The two Dec. 24 screenings — at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. — will cap a month of holiday favorites (and Deanna Durbin movies) with a lineup that includes “Show Boat” (Nov. 25-26); “It Started With Eve” (Dec. 2-3); “White Christmas” (Dec. 9-10); “The Bishop’s Wife” (Dec. 14-15); “Meet Me in St. Louis” paired with “Miracle on 34th Street” (Dec. 16-17); and a double-feature of “The Shop Around the Corner” and “The Wizard of Oz” (Dec. 21-23).

And all that leads up to the return of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the 1946 holiday classic starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. It had been an annual event at the Stanford since it reopened in 1989, consistently playing to a sold-out house. But the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to that tradition in 2020 and 2021, and work on the theater’s HVAC system was the culprit last year.

You can check out the complete schedule at www.stanfordtheatre.org.

STILL FENCING AT 40: The Fencing Center in San Jose remains one of the city’s hidden gems, even though its been teaching students how to thrust and parry for four decades now. Growing out of a San Jose State program in 1983, the Fencing Center’s early stars included Peter Schifrin and Greg Massialas — who both competed on the 1984 Olympic team.

The group’s first headquarters was at 10 Notre Dame Avenue in San Jose, one of the many early offices of the Mercury News, and later moved to Stockton Avenue and into an old furniture store on South First Street. Nowadays, they’re in a 14,800 square foot facility on Blossom Hill Road where five coaches — including longtime head coach Michael Botenhagen and foil coach Connie Young Yu — work to train the potential Olympic fencers of tomorrow.

Scott Knies, who retired last year as executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, says that it was the Fencing Center that first got him involved in downtown as he served as the nonprofit organization’s first executive director. Naturally, he fences as well, learning skills that may have helped him be quick on his feet with the Downtown Association. Knies will serve as emcee for the Fencing Center’s 40th anniversary benefit gala starting at 5 p.m. Nov. 18. You can get more details at www.fencing.com.

PULLING STRINGS: Prospect High School’s string quartet will join the pro musicians performing in the touring show “Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown,” when it comes to the Campbell Heritage Theatre on Friday night. The young performers — sophomores Saarthak Shankavaram, Michelle Xie, Juna Lee and Bruno Piccoli — will join the bands for six songs: the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hello Goodbye” and “Hey Jude” and “Gimme Shelter” and “Ruby Tuesday” from the Rolling Stones.

While it’s cute to think, “Aww, they’re playing music made before they were born,” chances are the adult musicians they’re playing with are doing the same thing — and what do you think Symphony San Jose orchestra members do every time they perform Bach or Mozart? Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are available at www.campbellca.gov/heritagetheatre.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Santoro sunsetted the tradition after 2021 — but his mind never stops thinking of ideas or ways to raise money for St. Jude’s. When he and I caught up with each other recently, he shared his newest idea: novelty socks that play sound at the push of a button.

As Santoro tells it, he was wearing Santa socks a couple of years ago when a co-worker at Central Concrete walked by and started humming “Jingle Bells.” He went out and bought a Christmas card that played the song, ripped out the sound device and put it in the socks, which he christened “Jingle Socks.” To his surprise when he checked with a patent lawyer, nobody had come up with the idea before — or at least nobody had patented it.

Santoro — who now has a patent pending on the socks — showed me his prototype for a football-themed pair that play the call of “The Catch” from 1982. When I asked him if he’d heard from the 49ers’ legal department yet, he shared that he had talked to someone from the team already — and they were at least open to the idea of selling the socks to Levi’s Stadium fans. It probably didn’t hurt his pitch when he let the team know that he plans to donate all profits to St. Jude’s, which he supports in memory of his son, Boom, who died of a childhood cancer.

His plans don’t stop with football socks, either. He can envision baseball socks for every team in the Major Leagues; hockey socks that say “He shoots, he scores”; and soccer socks that play a “Gooooooooal!” message. Not a bad idea with the World Cup coming to the Bay Area in 2026. And before you dismiss the Bulb Guy’s socks, remember that Silicon Valley is the place where Gary Dahl invented the Pet Rock — and sold more than a million of ’em.

LOOK WHO’S RUNNING: There had been an expectation that the race to replace termed-out San Jose City Councilmember Dev Davis in District 6 next year would include Pierluigi Oliverio, who held the seat before Davis did. But he posted on Facebook this week he wouldn’t seek a return to City Hall as he’s the primary caregiver for his elderly mom.

