gmhTODAY 20 gmhToday June July 2018 | Page 74

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). 74 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