{"id":821,"date":"2026-05-30T13:37:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T13:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=821"},"modified":"2026-05-30T13:37:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T13:37:42","slug":"san-jose-state-students-help-build-christmas-in-the-parks-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=821","title":{"rendered":"San Jose State students help build Christmas in the Park’s future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We\u2019re still about six months until Christmas in the Park opens, but I paid a visit to the nonprofit\u2019s warehouse off Senter Road this month and found it looks a lot more like Santa\u2019s workshop than ever before.<\/p>\n

Read more PWHL San Jose set for fast-paced expansion roster build<\/a><\/p>\n

Last year, a small group of San Jose State engineering students modernized the Penguin Flight School display for Christmas in the Park. Both Executive Director Ted Lopez and Operations Director Keith Peffer hoped it would be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship between the university and the nonprofit that operates San Jose\u2019s beloved holiday display.<\/p>\n

This year, that Christmas wish appears to be coming true as a larger group of about a dozen Spartans \u2014 this time including industrial design students \u2014 are working to reimagine one of the event\u2019s most visited displays, the Countdown to Christmas.<\/p>\n

The new version will still have the traditional arrow counting down the days to the holiday but also will include moving elves who are helping prepare things for Christmas. Design students created several models at increasing levels of detail with cardboard and then clay before any work started. A 3-D printer will be a key tool in creating some elements, along with traditional fiberglass casting.<\/p>\n

Peffer said it\u2019s all combined to make this year\u2019s effort to modernize a lot easier than last time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving an industrial design team to think about all the little aspects of the design, the story of it, means the mechanical engineers just have to pick up the mechanical aspect of it,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, I have a formula here that I can keep improving on every year, and I can see the improvements. I feel like we\u2019re setting these kids up for success.\u00a0It\u2019s an endless feeling of pride and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also given Peffer and Zack Tatar time to work on updating a new display for sponsor Broadway San Jose, which will replicate San Jose\u2019s Center for the Performing Arts with a revolving stage that shows a musical theater performance on one side and backstage chaos on the other.<\/p>\n

Lopez said he would like to see the program grow even more. To start with, he\u2019s actively looking for professionals who can lead a weekend workshop for both high school interns and San Jose State students, as well as provide a financial sponsorship to keep the program going. But the ambitious goal is the Lighting the Future campaign, which aims to raise $1 million and create seasonal jobs and scholarships for students while modernizing Christmas in the Park\u2019s displays.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWatching these students take real ownership of this project has been one of the proudest things we have been a part of,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThey are exactly the kind of talent we want to keep here in San Jose, and they are showing the next generation what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be able to see the students\u2019 finished work when Christmas in the Park opens Nov. 27, the Friday after Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

Read more Suspected car thief arrested in Union City after tense standoff<\/a><\/p>\n

HERITAGE ORCHARD GROWS ON:\u00a0<\/strong> Elisabeth Maurer tells me that even though Charlie Olson has retired at age 91, the Sunnyvale heritage orchard is still quite fruitful. Maurer took over Olson\u2019s agreement with Sunnyvale to continue to farm the orchard on Remington Drive, and cherry season is in full swing with apricot season fast approaching.<\/p>\n

Bing and Rainier cherries, apricots, jars of Elisabeth\u2019s Jam and dried fruit are still available for sale at the Apricot Store at the orchard barn. You can check out some of the products online at www.apricot-store.com. And Maurer says you still might run into Olson if you visit.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCharlie still has his office at the barn and likes to visit with customers and friends,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

STILL GOING STEADY:<\/strong> Let\u2019s raise a toast to a couple of June weddings that started long before Silicon Valley was even an idea.<\/p>\n

Jim and Joanne Campbell\u2019s family is gathering to celebrate the couple\u2019s 78th anniversary on June 1, their daughter Nancy Brown reports. They were married a week after Joanne graduated from Ansonia High School in Ohio in 1948 and promptly drove west to San Jose.<\/p>\n

And on June 2, Richard and Marjorie Heredia of Gilroy will have their 70th wedding anniversary. The couple\u2019s daughter, Paula Heredia, says they\u2019re both in good health at ages 94 and 90, respectively. In fact, both still drive and her dad even flies his bi-plane on occasion.<\/p>\n

WELL-HEELED GUYS:<\/strong> The YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley\u2019s annual Walk a Mile in Their Shoes will take its usual route around Santana Row on June 11. That stroll may be a bit painful for the guys wearing heels, but it\u2019s more than worth it to support sexual assault survivors and spread awareness about preventing it to begin with.<\/p>\n

With less than two weeks to go, teams have raised more than $80,000 of the $150,000 goal with perennial sponsor Kaiser Permanente leading the way with about a quarter of that total. Other top fundraisers include IBEW Local 332, which always has a good turnout, and Waymo, which makes me wonder if they\u2019ll have high heels walking around without anyone\u2019s feet in them.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still plenty of time to sign up, and it might be good to practice walking in heels. Talk to any woman you know, and they\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s a skill. Get more details at\u00a0bit.ly\/walkamileintheirshoes2026.<\/p>\n

Read more After emotional hearing, bail denied in DUI death of Ethiopian community leader<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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