There’s still going to be a “throwback” candidate, though, as Willow Glen businessman Michael Mulcahy announced Friday he was joining the race to replace Davis. Now, it may not be entirely fair to call Mulcahy a throwback since he hasn’t previously run for the seat, but he did run unsuccessfully for San Jose mayor back in 2006.

The managing partner for SDS NexGen Partners, Mulcahy is well known in San Jose and has deep business roots in Willow Glen — including partnering with restaurateur Jim Stump on the Table restaurant and Lamella Tavern on Lincoln Ave. — but he’ll have his work cut out for him, jumping in fairly late on a race that already includes candidates Olivia Navarro, Angelo Pasciuti and Alex Shoor.

GROWING INTO A NEW ROLE: Cayce Hill is stepping down as executive director of Veggielution, the nonprofit urban farm and food program, to take on a newly created job as Santa Clara County’s Food Systems Manager. Since taking over at Veggielution in 2015, Hill raised the nonprofit’s profile, building partnerships and expanding its reach beyond growing vegetables to helping relieve both food insecurity and economic instability for people in East San Jose.

“I’m excited and cautiously optimistic that it will be a role that opens the door for some significant local food system change,” said Hill, whose role at Veggielution will be filled on an interim basis by Policy Director Emily Schwing. A farewell celebration will take place during Veggielution’s regular First Saturday on the Farm event Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

BANKING ON SUPPORT: Community Bank of the Bay had a ribbon-cutting Wednesday afternoon for its new San Jose office on The Alameda, and it drew a surprisingly large crowd that included past and present elected officials, political candidates and nonprofit and business leaders. Even San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan had to laugh a bit at the scene. “I have never seen a bank ribbon cutting look like a campaign kickoff,” he said. “You’ve got 100 people in a parking lot here, should we start knocking on some doors?”

Credit the big turnout to Community Bank of the Bay’s director of community engagement, former San Jose City Councilmember Johnny Khamis, who still has an impressive contact list. Also impressive is the artwork on display at the bank. There are four abstract paintings by mixed-media artist Belinda Lima, who has a studio nearby at the Alameda Artworks, and Khamis says the bank plans to display other local artists in the future.

VETERANS DAY THANKS: Dan McCranie, owner of Ladera Grill in Morgan Hill, never served in the military, so he figures the least he can do is to offer a free meal to those who did for Veterans Day. He treated vets to lunch on Friday, and they could order anything off the fine dining restaurant’s menu — even if it was just a burger (Bourbon Burger, $25) or a salad (ahi tuna and coconut prawn salad, $30).

Friday’s lunch crowd included a group of veterans who are regulars: Ken May, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force; Navy pilot Jim Leslie; Mike Withrow, who was drafted in 1968 but enlisted in officer candidate school instead and served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Marine veteran Frances Nance; and Navy vet Tom Stewart.

But there’ll also be an “only in Silicon Valley” aspect to this year’s parade: The grand marshal isn’t a U.S. Army general or Navy admiral. It’s Douglas A. Beck, a former vice president at Apple for 14 years who now serves as the director of the Defense Innovation Unit, where he oversees the Department of Defense’s adoption of commercial technology. Of course, he’s also veteran, a decorated captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006-07 during his 26 years of military service.

Beck said in a statement that veterans represent the best in America — the strength of diversity, a commitment to common purpose, a relentless can-do spirit and a belief in service above self. “These American strengths are exemplified right here in the valley and I am honored to be part of this celebration alongside so many Bay Area veterans,” he said.

Former San Jose Vice Mayor Rose Herrera, who now serves as president of the United Veterans Council of Santa Clara County, said the parade will be bigger and better this year with more groups participating. That may be helped by Veterans Day — commemorating the Nov. 11, 1918 armistice that ended World War I — falling on a Saturday for the first time since 2017 (although government offices, schools and some businesses are observing the holiday on Friday).

The public is invited to a ceremony scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. at the reviewing stand on South Market Street at Park Avenue, across from Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The parade will start at noon from SAP Center, traveling the regular route along Santa Clara Street before turning south on Market. While thousands of people are expected to line the parade route, waving flags and cheering on everyone, the parade also will be streamed live on CreaTV’s YouTube channel. You can also find more information on the parade, including parking tips, at sjveteransparade.org.

