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San Jose made a lot of day hikers happy Thursday when it reopened Alum Rock Park, the 720-acre natural gem nestled in the city’s eastern foothills. The park had been closed since late March because of concerns that people would overcrowd its trails in search of an escape from shelter-in-place orders.
But as restrictions loosen a bit in Santa Clara County, to the point that golf courses and other outdoor recreation activities have reopened, it made sense to give people access to Alum Rock again. Of course, COVID-19 is still with us, so there are still restrictions if you plan to visit.
Parking and restroom facilities are limited, and the drinking fountains remain closed so you need to bring your own water. The picnic tables and barbecue pits also are off limits, and you also can’t bring in your own stuff. Social distancing is a must with people who aren’t in your household, too.
People aren’t the only ones getting a little more space this week. San Jose also reopened 13 dog parks, including those at Butcher Park, Selma Olinder Park, Watson Park and Ryland Park. People are still required to stay six feet apart (and wear face coverings) when using the dog parks, but the pooches will probably get closer than that. Don’t forget to bring your own water for you and your dog, as the fountains are still closed.
More information on San Jose’s re-opened parks is available on the city’s website, bit.ly/prnsreopens.
JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL GOES ONLINE: Another big downtown San Jose event, this weekend’s 39th annual Juneteenth festival, has been pushed online because of the coronavirus pandemic. But despite the change, the African American Community Service Agency has put together a tremendous lineup for the virtual celebration Saturday.
The festivities include a grand opening and welcome by Marcus Washington, co-anchor of NBC Bay Area’s “Today in the Bay,”; “Black Queens,” a discussion about African-American women telling their own stories; a cooking demo with Chef Shawn Osbey; a webinar on black economic empowerment and housing hosted by real estate agent Shawneequa Badger; and a 4:30 p.m. headline performance by platinum-selling singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton.
For more information on the lineup, go to www.sjaacsa.org/juneteenth/home.
EVERYTHING BUT THE MOVIES: If you’ve been craving the taste of movie popcorn since shelter-in-place started, there’s good news for you in Campbell. Pruneyard Cinemas’ Cedar Room Lounge will reopen at 4 p.m. Friday, offering curbside service for its menu of theater snacks — hot dogs, nachos, candy and, yes, popcorn — as well as cocktails to-go. Of course, you’ll have to provide your own movies at home (or maybe take everything to the Capitol Drive-In, where they have movies but no concessions).
You can check out the menu and order online starting Friday morning at www.pruneyardcinemas.com.
“Who knew that movie popcorn would be so popular, but that’s what we’ve been getting calls about,” said Pruneyard Cinemas marketing guru Dan Orloff, who like any good promoter guessed it could be the 100 percent coconut oil the corn is popped in or maybe the real butter used to top it. And he’s right; that sounds pretty good.
