Up-and-Coming Country Stars
KRTY 95.3 will be broadcasting live from the Festival on Friday
and Saturday and will be hosting “Hot Country Sunday” on
the Amphitheater Stage, with performances from talented new
country stars Mitchell Tenpenny, Travis Denning, and Cale Dodds.
Be sure to bring your dancing shoes!
Garlic Chef Jr. Competition for Kids
Inspired by popular TV shows like MasterChef Junior and Kids
Baking Championship, this year there will be a new “Garlic Chef
Jr.” contest on Friday afternoon on the Garlic Cook-Off Stage for
young chefs ages 18 and under.
2018 Garlic Festival
Queen, Sloane Pace, with
First Runner Up Maricel
Gomez, Second Run-
ner Up, Searra Harding,
and her court: Jennesa
Andrade, Melinda Colbert,
Lauryn Longoria Frida Arias,
Anrianna Molina, Sophia
Bocher and Kylie Kuwada.
Christopher Ranch and
the Great Garlic Giveaway
Of course, there would be no Gilroy Garlic Festival without garlic
grower Don Christopher (who was one of the Festival’s three
founding fathers, along with visionary Rudy Malone and master
chef Val Filice). The Christopher family and Christopher Ranch
have been an integral part of the Festival’s tremendous success
and have made a lasting impact on the local community.
In addition to supplying over 80 tons of fresh California-
grown garlic over the last 40 years, Christopher Ranch has also
supported the Festival in countless other ways—from hosting the
garlic braiding and topping events and sponsoring celebrity chef
appearances on the Cook-Off Stage to funding improvements to
the Christmas Hill Park Amphitheater and providing scholarships
for the Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen Pageant.
In recognition of the Christopher family’s tremendous
contributions, this year all Gilroy Garlic Festival Association
members will be wearing shirts embroidered with the Christopher
Ranch logo.
And as part of the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s 40th annual
celebration, Christopher Ranch will give away FREE genuine
California-grown garlic bulbs to the first 4,000 Festival guests
each morning—and will also award a full year’s supply of garlic
products to four lucky winners! You can enter to win on the
Christopher Ranch Facebook page (@thechristopherranch).
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
2018 Queen, Sloane Pace
Every year since 1979, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has
crowned a "Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen” to reign over
the festivities. Kathleen Bendel was the very first Miss Gilroy
Garlic Festival Queen. Though hairstyles and fashion have
changed, the elements of judging and the queen's duties
remain the same.
This year, ten contestants were judged by a panel of
five judges on personal interview, talent, garlic speech and
on-stage question. The queen and her court will represent
Gilroy at various festivities leading up to the Gilroy Garlic
Festival. They will also have the opportunity to make guest
appearances in local print, radio, TV and online media, in
parades, and at fundraising events. They will also be on
hand for the three days of the Festival to welcome guests
and to have a garlicky good time.
Sloane pace was crowned this year's queen at the
annual scholarship pageant held in May at Gilroy Gardens
Family Theme Park. She is currently a senior at Gilroy High
School and plans to attend U.C. Berkeley in the fall. As
queen, she was awarded the $1,000 top prize from the
Gilroy Garlic Festival Association as well as a $10,000
scholarship from Christopher Ranch. Pace also won the
Garlic Speech competition with "The Garlic Cruise” and was
awarded $1,000 from Olam.
JUNE/JULY 2018
gmhtoday.com