District Blog

Liquid Bread Gastropub in Downtown Campbell welcomes you to join us for our Happy Hour, held Tuesday-Friday, 3pm-6pm. We offer $3 off draft beer and wine by the glass, plus a select appetizer menu and cheese and salumi plates. Our dinner service begins at 5:30pm...if you order a meal then, you can beat the rush!

What's a gastropub? It's a pub that specializes in serving high-quality food and beer...a blend of gastronomy and pub. Liquid Bread invites you to indulge in California cuisine highlighted by local and seasonal ingredients complimented with local wine and craft beer.

Have you ever wanted to unleash your creative energy in a space that is not your own house but will be seen and admired by many? Perhaps decorating one of the rooms in the Historic Ainsley House is for you!

Campbell's Ainsley House has a few rooms still available to decorate for the holidays. The theme for 2013 is Silver Bells Holidays. Decorating will need to take place November 9-13, and decorations will stay up through Dec 19.

The Ainsley House provides guidelines for decorating inside a historic structure and does have some decorations available for you to use in your own creative way, or you may bring in your own decorations if desired.

If this sounds like a fun and different way to get into the holiday spirit, please contact Kerry Perkins for more information at 408-866 2718.

The Campbell Historical Museum & Ainsley House needs you! Our museums only run with the help of our wonderful, selfless volunteers. Can you spare a few hours every month to help out? Please contact the museum at 408-866-2758 or via email if you're interested in volunteering. Don't fancy being a docent? Not a problem! We also need people to work at the admissions desk, in the gift shop, and in the garden. We can use volunteers with all sorts of talents! Contact us and we can talk about how you can volunteer here.

The Campbell Historical Museum offers artifacts and memorabilia that help us interpret and recall the vanishing world of Santa Clara's past. We have an acclaimed education program that has received outstanding marks from teachers and students from many districts in our county.

The cupcake wars are over - and the winner is Campbell's own Frost Cupcake Factory (199 E Campbell Ave), a Downtown Campbell premier confectionary.

Out-baking competitors on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars, Frost owner Andrea Parks won a $10,000 prize. She and Frost cupcake designer Ashley Ingoglia mixed ingredients ranging from red beets to figs which led to the victory proclaiming the shop Cupcake Wars Champion!

The third competitor in the entire Bay Area to win the title, Frost Cupcake Factory is the first in the South Bay to win. According to Andrea, "I am so proud of not only my shop and my team, but also for the chance to represent my hometown of Campbell on national television."

In addition to the 3 winning cupcake flavors (Peanut Butter Moon Pie, Borscht Apple Pie, and Tear, I Miss You), Frost serves 12 original flavors and 8 extra flavors which change each day of the week! Not ready to commit to a full-sized cupcake? On Mini-Mondays, smaller versions of their highly popular flavors are available. Curbside service and delivery is available with advance orders, please phone 408-866-YUMM.

Campbell Middle School (CMS) is seeking community members to be part of a panel to judge and grade projects presented by each 8th grade student. The students must demonstrate their achievements and apply what they have learned during their tenure at CMS to their individual projects.

This is a fun and worthwhile event that many civic, business and committed community members participate in.

Location: Campbell Middle School (295 Cherry Lane)
Date: Thursday, May, 30, 2013
Time: There will be two shifts (if feeling ambitious you can work both)
*8:15am-12:00pm
*1:00pm-3:15pm

Lunch will be served from 12pm until 1pm (it's a good opportunity to network with other members of the Campbell Community).

If you would like to participate or would like more information please contact Michelle Valine (Principal's Secretary), at 408.364.4222 or [email protected].

May is National Historic Preservation Month. As part of the celebration, there are five new plaques on some of Downtown Campbell's most historic buildings. Sized 17" by 11", they were installed Monday, April 30, 2013 by Brett Stollenwerk, Barry Shilman, and Susan Blake. This project was graciously funded by Campbell Rotary and the effort was spearheaded by Neil Collins, Susan Blake, and Sally Howe.