CUPERTINO TRIBUTE: Of course, while San Jose’s celebration is the biggest in the area, it’s far from the only one. In Cupertino, former Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey and retired Navy SEAL Commander Thomas Deitz will speak Saturday at the Veterans Day celebration at the Cupertino Veterans Memorial at 10110 Parkwood Drive.

The free event, which begins at 11 a.m., will include performances by the Miller Middle School Choir, the West Bay Community Band and bagpiper Joe Roberts of the Stuart Highlanders, as well as remarks by Cupertino Vice Mayor Sheila Mohan and De Anza College President Lloyd Holmes.

SPORTS STARS SHINE: The 28th annual San Jose Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at SAP Center on Wednesday night really may have been the event’s biggest night ever, with an all-star class of Major League Baseball pitching ace Dave Stieb, soccer star Lorrie Fair, San Jose Earthquakes legend Chris Wondolowski and “Mr. San Jose Shark” himself, Patrick Marleau.

Archbishop Mitty basketball player McKenna Woliczko and Mitty football player Danny Scudero Jr. (now at Sacramento State) were honored as the high school athletes of the year, and Stanford University golfer Rose Zhang and Stanford baseball player Tommy Troy were selected as amateur athletes of the year. Keep an eye on those names. You just might see them inducted into the hall one day, too.

In a wide-ranging on-stage conversation with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, will.i.am talked about his interest in technology and artificial intelligence — he’s more optimistic than fearful of the new technology — as well as his i.am Angel Foundation, which supports STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and math — education programs for disadvantaged school kids in Los Angeles.

“My family, we’ve been doing philanthropy in the hood before we knew the word philanthropy,” said will.i.am, who grew up in Boyle Heights. “I would be doing this even if I wasn’t successful.”

The award, presented by the Tech Interactive and Applied Materials, capped off the event attended by more than 400 people at the Signia by Hilton hotel in downtown San Jose and featured the presentation of this year’s four Tech for Global Good laureates: San Francisco’s Aluna, which makes hardware and software to help people with breathing problems; New York-based Arcade Therapeutics, which creates mobile games that treat mental health issues; Biobot Analytics from Cambridge, Mass., which monitors wastewater to detect viruses and other community health risks; and San Francisco’s Cionic, which makes a wearable Neural Sleeve device that helps people with mobility issues walk better and faster.

LATE-NIGHT LAUGHS: Actor and comedian Paul Reiser — fresh off the premiere of his new movie, “The Problem With People,” at the DTLA film fest last week — brought the house down Saturday night as the headliner of Archbishop Mitty’s Black and Gold gala. The event, titled “The Black & Gold Late Show Featuring Paul Reiser,” definitely lived up to its name, too.

Archbishop Mitty students Ryan De Marco and Jayden Brown did a nice job as late-night hosts introducing an ovation-worthy show by Mitty’s Exodus rock band, Jazz in the AM band and its Royals Dance ensemble — who performed covers by Pat Benatar, Green Day and others. (All acts well before their time, but right in the sweet spot for the parents in the audience.) Of course, all that meant that Reiser didn’t get on stage until 10 p.m. — but he sure kept the energy high for the crowd of more than 900 people during the 45-minute set.

By the way, all this was taking place at the Signia by Hilton — the same place as the Tech for Global Good — which must have kept the hotel servers busy (and helped keep the lobby bar packed until midnight).

AI ON THE BRAIN: Obviously, will.i.am isn’t the only one interested in artificial intelligence these days. That was one of the big subjects at Conversations for Good, a sold-out fundraising event held Friday at the Glasshouse in downtown San Jose to support Los Gatos’ Hillbrook School and its Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

The newly released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study shows that nonprofit arts and culture organizations generated $292 million in economic activity in San Jose in 2022 — the major chunk of $384.5 million generated by arts groups in all of Santa Clara County.

Randy Cohen, vice president of research at Americans for the Arts, talked about the results before nearly 100 arts and community leaders at a luncheon Friday co-hosted by the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs and SV Creates at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda. San Jose, he said, is a bit of an anomaly compared to the rest of the nation, with a stronger comeback in the arts sector since the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.

“San Jose has always been such a great arts epicenter for the region, and it just grows and grows and grows,” said Cohen, who grew up in Sunnyvale. “It’s truly an international arts destination.”

That $292 million breaks down into two parts: $192 million in activity by audiences and $100 million by the organizations themselves, who employ more than 2,800 people and pay for things like electricity and printing. According to the study, audiences spent an average of $43.88 per person, per event they attend. That figure doesn’t include the price of admission, but rather spending on things like food and drink, shopping, childcare and transportation — and 24% of attendees were from out of the area, so they spent money on lodging, too.

