Thanks to this morning's holiday elves!

Thanks to the amazing crew that helped install holiday decorations around North Willow Glen and the Gardner neighborhood this morning. We will see you at the upcoming holiday party on December 11!

Holiday neighborhood decorating: 9:30 am Sunday

We will be decorating the neighborhood again this Sunday and we would love to have your help. It doesn't take very long and it's a fun way to kick off the holiday season by brightening the neighborhood for everyone. Join us at 9:30 am on Nov. 28 in Fuller Park at the corner of Delmas and Fuller!

Tamien Station - Community Meeting Tonight

From Valley Transportation Authority web site, about a community meeting tonight:

"VTA is proposing the Tamien Station Parking Structure and Residential Development. The project site is located within VTA’s existing Tamien Station surface parking lot in the City of San Jose in Santa Clara County, California. The regional location of the project and the project vicinity are shown on the map. To the north of the site are the on/off ramps for State Route 87 (SR 87, also known as Guadalupe Parkway), VTA’s Tamien Station northern parking lot and Willow Street; to the east is SR 87; to the south is Alma Avenue; and to the west are Lelong Street and the Guadalupe River.

The purpose of the project is to accommodate future parking demand due to light rail transit (LRT) and Caltrain operations."

When: Monday, November 14, 2016 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Presentation begins at 6:30 p.m.

Where: San Jose Elks Lodge no.522, 444 West Alma Avenue, San Jose, 95110. Next to the Tamien Transit Center.

Read more: http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/planning/tamien-station-projects  

Halloween treats & food allergies

A worldwide movement to create a safer, happier Halloween for all trick-or-treaters is promoting the idea of placing a teal pumpkin or a special sign to show that you are offering non-food treats. Last year, households from all 50 states and 14 countries participated.

About non-food treats from the organization's website:

Available at dollar stores, party supply stores, or online shops, these low-cost items can be purchased and handed out to all trick-or-treaters, or made available in a separate bowl from candy if you choose to hand out both options. Nearly all of these items can be found in a Halloween theme or festive colors.

• Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
• Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
• Bubbles
• Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
• Mini Slinkies
• Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
• Bouncy balls
• Finger puppets or novelty toys
• Coins
• Spider rings
• Vampire fangs
• Mini notepads
• Playing cards
• Bookmarks
• Stickers
• Stencils

To learn more and download free printable signs, go to http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project/about

Add your house to the Nextdoor Treat Map

Again this year, Nextdoor.om is enabling a map of houses that are giving out treats for Halloween. You can add yourself and/or tell others that you will be sharing some treats and your house will be marked with a candy corn icon. The map is just beginning to build, but check it out!

Holiday tree orders due Nov. 4

Did you get your order in? If not, download the form and get it over to Pam Shukait at 1023 Bird by Friday, November 4 (or send via PayPal to pshukait@me.com).

Call Pam with any questions: 408-297-4388.

Look on your porch for your holiday tree flier

Thanks to the amazing Pam Shukait, neighbors are fanning out across North Willow Glen to deliver order forms for holiday yard trees. Orders must be in to Pam by Friday, November 4. 

We will be placing a PDF of the order form online in a few days after all doorstep deliveries are made. Look for one on your porch first, and then look here for the online location of the form as a backup.

Dan Erceg, car guy

Those who know long-time North Willow Glen resident Dan Erceg know about all the good he does in our community, but we  can now add to that. Read about Dan's latest car project in the Willow Glen Resident / Mercury News. If you can get a paper copy of the Resident, though, it includes great photos of his work that are not yet available online.

RSVP for Neighborhood Watch meeting

Thanks to all who took part in last Sunday's Party in the Park. It was a great success. It was really wonderful seeing neighbors interacting together and meeting new people. The band, the hot dogs and ice cream were pretty good, too!

On Tuesday, August  23 at 6:30, we will be hosting a group Neighborhood Watch Meeting. Neighborhood Watch wants to find households to host their nearby neighbors for street-by-street meetings. This is meant for neighbors to get to know each other so we can help watch out for each other.

Please RSVP by texting or calling Bill at 408-893-6684. The city requires at least ten households for this meeting, so we need a good turnout.

Neighborhood Watch Group Meeting 8/23/16 at 6:30
Word Of Faith Church 873 Delmas Ave (at Fuller Ave)

Plentiful buns!

Party in the Park is today from 4:30 to 7:30 in Hummingbird Park, corner of Bird and Fisk. We have plentiful buns (and hot dogs from Willow Glen Meats) and San Joe's Treat ice cream (courtesy of Willow Glen Creamery), so join us for the fun!

Party in the Park, this Sunday!

Join us for Party in the Park, Sunday, August 14, starting at 4:30. We will be gathering at Hummingbird Park at Fisk and Bird. Bring a side dish to share and we will have hot dogs hot off the barbecue!

Mango ice cream! Chocolate Fantasy ice cream!

We are so thankful again this year that Willow Glen Creamery is donating Treat ice cream to Party in the Park! Expect big favorite flavors Mango and Chocolate Fantasy. And, let Jeff from Willow Glen Creamery know that you appreciate him and his generosity.

Party in the Park
Hummingbird Park (Corner of Bird and Fisk)
Sunday, August 14, 4:30-7:30 pm

Join us tonight!

If you are curious about joining the board, or are interested in helping our Party in the Park event, please join our open board meeting at Blue Water Cafe, corner of Bird and Willow, at 6:30 pm tonight. 

Let's be frank -- we live in a great neighborhood!

BIG thanks yet again to Willow Glen Meats for their donation of locally made hot dogs for Sunday's Party in the Park. Stop by their shop at 885 Delmas to see their selection of sausages, bacon, and other smoked meats plus sandwiches, yum.

This is who volunteers in North Willow Glen, Part 7

Another in our occasional series about who volunteers in North Willow Glen.

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Sheila Hunter

Year you moved into the neighborhood: 2010

What drew you to North Willow Glen: I had a friend who used to live in the neighborhood and I liked the walkability and neighborliness of North Willow Glen

What you love about our neighborhood: Fuller Park and Hummingbird Park provide multiple spots for meeting neighbors and letting pets and kids roam

What you do to help out in North Willow Glen and why it’s important to you: I have been the treasurer for the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. As a member of the board, I learned about how various neighbors advocate for our neighborhood, lead special clean-up efforts, improve our communication, and host special events. I am so grateful for my neighbors' good work; I've been happy to help by writing checks and filling out forms. It is a small way to give back to help build up this special neighborhood.