorers.

On Saturday, October 13 the last in the series of Family Days, is Filipino-American Heritage Day, celebrating Filipino American Month and to honor the current exhibit, Through My Father’s Eyes. That celebration will include filipino foods, dancing and music, and other activities.

The series of Family Days at History Park is supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San José.

Upcoming events include:
·      Haunt History Park, safe trick-or-treating, on October 28;
·      Happy Birthday San Jose! At the Peralta Adobe and Fallon House at the San Pedro Square Market on Sunday, November 18;
·      Children’s Holiday Festival with Santa Claus at History Park on Saturday, December 8;
·      the Heritage Holiday Tea is on December 1 at the Fallon House.

General admission is $8 per adult, $5 for seniors and students with a valid ID and children under five are free. Admission is free to members of History San Jose.

For more information call 408 918-1047 or visit www.historysanjose.org

   # # #

About History San José:
History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology.
History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112       408.287.2290
www.historysanjose.org

MetroMarks Features The San Jose Blog

MetroMarks is a city-based bookmarking platform and travel companion featuring links to city guides, news, and local events. They have recently added a section for San Jose and lo and behold, The San Jose Blog is sitting in their very first slot! The icing on the cake is that my favorite local blogs are there as well. Have a look over here.