06.28.2023

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Today’s Forecast

57º | Mostly sunny | 5% chance of rain | Sunrise: 7:22 a.m. | Sunset: 5:06 p.m.

🇺🇲 It’s a party in the USA

Fourth of July celebrations in San Jose, CA

A classic car with its hood open, and decorated with American flags.

Time to sport red, white, and blue. | Photo via @rwbparade

Break out the barbecue grill + American flags — it’s almost the Fourth of July. For many of us, the holiday’s highlights include patriotic displays of fireworks, parades, and other festivities. Because San Jose has very clear fireworks restrictions, it doesn’t hurt to start planning your Independence Day celebration early.

🌭 Kick back

Join in on some local fairs + festivals both in and around San Jose to celebrate the Fourth.

Rose, White & Blue Parade | 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | The Alameda, San Jose | Free | Watch a lineup of classic cars, bands, local dance groups, and other community organizations wind its way from Dana Avenue to The Alameda.
Fourth of July Celebration | 5-9 p.m. | CA’s Great America, 4701 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara | $49.95 | Enjoy an all-you-can-eat barbecue at the Pavilion where you’ll have the best seats in the house for fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Fourth of July All City Picnic | 12-5 p.m. | Central Park, 909 Kiely Blvd., Santa Clara | Free | Join the city of Santa Clara for a family day filled with food, live music, and kid-friendly activities.
Fourth of July Concert | 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Memorial Park Amphitheater, 21121 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino | Free | Jam out with Arena Band as they play rock classics, R&B dance songs, and hits from the 1970s to today.
Freedom Fest Fireworks | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | 16500 Condit Rd., Morgan Hill | Free | This all-day festival features a family street dance, Freedom Run, a parade, a car cruise and show, and of course, fireworks.

Fireworks over downtown San Jose buildings. — Happy Fourth of July, San Jose.
|
GIF via @steezc

🎆 Blast off

If your ideal Fourth is about the rocket’s red glare, don’t worry, there are plenty of local opportunities — provided by the Santa Clara County Fire Department — to safely see the sky lit up with red, white, and blue.

Events

Wednesday, June 28

Magic Hour at Momstera: Meditation & Sound Bowl Healing | Wednesday, Jun. 28 | 7-8 p.m. | Momstera Lounge, 428 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell | $35 | Learn an introduction to meditation, breath work, chakras, and crystals.
Tom Arnold | Wednesday, Jun. 28 | 8 p.m. | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose | $25-$75 | This actor and comedian is best known for his roles on “Roseanne,” “Austin Powers,” “Soul Plane,” and “True Lies.”

Thursday, June 29

Gordon Biersch Night Market | Thursday, Jun. 29 | 5-9 p.m. | Gordon Biersch Brewery, 357 E. Taylor St., San Jose | Free | Every Thursday night, enjoy food trucks, brews, local craft vendors, live entertainment, and luchador battles.
Thursday Karaoke | Thursday, Jun. 29 | 7 p.m. | Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., Ste. 200, San Jose | Free | Sing your heart out at this weekly open mic session.
San Jose Bachata Nights | Thursday, Jun. 29 | 9:15 p.m.-12:30 a.m. | On One Studios, 422 N. Capitol Ave., San Jose | $10-$25 | Experience this dance party equipped with lighting, smoke machines, and state-of-the-art sound equipment.

Friday, June 30

Tahiti Fete | Friday, Jun. 30 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | San Jose Civic, 135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose | $30 | Watch dancers showcase traditional and contemporary choreography, highlighting the rich history and tales of the Polynesian people.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Beauty

Seriously, no one can mess up this minimalist beauty routine

The viral MERIT Signature Makeup Bag is free with every first purchase. | Photos by MERIT Beauty

10-step skincare routines and makeup tutorials may dominate our social feeds, but the reality? Most of us don’t have time for that.

For us, getting ready means a pared-back beauty routine that we can do on the go — which is exactly why cult-favorite, minimalist beauty brand MERIT created The MERIT Sets: curated routines that help you get everything you need (for less).

Plus, get their chic Signature Makeup Bag free with your first order.

We're looking at you, 'Five Minute Morning' set

News Notes

Development

A Cupertino-based developer is proposing a 237-unit, eight-story apartment complex that would include ~17,000 sqft of retail space on West San Carlos Street. The project calls for demolishing eight historic homes at the site, and will be reviewed at the San Jose Planning Director’s Hearing today at 9 a.m. (San José Spotlight)

Coming Soon

In a teaser video from its Instagram, Silicon Valley favorite Hobee’s hinted at moving into a downtown San Jose location. In February 2022, Hobee’s closed on Montague Expressway after 28 years of operation. While there is no set opening date, we’ll keep a look out for more announcements.

Weather

It’s going to be a toasty weekend. The hottest weather this year is expected to arrive on Saturday, bringing temperatures near the high 80s to low 90s to the South Bay. Be prepared and stay cool.

Community

The San Jose Obon Festival will return to Japantown on Saturday, July 8, 12-10 p.m., and Sunday, July 9, 12-8 p.m. Unlike the past few years, the 2023 Obon Festival will feature food + game booths. More information can be found on its website.

Sports

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson won the James Norris Memorial Trophy — and it’s his third time doing it. Karlsson is now the ninth-ever NHL defenseman to win it three times, and the second in the Sharks franchise to clutch the award, joining Brent Burns. (NHL)

Edu

Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School received an $862,000 grant from the city to fund a work-study student program. Mayor Matt Mahan’s wife, Silvia Scandar Mahan, is the president of the high school, so he recused himself from the discussion and vote to approve the five-year grant. (San José Spotlight)

Travel

Dreaming of a trip abroad this summer? Babbel offers lesson plans for 14 different languages spoken throughout the world. Prep for the trip of your dreams with bite-sized, 10-minute lessons that will help you start speaking a new language in just three weeks.*

Sports

⚾ MLB in the 408?

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan pushes for home Major League Baseball team

Excite Ballpark, formerly known as Municipal Stadium, opened its doors to fans in 1942. | Photo courtesy of San Jose Giants

Mayor Matt Mahan has resurfaced the issue of bringing an MLB expansion team to the South Bay as recent news plays out about the A’s ditching Oakland for Las Vegas.

Why can’t we?

The San Francisco Giants have held territory rights since 1990 when the Athletics franchise gave them Santa Clara County rights — thinking the Giants would move to the South Bay.

That obviously didn’t happen, and since then, five of San Jose’s past mayors have made the effort to convince MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to ditch the territorial rights.

Among Mayor Mahan’s reasons for why an expansion team would work here, he pointed out that:

San Jose is the most populous Bay Area city.
There are plenty of financial opportunities with our high concentration of Silicon Valley companies.
San Jose’s crime rate is much lower than in Oakland and San Francisco, making for a safer experience for fans.

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alyson

From the editor

So, I recently saw this article that sorted major US cities into Hogwarts houses — from the Harry Potter series — and wondered if you feel that we were sorted correctly. According to the methodology, we are in the Ravenclaw house because of our “thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity,” based on the amount of bachelor’s degrees per 100,000 residents (~32,000). Let me know what you think.

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