Modified Gilroy Garlic Festival brings in hundreds of patrons

GILROY, Calif. (KION) The sound of the sizzle and the heat of the flames.

It is the return of a summer tradition in Gilroy after a tragedy and a pandemic put the Garlic Festival on hiatus. There are big changes this year though because of the COVID-19 pandemic. No one is walking around, it is a drive-thru-only event.

The safety protocols are not stopping hundreds of people from coming out in their cars to enjoy a little shrimp scampi and garlic fries.

"The entertainment, the camaraderie with our community here in Gilroy and just having a fun time," said Daniel Garcia, a Gilroy resident.

While in years past, the festival's famed Gourmet Alley brought in thousands of strollers for its sweet, garlic aroma and jaw-punching flavors, this time, patrons got to sit in their cars after ordering ahead of time to get their food.

The festival is being held at Gilroy Presbyterian Church.

"Really, in this last week as we've got things set up here in getting a new, reimagined Gourmet Alley set up and just all the components that are here, it just feels right," said Tom Cline, the president of the Gilroy Garlic Festival.

And as the community picks itself back up from a mass shooting in 2019 and a still-ongoing global pandemic, there is only one thing getting them through, besides a little garlic.

"What I call it, there's one word: resilience," said Cline.

For more information on Gilroy Garlic Festival events, click here.