Leadership Gilroy Class of 2018 brings back popular community fun tradition started 50 years ago

Published in the September 12 – 25, 2018 issue of Morgan Hill Life

Get ready for some rootin’-tootin’ cowboys and cowgirls as the South Valley region celebrates its Wild West heritage Sept. 29.

Thanks to the Leadership Gilroy class of 2018, Bonanza Day is back. The popular tradition started 50 years ago and brought people from throughout coastal California region together for a few days of old-fashioned family fun. Cut back to only one day, Bonanza Day will be held in fall as the class community-benefit project.

The Bonanza Day Parade has deep roots in Gilroy stemming from the Gymkhana rodeo that began in the 1930s. When the Gymkhana ended in 1957, the city of Gilroy had no community celebration for a decade. George Milias and other prominent Gilroyans started Bonanza Days in 1968. Back then the celebration was a four-day event and featured spectacularly decorated floats and local school marching bands. It drew people from throughout California, and many of the onlookers dressed in western attire to get into the buckaroo spirit of the event. The tradition ended in the early 1980s as the Gilroy Garlic Festival grew in popularity.

As a longtime resident of Gilroy, class member Dan Mitchell participated in the Bonanza Days. The cowboy theme and the multicultural inclusiveness for all Gilroy residents helped it build its regional popularity, he said.

“As it was meant to bind the community in the ‘70s, it is the focus of this year’s Leadership Gilroy class of 2018 project to get people out of their homes, put down their phones and video games and come out and meet their neighbors,” said the CFO at Heinzen Manufacturing International.

The class envisions their project will bring the entire community together around a celebration of Gilroy’s agricultural traditions, said class member Raquel Lopez, a sixth-grade dual immersion teacher at South Valley Middle School.

“The Bonanza Day Parade will be an event that will encourage established residents and new residents to come out and enjoy Gilroy’s heritage together,” she said. “The class intends that all aspects of our community join together, such as small businesses, community organizations, residents and, most importantly, the children in our schools.”

In March Leadership Gilroy class members attended a two-day retreat to Hacienda de Leal in San Juan Bautista and during that time began brainstorming ideas for a project, she said. At one point, there were more than 20 project ideas that were listed on the flip charts. Eventually, the Bonanza Day Parade project was selected by the class.

The parade will start at noon Saturday, Sept. 29, and will follow Miller Avenue to Miller Park. A family-fun event will continue the festivities at the park until 6 p.m., Lopez said.

Fourteen Gilroy schools will build floats that honor Gilroy’s history, giving students the opportunity to share what they’ve learn about the city’s past with the rest of the community. Each school float will be judged in a contest to win prize money for the school. Some schools will have their marching bands in the parade.

“The students are using their creativity and modern twists on old themes to try and win first place,” Lopez said.

The celebration at Miller Park will include activities from the original Bonanza  Days such as tug-a-war and the “hoosegow.” A dunk tank will be available and Gilroy leaders have already volunteered to be dunked.

Angela Heitmann, an independent consultant at Rodan + Fields, chose to get involved with Leadership Gilroy because she had recently moved here from Santa Cruz County.

“It’s exciting to get to do something fun and inclusive. Our goal is to celebrate the people who shape Gilroy past and present,” she said. “The project scope allows all 17 class members to operate within our sphere of influence, experience, and talent. Every person brings something valuable to the table.”

The class seeks partnerships, sponsorships, and donations to put on the parade and festivities. Sponsorships to help off-set float building materials is one of the first fundraising goals and various levels of donations are available depending on how much money is given. People find information on Facebook at Leadership Gilroy Bonanza Day 2018 or emailing the class at [email protected].

Mitchell encourage all South Valley residents to have fun at the parade and the Miller Park festivities.

“We also are taking an opportunity to focus on the school children in our community,” he said. “Getting the school children working together on a community project teaches civic involvement and builds competitive natures for them to learn from. Whose float will win? They all will be winners as they have come together for a common themed event that is a fun experience.”

The parade will serve as a showcase of all that Gilroy has to be proud of, Heitmann said.

“There are local businesses, organizations, and schools that are already developing their creative contributions to the parade,” she said. “Our Leadership Gilroy class will also build a float.  As a new resident of Gilroy, I couldn’t ask for a better way to help families feel included in this town.”

The Bonanza Day Parade requires a small army of volunteers to support the project, Mitchell said. He encourages people who want to celebrate the community’s heritage to visit the project’s Facebook page for information on how to get involved.

“Bringing back Bonanza Days to me recalls a time when the community came together for a common cause,” he said. “I remember having a street legal dune buggy that I would give the kids rides around Christmas Hill Park. They loved it. No charge, just making it fun for the event goers. The reward was seeing the community enjoying each other’s company and fellowship with each other. I know our Leadership Gilroy, Class of 2018, had this common goal when we chose to bring back Bonanza Days.”

Longtime Gilroy residents have nothing but fond memories of Bonanza Days in years gone by, he said. Many remember the original Bonanza Days fondly and are happy to see the spirit of the event come back as a one-day parade and festival.

“Had it not been for the huge success of the Gilroy Garlic Festival starting in 1979, the Bonanza Days event might still be around for locals to participate in and enjoy,” Mitchell said.

This month’s Bonanza Day Parade is planned as a one-time event. However, depending on the success of the event and interest in the community, many Leadership Gilroy students have expressed interest in continuing the parade in the future.

“Interest from other support groups have also expressed willingness to continue this event at various capacities,” Mitchell said. “Our Leadership Gilroy Class is taking care to preserve our templates and model structure to continue it in future years as well as possibly, passing our successful model on to future interested groups.”