Public Library celebrates first class of high school grads
For most high school students, August is a backto- school month. But 11 adults in San Jose have just completed their journey toward a high school diploma — through the San Jose Public Library.
Library Director Jill Bourne, Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmen Sergio Jimenez and Lan Diep were on hand Wednesday to congratulate the new grads in a ceremony at the City Hall rotunda. Nine of the 11 people who completed their diploma through Career Online High School attended the ceremony, dressed in caps and gowns and cheered by dozens of friends, family members and coworkers.
Gerardo Vasquez Padilla, one of the new graduates, said education wasn’t important to his father, and he left school 30 years ago “with a hole in my heart.” He dedicated his diploma to his late mother. “I know she’s happy to see me complete this step,” he said. “It’s never too late.”
The San Jose Public Library system connected with the online program from Gale Cengage Learning in 2016.
With the help of the California State Library and the San Jose Public Library Foundation, the library’s Partners in Reading program awarded 64 scholarships to adults looking to participate in the program. So Bourne said, while this might be the first class of graduates, it’s far from the last.
SHAKESBEERIENCE WITH A SOUNDTRACK » ShakesBEERience returns to Cafe Stritch in down- town San Jose on Monday with what surely will be another fun staged reading of a Shakespeare classic, this time the comedy “As You Like It.” And Buck Hill Productions’ John McCluggage says there’ll be a new element this time around. The San Jose Chamber Orchestra will be lending its talents to add music to the show.
McCluggage said that Barbara Day Turner, the chamber orchestra’s music director, has some great ideas for not just incidental music but to create a soundscape and have instruments “follow” certain actors.
“In much the same way that our actors interact with the audience, I’m fascinated to see how the musicians will do the same,” he said. The show — which is free to attend — starts at 6:30 p.m. and doors open an hour earlier. As always, arrive early to get a seat be- cause it’s often packed.
FARMERS MARKET SPROUTS IN SOFA » For years, boosters in San Jose’s arty South First Area (SoFA) have been pushing to create a weekend farmers market. It’s finally happening, starting Sunday at 10 a.m. at the corner of South First and San Carlos streets.
Caffe Frascati owner Roger Springall and Metro Publisher Dan Pulcrano have been driving this idea for a long time, and they finally got it off the ground with support from the Core Companies, SoFA Market and the West Coast Farmers Market Association. And it sounds like they’re aiming to launch in a big way, rolling out 1,500 square feet of artificial turf, with live music, games, inflatable sofas, musical instruments and art activities for kids — along with all the usual fruits and veggies you’d expect to find.
SNEAK PEAK » Palo Alto Players’ will open the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts at 10 a.m. Saturday morning with a preview performance from its upcoming production of “Million Dollar Quartet.” The show opens Sept. 16, but you can get an early look at the stage on the corner of Waverly and University. The festival, which includes chalk artists taking part in an Italian Street Painting Expo on Tasso Street, runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.