A couple of more interesting statistics on the social impact of the arts: 86.4% of San Jose respondents said the cultural activity or venue they were attending was “a source of neighborhood pride for the community” and 85% agreed they would feel a great sense of loss if an activity or venue went away. Kerry Adams Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs, said this is very good news for a downtown that recovering from the pandemic.

“It was really remarkable to see the growth and resiliency and how robust this sector is,” said Kerry Adams Hapner, San Jose’s director of cultural affairs. “When you look at our downtown vibrancy, when you compare our number of outdoor special events this year to pre-pandemic, we’re at 97 percent of those numbers. Downtown is back, and the arts play a very big role in that.”

So the next time you hear someone say investing public dollars in the arts isn’t worth it, you can tell them they’re wrong. And we’ve got the receipts to prove it.

STRONG START: Republic Urban Properties President Michael Van Every and his wife, Jennifer Van Every, were smiling and gracious hosts at a donor celebration for a new fund to support the burn center at Valley Medical Center on Oct. 27. They couldn’t have picked a better venue, either, as the 165 guests were among the first to enjoy Copita, the new restaurant and tequila bar on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen.

The Van Everys weren’t the only ones smiling, either, as Valley Health Foundation Executive Director Michael Elliott and Dr. Clifford Scheckter were on hand to celebrate the $187,000 raised so far for the Valley Health Foundation Michael Van Every Burn Fund — and they and the rest of the burn center staff in attendance presented Van Every with a letterman’s jacket. Van Every suffered severe burns in a household accident as a child and decided to launch the fund as a way to give back to the VMC doctors and nurses who saved his life.

VMC’s Regional Burn Center is the only one in the Bay Area verified by the American Burn Association and American College of Surgeons for its quality of care, and is just one of three regional burn centers between Los Angeles and the Oregon border. In 2022, 227 patients were admitted to the burn ICU, and an additional 300 patients received care from burn center staff in the emergency room and pediatrics. The new fund will help support services for burn patients, innovation in medical care and provide mental health and wellness support for doctors, nurses and staff who work in the unit.

POWERFUL VOICE: Viet Thanh Nguyen, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 for his novel, “The Sympathizer,” will be at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda on Monday night to discuss his new memoir, “A Man of Two Faces,” which explores both his life growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in San Jose in the 1980s and that of his late mother, Linda Kim Nguyen.

He’ll be in conversation with Cathy Park Hong, author of “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” at the 6:30 p.m. event. Admission is free, but space is limited. Reserve a spot at www.eventbrite.com.

SPARTAN PRIDE: It’ll be a full-circle moment for Ken Yeager when he delivers this year’s Don Edwards Lecture on Nov. 8 at the San Jose State Student Union Ballroom. Yeager, now executive director of the BAYMEC Community Foundation, was the first openly gay elected official to serve on the San Jose Evergreen Community College District, the San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

But back in 1982, after running the successful Congressional re-election campaign for Rep. Don Edwards, Yeager was asked to join Edwards’ staff in Washington, D.C. Yeager agreed to be press secretary but — knowing the large anti-gay sentiment sweeping the nation at the time — wanted to make sure Edwards was OK with the fact he was gay. Edwards was, and the rest is history.

MILESTONE MOMENT: Hunger at Home held its 10th annual Bridge the Gap gala on Oct. 28 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, the same venue where founder Ewell Sterner first introduced the Silicon Valley community to the idea of taking potentially wasted food from convention centers, sports arenas and hotels and repackaging it to feed the hungry.

The effort is still going strong — and the need is bigger than ever — which is why it was great to see a packed house and a litany of sponsors including Team San Jose, Toeniskoetter Family Foundation, Door Dash, Destination: Home, Google, Swenson, Heritage Bank of Commerce, Republic Services and Meriwest Credit Union. You can check out their services, which include weekly grocery distribution, culinary arts training and the Full Circle Catering service at www.hungerathome.org.

ARIA KIDDING ME?: Opera San Jose General Director Shawna Lucey and her staff have a good sense of humor. For the South First Fridays art walk this month, they opened the doors of the California Theatre to provide a sneak peek at a rehearsal of the next production, along with music by a string quartet, a Wurlitzer organ performance by Jerry Nagano and harmonized singing by barbershop quartets. Which makes a certain kind of sense when you realize the next show is “The Barber of Seville,” which opens Nov. 11.

