Berryessa art-wine festival on tap in May

The 34th annual Berryessa Art and Wine Festival, San Jose's oldest neighborhood festival, will take place on Saturday, May 9, at Penitencia Creek Park, 3050 Berryessa Road, San Jose. The free, one-day event, will go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Berryessa Art and Wine Festival raises money to keep music education available to all students in the Berryessa Union School District. The festival is run entirely by volunteers. In 2005, the festival Planning Committee received the "Good Neighbor Award" during San Jose's State of the City Address.

Recognized and endorsed by the City of San Jose as San Jose's original, largest, and oldest community festival, this pre-Mother's Day ritual has also become a homecoming for the area, attracting around 10,000 people annually.

Festival goers will find a day filled with live musical performances by local students, 100 arts and crafts booths, local and cult wines, micro-brewed beers and food prepared by community groups. New this year is the Kid's Fun Zone, a carnival area for the little ones.

Community Row, where local non-profit groups can share information about their organizations with the public, will have free spaces in the front of the park. All non-profit groups are encouraged and welcomed to apply.

One of the featured musical performers is Independence High School's 76th Cavalry Marching Band, who will be representing San Jose in London's 2010 New Year's Day parade. The band has accepted an official invitation by representatives from the queen of England. Also taking the stage will be students with the South Bay School of Music Arts and students of Chinese instrumental music.

All proceeds from the Berryessa Art and Wine Festival go directly to the school district's music program. Funds are allocated between supplementing budget shortages for school music, repairing old instruments, and purchasing new instruments, including a piano for each of the district schools.

The Berryessa Union School District has 13 schools (10 elementary, three middle) and about 25 percent of the students (more than 2,000) participate in the music program. All three middle schools offer choral, band, and orchestral music at multiple levels. The elementary schools offer third-graders violin, while fourth- and fifth- graders can participate in band and orchestra.