Coyote Peak Sign Dedication, October 25, 2014, Santa Teresa Park

For months, the Friends of Santa Teresa Park has been planning a dedication celebration for the sign on Saturday October 25, 2014. The plan was to have introductory ceremonies at the Pueblo Picnic Area, then transport guests by park van to Coyote Peak, where the sign would be unveiled. However, wet weather in the morning prevented going up to the peak, which was in and out of rain clouds. Instead, all the ceremonies were held in the Pueblo Area. This is what it looked like at the Hidden Springs Trailhead that morning. These pictures and the ones below were taken by Ron Horii, except the ones marked CH, which were taken by Chris Horii.

Rain and mist came drifting in and out. CH

The Friends of Santa Teresa Park held the sign ceremony in the covered group picnic site at the Pueblo Area in Santa Teresa Park. The County Parks Dept. granted permission to use the picnic site free of charge and allowed participants to park for free.

This is the sign welcoming visitors to the celebration event. The stop time was assuming we would be going up to Coyote Peak, then returning. The City of San Jose's CAP (Community Action and Pride) Grant paid for expenses to hold the celebration.

Since we couldn't unveil the real sign, we used a full-size proof copy to stand in for it.

This was table for a silent auction and refreshments.

These are the refreshments, which were donated. The students are from Bernal Intermediate School. FOSTP member Roxanne Koopman on the right is a Bernal School PE teacher and head of the California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF) there.

These are the donated drinks.

These are some of the silent auction prizes, which were donated.

FOSTP member Dorene Boulland (right), enjoys some of the coffee cake.

FOSTP members Woody Collins (left) and Sam Drake (right) talk with Garnetta Annable of the Open Space Authority of Santa Clara County (center).

FOSTP president Mike Boulland greets the visitors.

Chris Horii (right) is taking pictures of the event. FOSTP member Greg Koopman (left of Garnetta) helped organize the event.

Rich Robertson (in yellow) built the sign stand.

The Conor Larkin Jazz Trio from Santa Teresa High School provided entertainment.

The visitors listens to the jazz band. CH

The poster on the table shows Santa Teresa Park events. CH

Ranger Ali Henry (left) helped direct traffic. Park Interpretive Program Julie Lee (right) has been working with FOSTP over the years on the sign project.

One of the students carries around the donation jar.

County Parks Director Robb Courtney came to see the celebration.

Julie Lee talks to Rich Robertson and Sam Drake. Behind Sam, a flag is attached to the park sign. The original plan was to raise the flag on Coyote Peak.

FOSTP Vice President and NAQCPA (New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association) President Kitty Monahan (in pink) and FOSTP member Ed Jackson to her left helped with the celebration.

Sam Drake was the MC for the event. Sam is also president of the Umunhum Conservancy, which is working to preserve the radar tower on Mt. Umunhum.

Cub Scout Pack 274 lead the group in the flag salute.

This is the audience watching the ceremonies.

Mike Boulland thanks all the people who made the sign and celebration possible.

Mike thanks Director Courtney for all the help from his staff.

Mike is preparing to take a selfie with all the people at the event.

Everybody waves at Mike's camera.

Mike points out the sign that we are about to unveil.

The Cub Scouts unveil the sign.

This poster shows early concepts for the sign.

Julie Lee talks about her experiences with the sign project and working with FOSTP to get it done.

We gather outside to take a group picture with the sign. It had been raining minutes earlier, but the rain stopped just in time. CH

Ron describes the trails to Coyote Peak. CH

Justice Paul Bernal, whose ancestors founded Rancho Santa Teresa, came to thank FOSTP for their efforts to support Santa Teresa Park over the years.

Ron passes copies of the FOSTP newsletter. CH

Pictures of the Coyote Peak Sign

These pictures below were taken on Friday, October 24, 2014, the day before the unveiling ceremony was to take place. It was sunny and mostly clear. It wasn't clear enough to see all the way to San Francisco, but all of Silicon Valley was visible.

This shows the sign and its location. Below are closeups of the sign.

The sign with Silicon Valley in the background.

The sign with a closer view of downtown San Jose in the background.

The left side of the sign.

The middle of the sign.

The right side of the sign.

The lower right corner of the sign.

This QR code links to www.stpfriends.org.

Telephoto view showing Stanford University.

Telephoto view showing the Golden Gate Bridge towers.

The description in the middle of the sign.

Landmarks in the middle of the sign.

Telephoto view with San Francisco in the background.

Note the credits.

Ron Horii poses with the sign. He and his son Chris took the pictures.

This was taken on 10/26/14, the day after the dedication ceremony. It was clear and sunny again.

This is a view overlooking the Santa Teresa, Blossom Valley, and Edenvale Neighborhoods of San Jose. Directly below is the Santa Teresa Golf Course. Coyote Peak is the terminus of a long segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail in Santa Clara County, which starts from Lexington Reservoir County Park. The trail resumes again on the valley floor along the Coyote Creek Trail, which runs parallel to Hwy 101, seen at the base of the hills on the right.

Acknowledgments

The Friends of Santa Teresa Park would like to thank the following people and organizations (see the link above to the thank you sign for the complete list):

Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department and staff, particularly Robin Schaut, Julie Lee, and Phil Hearin.
City of San Jose's Community Action and Pride Grant Program.
Justice Paul Bernal.
Nich McBrian.
Rich Robertson.
The following businesses for their donations of refreshments for the celebration event:

Starbucks Coffee Bernal Road: coffee.
Sweet Tomatoes: muffins and oranges.
Hobee's: coffee cake

The following businesses for their donations of items for the silent auction:

Dolce Hayes Mansion: $80 Sunday brunch.
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo: $26 tickets for 2.
Children's Musical Theater: $60 tickets for 2.
Fish Market: $50 gift certificate.
Lawrence Hall of Science: $60 family pass.
Nob Hill Market: $25 gift card.
Amici's East Coast Pizzeria: $30 gift certificate.

Greg Koopman for the donation of 2 kids' bicycle helmets for the silent auction.
Bernal Intermediate Intermediate School student volunteers and their parents.
Cub Scout Pack 274.
The Conor Larkin Jazz Trio from Santa Teresa High School.

Coyote Peak Sign Dedication

Santa Teresa County Park

October 25, 2014