San Jose’s Italian Family Festa seems fresher than ever

It’s no surprise for things to get a little creaky when you get into your 40s. But that hasn’t been the case for the Italian Family Festa, which rolls out its 43rd edition at History Park this Saturday and Sunday.

If anything, the cultural celebration has seemed more energetic and fresher than ever since the Italian American Heritage Foundation — which is marking its 50th anniversary this year — brought it back from a two-year, COVID-imposed hiatus in 2022.

The biggest draws for the Festa still remain the music and food, and that’s certainly no different this year with performers from Opera San Jose, the Joe DeRose Quartet and the Millennium Sounds Orchestra in the weekend lineup. And food? Well, if you weren’t lucky enough to grab tickets to this weekend’s sold out Gilroy Garlic Festival, you should be able to scratch that itch (along with your pizza, sausage, ravioli and cannoli itches).

It’s also always fun to watch chef John D’Ambrosio fling pizza dough through the air — and teach others to come pretty close — or to chill in the wine-tasting garden.

But the fun highlight that’s really taken off in the last couple of years is the Celebrity Mayor Grape Stomp, which features many of the political bigfoots in Santa Clara County.

This year’s lineup is expected to include San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor, Milpitas Mayor Carmen Montano, Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein and Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner. I’ve also heard that former Stanford and 49ers quarterback John Paye is tossing his feet into the ring, er, bucket.

Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill — which is celebrating its own 100th anniversary this year — has been part of the event for more than 25 years. Gene Guglielmo, who runs the winery with his brother, Winemaker George Guglielmo, says it’s been an honor to contribute the most important part of the grape stomp — the grapes — each year.

“It’s one of the most anticipated traditions — full of laughter, cheers, and yes, purple feet — and watching local celebrities jump into the barrels always draws a crowd,” Guglielmo said. “It’s a joyful nod to our winemaking roots and a celebration of Italian heritage that never gets old.”

There are several rounds of the grape stomp scheduled on both Saturday and Sunday, including some for non-celebrity feet. You can find out when — as well as get the rest of the activity lineup — at www.italianfamilyfestasj.org. By the way, there’s another sign that the festival is keeping up with the times: all the festival information — including music, food, parking and a venue map — is on a smartphone app.

The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday and runs until 7 p.m. then continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but parking is $10 at the History Park parking lot and may be limited so carpooling is suggested.

TECH AFTER DARK: It’s funny to think that the kids who visited the Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose back in the late 1990s and early 2000s are now grown-ups and likely parents themselves. That’s the age-group the Tech is zeroing in on for the latest edition of its “Tech at Nite” event on Thursday.

You’ll have to leave the kids at home for the over-21 party, which starts at 8 p.m. and runs until 11. During that time, the grown-ups will have full run of the Tech exhibits. They also can get crafty with a 1990s-inspired Pom-Pom Party Art Workshop led by Sarah Galaxy with Local Color or take part in a Science of Whiskey Tasting workshop led by the award-winning crew at 10th Street Distillery.

There’ll be appropriate tunes from the era, curated by Universal Grammar, too. More details and tickets for “Tech at Nite: Rewind” are available at www.thetech.org/techatnite.

CHEERS: The Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club added to its long and illustrious history on Monday when the MVLA Gunners, its under-16 girls team, won the Elite Clubs National League championship in Richmond, Va. The team — led by goal-scorers Chloe Miller, Sophie McCarthy and Isabella Bertolucci and goalkeeper Anneliese Braun — defeated a team from Kansas City 3-1.

Founded as the Los Altos Soccer Club in 1972, MVLA’s notable alumni include Bay FC defender Abby Dahlkemper, former Earthquakes player Joe Cannon (now MVLA’s executive director) and Bay FC Coach Albertin Montoya, who is MVLA’s director of coaching.