She certainly captivated the audience of more than 900 people — double last year’s crowd — at the Santa Clara Convention Center and fit right in with the event’s “The Power of Change” theme.

“Every person in this room has the potential to create change in the community,” said Adriana Caldera Boroffice, CEO of the YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley. “And who better than the great Erin Brockovich to illustrate how change can be started with one voice?”

In an onstage conversation with NBC Bay Area’s Audrey Asistio, Brockovich shared stories about the obstacles she faced growing up, her love and connection to water, and how her “sticktoitiveness” led her to stand with the people facing water contamination in Hinkley, California, that became the basis of the 2000 movie.

“The film ‘Erin Brockovich’ was definitely about the environment, but there was a lot of subtext in there about gender issues, about inequality and about single moms,” said Brockovich, 63, who is still involved in environmental projects worldwide as the president of Brockovich Research and Consulting.

Brockovich wasn’t the only one talking about change at the luncheon, either. The YWCA gave its Empowerment Award to a group of 23 students at Oak Grove and Piedmont Hills high schools in San Jose who belong to TEA Clubs. In this case, TEA stands for “Teens Ending Abuse,” and those students surveyed their peers and pushed their schools to add gender-neutral restrooms to campuses. Seven students joined TEA Club coordinator Maggie Ball on stage to accept the award.

Creating change in a community, Brockovich said several times, has to begin with creating change in yourself — stepping back, taking stock and having a moment of self-renewal. She said she doesn’t know if it was COVID-19 or just the universe deciding we were all crazy and needed to sit down for a while, but she sees the world in a transition of change and evolution.

“There is hope there will be a bright future. And as long as all of us stay together and believe in each other once again, arm in arm, and recognize one doesn’t work without the other, every one of us has a place here,” she said. “What’s been missing is us. Welcome to the game — because we’re the change.”

HONOR ROLL: Retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Towery was honored with a lifetime achievement award Wednesday night at the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s Judges Night ceremony at Urban Blanco in downtown San Jose. Before being appointed to the bench by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012, Towery had a long career with Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel and also worked as chief trial counsel for the State Bar of California. He previously served as president of both the State Bar and the Santa Clara County Bar Association and retired as a judge in April.

Other award recipients were Judge Sunil Kulkarni (Jurist of the Year); BJ Fadem, (Professional Lawyer of the Year);  Jonathan Kahn (Court Professional of the Year); and Robert Hoover, who was honored for Distinguished Service in recognition of his 63 years of membership in the county bar association.

POLITICAL FOOTBALLS: The Bay Area Panthers and the San Jose Sports Authority recruited San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner to host a free youth football clinic on Saturday at San Jose State’s CEFCU Stadium. The two-hour event starts at 5 p.m. and is open to boys and girls in third through sixth grade, who can participate in six non-contact skills challenges including passing, kicking, running and agility. You can get a link to a pre-registration form by emailing Chase Lazarus at chase@sjsa.org.

Everyone who participates in the “Bay Area Panthers/USA Football Kick, Throw & Go Mayors Challenge” also will get tickets to the Bay Area Panthers opening game next spring at SAP Center. The indoor football team announced last month that it would keep its headquarters and training facilities in Morgan Hill and continue to play its games at the Shark Tank in San Jose.

He wants to use the event to celebrate art and artists — and to maybe unlock the artist in everyone who comes through the doors.

“We all need uplifting right now,” he said. “We want to bring the kind of experience for people that the Tech does or the Children’s Discovery Museum does.”

As part of that, the auction will have a very different feel than in the past. It’ll start with a big celebration with music, cocktails and stilt walkers outside the gallery on South First Street, followed by a tribute to Bay Area artist Gale Antokal, who recently retired from San Jose State’s art department. Then, the party will move inside for the auction — but in a way that invites guests to experience the other shows on display showcasing the work of Adia Millett and Heesoo Kwon.

“Slowly but surely, we want to focus a bit more on the event itself, reinforcing the mission of the SJICA: supporting artists and the SJICA’s role as a place for learning, a collaborative platform and incubator,” Leventhal said. “There is an over 40-year-old tradition here that we want to celebrate.”

