By Mahala Herron, @MahalaHerron

Garlic Festival: Celebrate 40 years of garlicy fun at the 2018 Gilroy Garlic Festival, being held this weekend from 10 a.m.to 7 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The giant outdoor kitchen, Gourmet Alley, will feature world-famous “pyro Chefs” who will put on a spectacular performance. Other festival foody favorites include pepper steak sandwiches, pasta con pesto, and fried calamari, in addition to the garlic fries and garlic bread. If none of that excites you, experience the only-in-Gilroy garlic ice cream! There will be entertainment all weekend long, a children’s area, arts and crafts, and an art poster contest.

If you are coming from the Peninsula, you can take Caltrain to the San Jose Diridon Station. From there, you will need to hop on a special chartered train to take you to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Garlic Train tickets are sold separately and passengers can purchase those tickets on Eventbrite. For more scheduling information, visit Caltrain.com.

BioFreeze San Francisco Marathon: On Friday, July 27, and Saturday, July 28, is the BioFreeze San Francisco Marathon. This however, is more than just a race, it’s a celebration where people from all over the world come together and unite over a shared passion for running. Friday’s and Saturday’s festivities are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All race participants are required to pick up their bib, timing chip, and race shirt at the Race Expo. If a runner cannot attend the expo, a friend or family member can pick up the packet with a copy of the runner’s photo ID and bib number confirmation email.

A free shuttle bus will run from the Hyatt Embarcadero (at Market Street) to the Expo periodically during Expo hours.

Take Caltrain or SamTrans ECR route to the Millbrae Station, then BART  to the Embarcadero Station. From there, it’s about a two minute walk to the event.

Blues, Arts & BBQ Festival: The Redwood City Courthouse will be the site of the 2018 Blues, Arts & BBQ Festival, held Friday, July 27, and Saturday, July 28. The event showcases live music, art on the square, a family area, and food and drink vendors, in support of the Police Activity League’s programs for children in the community. It will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday and noon. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Take Caltrain to the Redwood City Station and walk about two minutes to the courthouse. SamTrans route ECR will get you to the transit center as well.

###

Mahala Herron is one of the San Mateo County Transit District’s summer interns. She studies at UCLA and is from Oakland. She is interning in the District’s communications department.

Leave a Reply