Gavilan College kicks off its centennial year with a gala event looking back at its first 100 years on Sept. 7, 2019, on the college campus.
Gilroy, CA, December 08, 2018 — Gavilan College kicks off its centennial year with a gala event looking back at its first 100 years on Sept. 7, 2019, on the college campus.
“Gavilan Through The Decades” will be held from 5:30–9:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the college at 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. in Gilroy. Tickets are now available as are sponsorships ranging from $500 to $50,000.
Gala guests will take a nostalgic and informative stroll through the decades of Gavilan’s history from the 1920s to today. Each decade will feature areas of academia highlighted with education tables, as well as food stations with themed food from each decade, wine stations, live music, photo booths, students in period costume, formal portraits, live auction, silent auction, strolling card magician in a tuxedo, and a string quartet.
When guests check in, they will be given a commemorative wine glass and a program for the evening that contains a map that highlights where each decade is located and what is taking place in each decade’s area.
“We are really looking forward to this celebration, and look forward to welcoming the community to campus for the party of the century!” said Dr. Kathleen Rose, Superintendent / President of Gavilan College.
From 5:30-7:15 p.m., guests will stroll Sycamore Lane on campus to take in the Roaring ’20s through the Jazzy ’40s, which will be highlighted by three wine station, three themed food stations, three areas of academia, a student jazz band, and students in period costumes strolling and speaking to guests.
As guests continue to stroll through the ages on Sycamore Lane, they will enter the Rockin’ ’50s area, where they will be greeted by a fourth winery, adult milkshake bar, food station from the ’50s, and performers in poodle skirts and ducktail haircuts dancing away to the music of the ’50s.
At the end of Sycamore Lane, guests will enter the Student Center Courtyard, where they will savor the sights, sounds and flavors of the decades from the 1960s through the 1990s. There they will be greeted by four more winery stations and food stations with themed food from each decade, two areas of academia, a strolling card magician in a tuxedo, a photo booth with costumes and props from the ’60s to the ’90s. Guests will be able to take home a strip of photos from their photo shoot.
At 7:15 p.m. the outdoor reception areas close and the doors open to the Student Center, where the 2000s to the present will be highlighted and where the elegant evening gala takes place. Guests will be greeted by a string quartet and can get their formal portraits taken. Photos in a keepsake folder will be ready one hour after being taken. Guests will enjoy passed appetizers as well as gourmet themed food stations featuring the region’s bounty. They can bid on more than 70 items at the silent auction area, as well as an opportunity drawing with five prizes. There will also be a handful of live auction items.
At 7:50 p.m., the program will begin with a welcome from Superintendent/President Dr. Kathleen A. Rose, who will share the history of the college, acknowledge all sponsors and dignitaries, introduce all honorees from each decade and present them or their family representatives with a plaque, draw winners of opportunity drawing, conduct a live auction, and close the silent auction at 8:30 p.m.
At 8:45 p.m., guests can check out and pick up their formal portrait. The event will end at 9:00 p.m.
Gavilan College was established in 1919 as the San Benito County Junior College, operating under that name until 1963, when a new community college district was drawn that included both San Benito County and southern Santa Clara County. The college moved to its present main campus in 1968.
In 1997, satellite sites were added in Hollister and Morgan Hill to augment offerings on the main campus. In 2008, land was purchased in Coyote Valley and San Benito County for the development of additional campuses. In 2017, Phase 1 of the Coyote Valley Center was completed, becoming Gavilan’s newest instructional site and the home for South Bay Public Safety Training Consortium police and fire academies.
Gavilan College is one of 114 California community colleges, a part of the largest system of higher education in the world.
Sponsorships, which offer a number of benefits depending on level of sponsorship, including gala tickets, signage, promotion and advertising, social media and website promotion, and more, are now available. To become a sponsor, contact ‘Bobbi Jo Palmer’ bpalmer@gavilan.edu
To purchase tickets, go to https://www.gavilan.edu.
Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