The auction committee chose to celebrate Antokal’s career in part because of her tremendous influence on and association with other Bay Area artists, including the late Jay DeFeo, who was Antokal’s teacher. As an art teacher at San Jose State, Antokal taught Masako Miki, whose “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” is installed on the ICA’s façade; Erin Salazar, the founder of arts catalyst Local Color; and globally recognized artist and NXTHVN founder Titus Kaphar.

The auction of more than 50 works and experiences will include one of Antokal’s pieces, “Cascade 11.21.21” as well as some from her SJSU colleagues like Binh Danh, Robin Lasser and Tony May. Millett and Kwon also have pieces in the auction.

Tickets for Saturday’s auction are $250 each, but the ICA is hosting a free artists’ mixer on Friday night, happening along with the monthly South First Fridays art walk, from 5 to 8 p.m. That will include a special tribute to Antokal as well. Get more information on the auction at www.icasanjose.org.

THE TECH GOES BIG FOR SWIFTIES: Taylor Swift got to be Santa Clara mayor for a day, sold out Levi’s Stadium and has a hit concert movie in theaters. And now she’s got a museum for the rest of this week. The Tech Interactive has rebranded itself temporarily as The Swift Interactive to celebrate “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” coming to the San Jose learning center’s IMAX Dome theater for a limited run.

There’ll be 6 p.m. screenings on four nights between Nov. 2-5 on the Tech’s IMAX Dome Theater, and this will be a special version designed to be shown on the dome’s wraparound screen. Of course, the only thing that might beat the IMAX image is hearing Swift’s music with the 13,000-watt sound system. Tickets are available at www.thetech.org/eras.

“Renaming The Tech Interactive to The Swift Interactive for this exciting event is not just about celebrating a pop icon; it’s a reflection of the undeniable truth that Taylor Swift’s influence on the world is as substantial as tech itself,” CEO Katrina Stevens said.  “Music, technology, and innovation intersect in remarkable ways, and this collaboration embodies the power of creativity, both in science and the arts, to inspire positive change.”

QUICK CHANGES: It’s been a busy week at 3Below Theatres in downtown San Jose. After Sunday’s performance of “Disenchanted” — the “princesses gone wild” musical — the entire set was struck to prepare for the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” event on Halloween with the Barely Shadow cast. On Monday, rehearsal started for the next San Jose Playhouse production, “Sondheim on Sondheim,” and now the “Disenchanted” set is being put back together for that show’s final four performances this week. Oh, and did you know all this was happening while volunteers were helping Guggenheim Entertainment move its stuff from one warehouse to another? Check out the upcoming offerings, including a “Frozen” sing-along, at www.3belowtheatres.com.

The luncheon’s pumpkin-decorating contest is an annual bounty of creativity by elected officials, nonprofit and business leaders, and this year’s outdoor event at Excite Ballpark was no exception. There were three jack o’lanterns with a “Barbie” theme, a couple of nods to the SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood, a blowfish with candy corn spines, a shiny “Steampumpkin” and even a replica of the San Jose City Hall rotunda made by the newshounds at San Jose Spotlight. Cortese and Alvarado didn’t disappoint, either: He brought a fun overalls-wearing Minion pumpkin, while she went with a more job-related display about energy-sucking “vampire” appliances.

Jennifer Kelleher Cloyd, CEO of First 5 Santa Clara County, took the top pumpkin prize with her “Barbie” tribute. All the pumpkins were auctioned off, and the one that got the highest bids was brought by Janikke Klem of Heritage Bank of Commerce, who didn’t make hers but bought a succulent-filled pumpkin from Fractal Flora in San Jose. She says it saves her time and supports a local business to boot. And here I spent all day painting a pumpkin to look like the Babadook.

Many of the attendees came in costume, and while there wasn’t a prize for that, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits CEO Kyra Kazantzis did get to present trophies to this year’s Nonprofit Impact Award recipients.

Elevate Community Center and Razing the Bar received the Nonprofits of the Year awards, and the Emerging Nonprofit Leader awards went to Katie Blevins of Humane Society Silicon Valley and Cris Unciano Jr., who runs the Here4You call center for the Bill Wilson Center.

Sherri Sager of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Children’s Health received the Nonprofit Ally award, and the Guerreras outreach team from the ¡Sí Se Puede! Collective received the Collaborative Impact award. The Patricia A. Gardner Changemaker awards were presented to Chad Bojorquez and Claudine Sipili of Destination: Home.

OFFICERS’ SALUTE: There were too many honorees to list at the San Jose Police Department’s Major Awards Ceremony on Thursday night, hosted in partnership with the San Jose Police Foundation at the DoubleTree Hotel.

