10.02.2023

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Today’s Forecast

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

🎃 We’re pumped

Try this: SJtoday’s 2023 pumpkin carving contest

Four carved pumpkins sit next to each other on a deck,

What do you think of City Editor Alyson + her housemates’ pumpkins from last year? | Photo by SJtoday staff

Carve some time into your schedule. We’ve got a festive contest for you to take part in this spooky season — the SJtoday Pumpkin Carving Contest.

Whether you planned to carve a pumpkin this season or not, this is your excuse to run to the nearest pumpkin patch or garden store, pick out your perfect pumpkin, and get creative. Don’t forget the carving kit.

The rules + details:

Create your own pumpkin masterpiece; carve, paint, shave, use stickers, or get creative in a way that is fun for you.

To make a submission, take a picture of your pumpkin + submit it here, along with a name for your art, a short description, your name, and your email address. Submissions are open through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.

While traditional pumpkin carvings and designs will be accepted, bonus points will be awarded to original and locally-themed designs (think: local landmarks, businesses, and icons). Any submissions with offensive language or artwork will not be accepted.

Finalists will be selected by our team and announced in our newsletter on Friday, Oct. 20. These finalists will go head-to-head for the chance to be crowned best jack-o’-lantern of 2023 — you, our readers, will be the ones to vote — and the winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 27.

Want some pumpkin art inspo before you get started? Here are a few no carve ideas as well as some pumpkin carving pro tips.

Asked

Submit your pumpkin masterpiece below.

Go big or gourd home

Events

Monday, Oct. 2

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo | Monday, Oct. 2 | 5:30 p.m. | Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga | $59-$249 | Dance along to the immortal hits from this power rock couple.
Off Nite | Monday, Oct. 2 | 8 p.m. | Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., Ste. 200, San Jose | Free | Put a little weekend into your Monday at this open mic with hosts Mighty Mike McGee + Ato Walker, featuring a segment by City Editor Alyson.

Tuesday, Oct. 3

Plaza Azul Farmers Market | Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 12-3 p.m. | San Jose City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose | Free | Enjoy fresh fruit + veggies, Mexican candies, and locally made arts and crafts from Berryessa Flea Market artisans.
“Nightmare Before Christmas” Sing Along Trivia Night | Tuesday, Oct. 3 | 7:30-9 p.m. | Britannia Arms Almaden, 5027 Almaden Expy., San Jose | $8-$24 | Test your knowledge on the story of the Pumpkin King and enjoy ghoulish delights.

Wednesday, Oct. 4

Ne-Yo: Champagne and Roses Tour with Robin Thicke and Mario | Wednesday, Oct. 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View | $51-$886 | Don’t miss the three-time Grammy Award-winning singer as he comes through the South Bay.
What the Blank Trivia | Wednesday, Oct. 4 | 8 p.m. | Renegades Bar, 501 W. Taylor St., San Jose | Free | Enjoy this weekly night of drag performances with rotating hosts, fun prizes, and good drinks.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Community

The newly renovated, 90-room Arena Hotel on The Alameda reopened for unhoused residents and is already full. The interim housing project funded by Measure E + Project Homekey also includes mental health services from HomeFirst. The long-term goal is to replace the hotel with 200 permanent, affordable apartments. (San José Spotlight)

San Josean

Bellarmine College Preparatory senior Harshil Ahuja is getting some attention for his inventions that help people living in polluted environments. His company, Novarus Technologies, is producing his designs of water filtration devices, sleek gas masks, and will soon also make his portable solar-powered air conditioner. (NBC Bay Area)

Seasonal

Christmas trees are now on sale for Christmas in the Park’s Enchanted Forest. More than 500 trees — decorated by community groups, classrooms, scouts, and more — span Plaza de Cesar Chavez during the holiday event every year. Trees start at $100.

Award

The San Jose Fire Training Center next to Excite Ballpark was honored with a Structures Award — which is given to the best commercial real estate projects, deals, and people — from Silicon Valley Business Journal. The two-story building includes a six-story training tower, classrooms, and emergency operations center. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)

Finance

One platform is unlocking the $1.7 trillion “billionaires asset class” for everyday investors. Introducing Masterworks, an award-winning platform for investing in blue-chip art. Investors have benefited from 16 sales with returns including 13.9%, 27.3%, and 35.0%. Interested? SJtoday readers can skip the waitlist and join.†*

Wellness

Make this fall a season of personal growth and warmth. Nearly 5 million people get professional online therapy with BetterHelp — try it for 25% off today.*

† Past performance is not indicative of future returns; investing involves risk. See disclosures masterworks . com/cd

Environment

♻️ Do your part

A guide to recycling in San Jose, CA

Do you know what goes in these bins? | Photo by SJtoday

Let’s be real. We all want to recycle — but sometimes it’s easier said than done. Can plastic packaging go in the bin? Do you need to rinse food waste out? What do the little numbers even mean?

You’re not alone, in fact, the City of San Jose is planning on doubling the amount of large trash bins in areas that see high rates of recycling contamination.

This happens when the wrong items, like food, plastic wrap, and other non-recyclables get tossed in the recyclable bin. Often times, it’s because that 64-gallon bin is larger than the standard 32-gallon trash bin.

San Jose has had this issue for nearly a decade, but is now spending ~$1 million in its second effort to tackle contamination by distributing larger trash bins + hiring trash surveyors.

Let’s revisit our simple guide to San Jose’s recycling system to see how our small actions can help.

Recycling dos + don'ts

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alyson

From the editor

Now that it’s October, I can fully emerge as my true title: Queen of the fall. Just kidding. But no joke, this month is my favorite and I can’t wait for all of the fun fall happenings. Strap in, I’ve got a lot of spooky, festive, autumnal, and pumpkin-spiced content coming your way.

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