Santa Clara County's PixInParks challenge is on
If you've never explored the Miller House ruins at Mt. Madonna County Park or hiked around the Mine Hill Trail at Almaden Quicksilver park, this might be the year to do that. Both of those sites are among the “Magnificent Seven” for the Santa Clara County's PixInParks Challenge this year.
The Santa Clara County Parks Department's popular and long-running program encourages people to hike through seven county parks, taking photos at specific destinations along the trail and posting them on social media with the #PixInParks hashtag. If you complete all seven parks by Dec. 15, you get a T-shirt or bandanna for a prize (though some might say the real prize is getting outdoors for some exercise).
The other parks in the challenge this year are Ed Levin, Sanborn, Coyote Lake Harvey Bear, Upper Stevens Creek and Santa Teresa. Most of the hikes are between two and four miles and in the “moderate” category, with one easy hike (Coyote Lake) and one strenuous (Upper Stevens Creek). And for those who like to hike with a furry companion, all of the trails this year are dog-friendly, though other trails in the parks may not be.
You can get maps and tips for all the hikes on the county's website at parks. sccgov.org/pixinparks-challenge-2022. See you on the trails.
FULL CIRCLE MOMENT >> The Rev. Richard Cobb was assigned to Bellarmine College Prep by the Jesuit order in 1957 and has been part of the San Jose high school's community ever since — even after Cobb, now 90, was missioned to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. And the school showed its appreciation to him when he was presented with the Presi
dent's Award at a dinner held on campus May 11.
It's interesting to note that when Fr. Cobb was teaching freshmen English 38 years ago, one of his students was Chris Meyercord, who is now Bellarmine's president. Meyercord started working for Bellarmine 30 years ago and is a past chair of the English department, so some of Fr. Cobb's lessons must have stuck. He's also 52, about the same age Cobb was when he had him in class. I think an English teacher would find something poetic in that.
EIGHTY YEARS OF SUPPORT
The Thrift Box in Willow Glen closed early last Friday for a very good reason. The people who run it are all members of the San Jose Auxiliary of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, and they gathered that afternoon to celebrate the organization's 80th anniversary.
It was founded in 1942 with just a dozen women as members, but that number is 344 today — and the group has raised more than $13.5 million for the hospital in that time.
Its primary fundraising vehicle, the Thrift Shop opened in 1947 in downtown San Jose and eventually moved to Willow Glen in 1973. Because the women used fruit boxes to hold their donated merchandise when they were setting up the new location, the name was changed to the Thrift Box and it remains a thriving business on Lincoln Avenue, known for its easy-to-spot awning.
SAN JOSE'S MEMORIAL >> La Raza Historical Society of Santa Clara Valley has an online event today about the history of the “Sons of San Jose” memorial that was installed a few years back at the Guadalupe River Park's Arena Green. The 6 p.m. Zoom webinar will include a discussion with some of the creators of the memorial, which honors the 142 San Joseans who were killed in the Vietnam War.
It's free to watch, but registration is required at larazahs.org.