But here’s one statistic worth applauding: Two dozen officers were recognized for life-saving actions that included using CPR and tourniquets, administering NarCan and preventing suicides. The awards weren’t limited to police officers either, with San Jose resident Leah Smith honored with the Simpson-Silva award for helping to save a boy who had been drowning in an apartment complex pool until paramedics arrived.

LESS CANDY, MORE READING: For the 22nd year, San Jose resident Rebecca Morgan’s Books for Treats program will aim to give kids something more substantial than candy for Halloween. Morgan started the nonprofit in 2001 after six years of offering books to trick-or-treaters from her doorstep. She spent the money she would have on candy by buying books from library sales and sorting them out by grade level.

Using tax-deductible donations to buy books, the program has been able distribute up to 10,000 books a year to San Jose kids, and the idea has spread to other communities, too. This year’s distribution is happening at the Garden Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen on Tuesday, which is Halloween. Books for kindergarteners and younger will be given out from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with books for first through sixth-graders given out from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

DECADE OF SERVICE: More than 440 attendees helped Community Seva celebrate its 10th anniversary at its Tree of Life gala this month at the India Community Center in Milpitas — and the event brought in more than $410,000 to support the nonprofit’s mission to “Feed the Hungry and Serve the Homeless” in the Bay Area.

“Community Seva serves the local community that is experiencing the heart wrenching and fast-growing issue of homelessness,” founder Nathan Ganeshan said. “100% of our donations are used for our fellow citizens in the Bay Area.”

The evening included a keynote by Robert Egger, founder of the DC Central Kitchen, the Campus Kitchen Project and the L.A. Kitchen. Gail Osmer and Shaunn Cartwright were honored for their service to the valley’s unhoused community and volunteer Saras Venkatram was presented with a special Founders Award for her dedication to the organization over the past decade.

SORRY, SAMUEL AYER: My item on Monday’s screening of “The Milpitas Monster” committed a scary mistake, placing director Robert L. Burrill and his students at Milpitas High instead of Samuel Ayer High in Milpitas, where he taught when the move was made. Ayer closed in 1981, which is when Burrill moved over to Milpitas High.

Reader Jacob Abeytia points out that Samuel Ayer has a strong alumni association and recently held its 23rd annual all-class reunion picnic with more than 300 attendees. And you can probably expect a lot of Ayer students at the Century 20 Great Mall on Monday night to watch the movie they helped make.

After a three-year hiatus, creator Robert L. Burrill says everything looks good for a 47th anniversary screening of the low-budget cult classic on Monday, Oct. 30, at the Century 20 Great Mall in Milpitas. And keeping with tradition, there’ll be a 4 p.m. dinner at Outback Steakhouse before the 7 p.m. show, with a special Monster Menu created for the occasion.

Burill plans to honor four people who kept things rolling to bring back the in-person screening: Milpitas Historical Society President Bill Hare, Almaden Lions International Club Peter Herrera, Milpitas Rotary President Paul Ellis and Jathin Ullal of Milpitas-based Saygo. Iconic Bay Area cheerleader Krazy George Henderson — who has a small role in the movie — will be honored, too, and will lead the crowd in a “Milpitas Monster” cheer.

“The Milpitas Monster” was first released May 21, 1976, directed by Burrill — an art and photography teacher at Samuel Ayer High School in Milpitas — and relied on high school students, fellow teachers, parents and other community members to get made. It’s about a mutant creature, resembling a giant fly covered by garbage, and was a commentary on the environmental crisis brewing at the time. Legendary voice actor Paul Frees does the narration, and San Jose’s own Robert Berry did the music.

There are only 155 tickets available for Monday’s screening, and you can get them at milpitasmonster.com. And yes, Burrill’s already thinking about the Monster’s 50th birthday coming up in 2026.

WILL THIS FLICK FLY?: While we’re hanging out at the Cineplex, Steve Dini has some movie news of his own. The former Pioneer High School drama teacher co-wrote a screenplay with Joren Christensen called “The Great Turkey Town Miracle,” and the faith-based, family film is being released through an independent, Lama Entertainment, at select theaters Nov. 10.

The movie is about a former radio DJ who is hired by a homeless shelter to procure 4,000 frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving and how he miraculously manages the quest. That part of the plot was actually based on a “miracle” witnessed by Dini, who was tasked with finding turkeys for a San Jose homeless shelter to distribute for the holiday but was only able to get a few hundred. You’ll have to see the movie to find out what ended up happening.

