By Paul Rogers
Sunday, September 11, 2005

Bands played. The sun shone. Birds chirped. And thousands of people bicycled, walked and picnicked Saturday afternoon as San Jose embraced the Guadalupe River like a long-lost friend finally back for good.

The all-day celebration marked the opening of the Bay Area's newest park, Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, a 250-acre, 2.6 mile-long swath of green along the banks of Silicon Valley's signature river in downtown San Jose.

``It's what we've always pictured the park being. It's everything we hoped for,'' said Kathy Fuller, executive director of Friends of Guadalupe Park & Gardens, which organized the event.

Built as part of a $350 million flood control project that was completed in January, the park represents a major face-lift for San Jose, one that city leaders hope will help revitalize the downtown of America's 10th-largest city in the same way that similar riverfront park projects have energized Portland, Ore., San Antonio, Cincinnati and other cities.

``This is a huge milestone for our city and our downtown,'' said San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales.

Organizers expected up to 50,000 people to attend the event through the day. By late afternoon, they said the projections seemed on target.

``Politicians are telling us today that it's beautiful,'' said Ron Soto, a San Jose resident who visited with his wife, Peggy, and three children. ``But the beauty of nature here in the park speaks for itself.''

The area, particularly huge lawns at Confluence Park near Santa Clara Street, will make a great home for festivals and outdoor concerts, Soto said.

``It's pretty cool,'' he added. ``It's not another concrete building. This park is long overdue. It's nice to see the city paying more attention to the river.''

The Guadalupe River runs 15 miles from the Santa Cruz Mountains through downtown San Jose before emptying in San Francisco Bay at Alviso. Named by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza in 1777, the river was the site of California's first state capital in 1849. Its waters were used by farmers who grew the orchards that would become the ``Valley of Heart's Delight.''

Former San Jose Mayor Ron James, now 77, said Saturday he remembers swimming in the river with friends as a boy in the 1930s. They'd collect driftwood for fires, fish and race over after classes at Abraham Lincoln Grammar School, once located where the San Jose Convention Center now sits.

``This was our playground, where there were swimming holes and rope swings. It's always meant a lot to me, and to see it today, this is just wonderful,'' said James.

By the 1960s, however, the Guadalupe was neglected, polluted, lined with warehouses, choked with trash and visited mostly by vagrants.

James was one of the first leaders to suggest the park be integrated as part of an Army Corps of Engineers flood control project.

``They planned to build a cement ditch through downtown San Jose,'' said U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, who spoke at the ceremony Saturday. ``We looked at it and said, `That just won't be suitable.' ''

After threats of lawsuits from environmentalists and retooling by the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and the Santa Clara Valley Water District in the 1990s, a greener project emerged with more trees, the lawns and two huge underground bypass channels providing the city with 100-year flood protection.

To be sure, some parts of the park weren't quite finished Saturday. Dozens of signs won't be up for a few weeks and some sections of trail won't be completed until next year or later.

Most people didn't mind.

``It's marvelous for biking. Very nicely done,'' said Birgitta Bower of Newark, who rode 5.2 miles on the trails with her children, Sam, 7, and Sara, 5. ``This gives a very nice impression of San Jose for visitors. We've driven by here, but I never understood there was a park here. It's a great asset for the city.''

Contact Paul Rogers at progers@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5045.

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