Christmas in the Park opening drive-thru event to bikes — for one night only

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition posed an interesting question to Christmas in the Park Managing Director Debbie Degutis: Would bikes be allowed at its Drive-Thru Light Show event at History Park?

Her answer — yes and no.

Degutis decided it wouldn’t be prudent to mix bikes and cars, especially with thousands of twinkling lights, decorated buildings and whimsical holiday displays distracting both drivers and cyclists. But it got everyone thinking and the result is that for one night only — Sunday, Nov. 24 — the drive-thru event will be solely a bike-thru event.

Of course, you don’t have to bike all the way to History Park on Senter Road and Phelan Avenue. You can park your vehicle for free in the History Park lot, unload your bike and ride through the display. There’s also plans to have two food trucks and a dessert truck in the parking lot if you want to make a night of it.

Tickets are $10 for an individual and $20 for families (up to two adults and three kids). You can purchase tickets at www.fareharbor.com/christmasinthepark/items — and you can also get tickets there for the Drive Thru Light Show, which starts Nov. 21 and runs through Jan. 1 and is the primary revenue source that keeps the downtown Christmas in the Park display free for visitors.

SCOUTS TAKE FLIGHT: Gary Robinson, founder of Magnum Drywall in San Jose, has a couple of big interests — aviation and country music — and both were celebrated Thursday night when he was honored with the 50th annual Distinguished Citizen award from the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of Scouting America.

The venue for the dinner was the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. And the entertainment was provided by country music singers Caleb Montgomery and Stephen Cochran. Cochran, in fact, used to play at the Saddle Rack in Fremont, which Robinson co-owned.

The combination must have worked, as emcee Todd Trekell announced the event — attended by about 275 people — raised $548,000 to help fund a scholarship program in Robinson’s name to help scouts who can’t afford to go to Camp Hi-Sierra in the summer.

COLLABORATION IN FAITH: Santa Clara University just completed a collaboration with the Minnesota-based Opus Foundation, which partners with a different Catholic university each year in a process that culminated Thursday in the award of the $1.2 million Opus Prize given to social entrepreneurs from a faith tradition.

Santa Clara was involved at just about every level, with 33 members of the university community serving on an oversight committee — chaired by Molly McDonald, chief of staff for the office of the president, and Matthew Carnes, SCU’s vice president for mission and ministry — that picked “Faith Makes Wonders Work” as this year’s theme. More than a dozen Santa Clara alumni and other community leaders served as Opus Prize jurors, and 16 SCU students, faculty and staff members were ambassadors who joined on site visits to the prize finalists.

At a ceremony held Thursday at SCU’s Mayer Theatre, Sister Francisca Ngozi Uti was named the $1 million laureate for her organization dedicated to the social, legal and political equality of women in Nigeria. The other two finalists received $100,000 each.

Santa Clara University President Julie Sullivan said Uti and the other two finalists “have brought a powerful model of hope and resilience to our university community, and we have been profoundly touched by the Opus Prize experience.”

FEELING ‘WICKED’ SMART: Husband and wife team John and Jenn Torrey, who host RiskyQuizness trivia nights in San Jose, will host a “Wicked” Quiz Night at the Tech Interactive before the highly anticipated movie opens on the IMAX dome theater there Nov. 22.

“A Wicked Night Out” will include prizes for best costumes, as well as themed snacks and pink and green Icees available at the concession stand. The fun gets started at 6 p.m., and tickets are available at ticketing.thetech.org.

Meanwhile, the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto will give “Wicked” fans an old school treat with two weekends of the 1939 classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” starting Nov. 22 and continuing through Dec. 1. It’ll screen four times a day with a special $5 admission. In the weeks that follow, the classic movie house will be showing “Mary Poppins,” “The Shop Around the Corner” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”

And the best news of all is that the Christmas Eve screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life” is back this year, with advance tickets going on sale Dec. 7. Go to www.stanfordtheatre.com for the full schedule.

SEASON’S GREETINGS: The Valle Monte League’s hoping people don’t miss the train for this year’s Christmas Tree Elegance events, “Christmas on the Orient Express,” at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Dec. 6.

Ticket sales end Nov. 19 for the brunch and evening events, which include a fashion show (featuring Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito) and eight elaborate, professionally designed Christmas trees loaded with gifts. Go to www.vallemonte.org for more details.

Speaking of holiday gifts, the Villa Montalvo Service Group’s Yuletide Holiday Boutique returns to the historic Saratoga venue on Nov. 22-23. The marketplace will feature 13 local vendors, a sewing boutique and a vintage treasures shop each day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Not a bad way to get some early holiday shopping done and do a good deed at the same time, given that proceeds benefit the maintenance and preservation of the historic villa.