“I have a part so now I’ve been in radio as well as being on TV and the stage,” noted Dini, who was in San Jose this month directing Oklahoma! for Pioneer’s Glue Factory. “Does this make me the king of ‘most’ media?”

Maybe not a king, but Duke Dini doesn’t sound bad.

CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: Author Elizabeth Partridge will be in San Jose on Nov. 4 to talk about her new book for young readers, “Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration.” Partridge, the goddaughter of Dorothea Lange, has written a dozen books for younger readers, and this one has won awards including the 2023 California Book Awards gold medal for juvenile fiction and the American Library Association’s Robert F. Sibert Medal as the most distinguished informational book for children.

Partridge will talk about the book with moderator Yuki Nishimura, a manager in the Silicon Valley Human Rights Watch Development Office, at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose at 535 N. Fifth Street. The 10 a.m. program is a collaboration between the museum and the Commonwealth Club of California and is part of the Commonwealth Club’s Creating Citizens civic education initiative. Tickets, which include museum admission, are available at www.commonwealthclub.org/events.

Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, officiated the 11:30 a.m. ceremony, which was attended by more than a dozen of Landin and Flores’ family members, including their children, Maya, who turns 1 on Thursday, and 4-year-old Jordan, who was the ring bearer. Ellenberg, who had only officiated one wedding previously, said she won’t be the regular officiant at the chapel but enjoyed the honor Tuesday.

“It was very special to be asked to be part of the first ceremony in this new chapel,” Ellenberg said.

For the past 24 years — since the county clerk-recorder’s office took over marriage ceremony responsibilities from the courts — couples were married in a smaller chapel in the basement of the County Government Center on West Hedding Street. When the clerk-recorder’s office moved to a new building on Tasman Drive in North San Jose, the new chapel was included in the deal. The last ceremony at the old chapel was held last Friday.

“We said it was the end of an era at Hedding and the beginning of a new era on Tasman,” Clerk-Recorder Gina Alcomendras said.

And, with no offense to anyone whose happiest day was at the Hedding Street chapel, the new one is a big improvement. It’s about twice as big with space for 49 guests on light-colored wooden pews, a white terrazzo floor and decor that reflects a natural environment, with images of branches and blossoms covering the walls. Ceremonies also can be performed at a covered outdoor space, too. And for those looking for even less pomp and circumstance, weddings can still be performed at the clerk-recorder windows, too.

When Flores and Landin applied for their marriage license last week, the San Jose couple was offered the opportunity to be the first to wed at the new venue and decided to go for it.  “We thought it would be a unique situation,” Flores said. “We’re just lucky to inaugurate this beautiful chapel that we have here.”

HALLOWEEN TREATS: The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose has a fun Halloween event this weekend called Tech or Treat, which is included with regular admission Saturday and Sunday. Kids can come in costume (or not) and visit the trick-or-treat stations throughout the downtown learning center and participate in activities that explore the intersection between technology and the spooky holiday. Sounds like something a young Dr. Frankenstein might have enjoyed.

For older trick-or-treaters, the Beerwalk is bringing back its 11th Halloween edition to San Jose’s Japantown on Saturday. You can sample suds from 12 breweries at three locations between 2 and 5 p.m., and they will all have their own treats, too: Jack’s bar will have live artists painting appropriately creepy art, Jtown Pizza will allow visitors a glimpse into the future with the help of a tarot card reader, and 7 Bamboo will screen scary movies with popcorn.

HOLIDAY PLANNING: It may only be late October, but the Valle Monte League has had its mind on Christmas for a while now. The all-volunteer nonprofit is planning its annual Christmas Tree Elegance events for Dec. 1 at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. It’ll feature two events with the theme, “Joyeux Noel: A French Christmas”: the Passport to Paris Champagne Brunch and the evening Moulin Rouge Soirée.

The highlight of the annual event is the collection of beautifully decorated, professionally designed Christmas trees that are raffled off, along with a bevy of gifts included with each one. And this year marks the return of the fashion show, choreographed by Beverly Zeiss, with professional models walking the runway and showing off fashions from Santana Row shops. Proceeds from the fundraiser support three mental health organizations: Family & Children Services, the Centre for Living with Dying/Bill Wilson Center and Hearts & Minds Activity Center. Get more details and tickets at www.vallemonte.org.