Santa Clara Busy in December with Holiday Events!

The city of Santa Clara is planning for a festive holiday season this December. Scheduled events include the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting (12/4), Historic Home Tour (12/4-5), Caltrain’s Annual Holiday Train (12/5), Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy – Christmas with the Santa Clara Chorale,” (12/11 & 12/13), and the Santa Clara Ballet’s 36th annual “Nutcracker Ballet (12/12 & 12/13).

The city’s Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 4th includes lights and musical entertainment and the arrival of Santa Claus aboard horse-drawn carriage. Santa Clara’s Annual Historic Home Tour on December 4th & 5th features private homes including a Queen Anne Cottage and a Gothic Revival. Caltrain’s Holiday Train will be lit up with thousands of colorful lights when it stops in Santa Clara on December 5th for a FREE 20-minute show.

Other events include Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy” on December 11th & 13th, featuring traditional carols as well as ones from England, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Poland. Also, the Santa Clara Ballet Company performs the holiday season’s favorite ballet, “The Nutcracker” on December 12th & 13th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For detailed information on these and other events, visit the Santa Clara Calendar of Events.

2nd Annual "Halloween Haunt" even spookier in 2009!

Your worst nightmares come to life this October, 2009 at California's Great America as hundreds of monsters resurface for the 2nd annual Halloween Haunt! The Park will come alive with six terrifying mazes, four head-spinning live shows, four sinister scare zones, twisted attractions, and all of Great America's world class thrill rides.

With the addition of its sixth haunted maze titled "Toy Factory," Halloween Haunt 2009 activities will be even spookier this year. Returning haunted mazes include: CarnEvil, Club Blood, Cornstalkers, Slaughterhouse, and Werewolf Canyon. There are also four returning scare zones: Dead Man's Cove, Gauntlet, Underworld Alley, and Witch Doctor's Trail.

The Park has also added a new show called "Shocking Sideshow of Freaks." This show will join the two returning shows "Dave Hill's Haunted Hypnotics" and Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem." Halloween Haunt will be open Friday and Saturday nights throughout October as well as Sunday, October 25th. Hours are from 7:00 p.m. - 12 a.m. For tickets and more information, visit http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com.

New Stadium in Santa Clara Could Host Super Bowl and World Cup!

The Santa Clara City Council recently voted to approve financing plans for a $937 million stadium for the San Francisco 49ers, setting the stage for a citywide ballot question this coming Spring. For a detailed view of the proposed new 49ers stadium, watch this video.

Jed York, president of the 49ers, praised Santa Clara officials for creating "the best infrastructure in the Bay Area" and told city officials and a crowd of more than 150 onlookers that the proposed 68,500-seat stadium to be built on an overflow parking lot at the amusement park would not only host up to 10 NFL games annually, but possibly a variety of glamorous events, including the World Cup soccer tournament, in the future. Stadium proponents also view it as a likely venue for major concerts, college football bowl games and even the Super Bowl.

As part of a 40-year agreement with the 49ers, city officials agreed to contribute $79 million to the project, including $42 million in redevelopment agency funds, $20 million from the city-owned utility district to relocate an electrical substation near the site and $17 million to build a parking garage.

Boomerang Bay Water Park Opens May 23rd

The Australian-themed Boomerang Bay water park at California's Great America opens its 2009 season on Saturday, May 23rd. California's Great America is the only theme park in California to offer a complete water park inside - free with admission. Highlights include: Boomerang Lagoon, a huge heated lagoon with 150,000 gallons of water; Castaway Creek, the area's longest lazy river; Didgeridoo Falls, a family waterslide atop a 54-foot high platform; and Jackaroo Landing, a multi-level water fortress of eight family water slides connected by bridges and passageways.

Boomerang Bay's operating schedule includes opening weekends starting May 23-24, plus May 25 (Memorial Day) and May 30-31 before daily operation begins June 6 - August 14. The water park then opens again on weekends August 15 - September 6, plus September 7 (Labor Day). For more information, call (408) 988-1776.

Watch Professional Soccer! - Earthquakes & FC Gold Pride Play Home Games in Santa Clara

Santa Clara University’s (SCU) soccer program received world-wide recognition back in 2002 in the movie “Bend It Like Beckham,” a story about two 18-year olds dreaming about a career playing soccer - a career they wanted to begin at SCU. Now, the same University’s Buck Shaw Stadium is home field for men’s and women’s professional soccer.
Major League Soccer’s (MLS) San Jose Earthquakes open their 2009 home season on 3/21 at Buck Shaw vs. the New England Revolution. The team plays again on 3/28 at Buck Shaw vs. the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes are led by forward Darren Huckerby (England), midfielder Bobby Convey (USA), and goalie Joe Cannon (USA).
Women’s Professional Soccer’s (WPS) Bay Area team, the FC Gold Pride open their first home season also at Buck Shaw on 4/5 vs. the Boston Breakers. The Pride plays again on 4/26 vs. the Washington Freedom. The team features an all-star line-up including soccer icon and former SCU midfielder/forward Brandi Chastain (USA). Other players include Santa Clara grad and midfielder Leslie Osborne (USA); Canada’s all team leading scorer forward Christine Sinclair; forward Eriko Arakawa (Japan); midfielders Adriane and Formiga (Brazil) and the great defender Erika (Brazil). If you’re in or planning to visit Santa Clara, find your way to Buck Shaw for world-class soccer competition!

Stay tuned this summer for "All Wheels Extreme"

California’s Great America is planning to open up its Redwood Amphitheatre to “All Wheels Extreme.” The 25-minute, high-energy experience will feature a talented cast of daredevils, including BMX riders, skateboarders, rollerbladers, gymnasts, and more.
Complete with heart-pumping music and a set that will resemble an authentic skate park, the cast will catch air and execute gravity-defying stunts utilizing half-pipes, ramps, various obstacles and trampolines.
Although California’s Great America opens its 2009 season on March 29, “All Wheels Extreme” will not debut until early June. The show will be free with admission to the Park. Regular adult admission is $53.99; however, you can purchase tickets at the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau for $36.00!

New Year Brings Exciting Events to Santa Clara

Happy New Year everyone! With the new year, stay tuned for some exciting and fun times in Santa Clara. On March 29, California’s Great America theme park opens its new season. New this year is an exciting new show called “All Wheels Extreme," an exciting high-flying sports stunt show to be held in the park’s Redwood Amphitheater. Also, towards the end of the park’s 2009 season, don’t miss “Halloween Haunt” opening on October 2. This year the park is adding three new mazes, all sure to scare you!

Also exciting in 2009 is the return of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes to Santa Clara. The Earthquakes open their 2009 season on March 21 vs. the New England Revolution at Santa Clara University’s (SCU) Buck Shaw Stadium. Moreover, soccer fans can look forward to the debut of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in Santa Clara. Former SCU and World Cup star Brandi Chastain will lead the FC Gold Pride against the Boston Breakers on April 5 also at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Other not to missed Santa Clara events include the city’s Fireworks Display in Central Park on July 4, the annual Art & Wine Festival on September 12-13 and December’s Historic Home Tour on December 4-5. It’s going to be an exciting year. Stay tuned!