You can find the plaques on the homes of the following businesses. We invite you to come to Downtown Campbell and check them out!

Palazzi Salon, 274 E Campbell Ave (formerly The Country Women's Club)

Allied Financial Network, 365 E Campbell Ave (formerly the First Bank of Campbell / Farley Building)

Villa de Style & others, 383-393 E Campbell Ave (formerly the Downing Building)

Blue Line Pizza, 415 E Campbell Ave (formerly the B.O. Curry Building)

Campbell Cafe, 360 E Campbell Ave (formerly the First Bank of Campbell)

Photos taken by Social Wave at the Color Me Spring 2013 fashion event are now on the Downtown Campbell website! View the DowntownCampbell.com album here.

Many photos were also taken by Geoffrey Smith II, a photographer with The Metro. View Smith's album on metroactive.com.

Color Me Spring, a fashion event held at Villa Ragusa on Thursday, April 25, 2013 featured a fashion show, food tastings, local vendors, live entertainment, and raffle prizes. It was presented by the Downtown Campbell Business Association and Villa Ragusa.

Beginning April 14, 2013, San Jose Water Company will be conducting road work in Downtown Campbell, 10pm-6am, Sunday nights to Friday mornings. On some days, the work hours may be extended to 10am. Expect road closures during those hours. Water services will not be interrupted.

Why the hassle? San Jose Water Company will be retiring its 79 year old water main in Downtown Campbell and will replace the main with new pipeline along East Campbell Avenue from 3rd Street to the railroad tracks. The work will also include a water main replacement on Central Avenue from East Campbell Avenue to City Hall.

Beginning the week of April 21, 2013 there will be Mainline trenching on E. Campbell Avenue. This work will progress from east to west, block by block. It is anticipated that it will take approximately one week to trench per city block.

For more information, please read the SJ Water Company's notice; download the work map; or contact San Jose Water Company's Contractor, Lewis & Tibbitts, at 408-925-0220 or San Jose Water Company at 408-279-7900.

Photos from the 15th Annual Bunnies & Bonnets Parade in Downtown Campbell on Saturday, March 30, 2013 are now online! To view the album, please click here.

Thanks to Sally Howe, owner of The Campbell Express, for organizing this amazing family event and all the great volunteers who helped out that day, particularly the big contingent from The Home Church.

Christmas is coming, and the good merchants of Downtown Campbell are bringing holiday cheer to the community every Friday (6pm-9pm) and Saturday (12pm-3pm), December 7 - 22. Join us for great shopping, special sales, and holiday entertainment!

Why get stuck at the mall? Bring your family to Downtown Campbell, support local merchants by doing some holiday shopping, savor a delicious meal, and enjoy the relaxed, charming, small-town atmosphere.

The Campbell Chamber of Commerce is currently seeking volunteers for the 18th Annual Oktoberfest, taking place October 13 and 14. Being a volunteer at this event is lots of fun! From meeting new people to listening to all the live music, you won't want to miss being a part of such a great event.

Shifts are available:
Saturday, 9:30am-1:30pm
Saturday, 1:15pm-5:45pm
Sunday, 9:30am-1:00pm
Sunday, 12:45pm-4:45pm

To volunteer, please download and fill out the Oktoberfest Volunteer Form and return it to the office of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce.

The City of Campbell would like the community to be aware of a temporary road closure of a portion of East Campbell Avenue in Downtown Campbell, from Central Avenue to the light rail tracks.

In order to minimize impact on businesses and commuters, the majority of the work will be performed at night. The closure will take place on Wednesday night, August 29, 2012 lasting until early Thursday morning, August 30. The road will also be closed on Tuesday, September 4, 7am-11am.

This work is being done to create a new utility connection for electrical service to 400 E. Campbell Avenue (the former Gaslighter Theater). The utility connection will require trenching on E. Campbell Avenue from an existing transformer in the westbound travel lane on E. Campbell Avenue to the project site. The closure is due to the narrow roadway and proximity to the light rail tracks.

Other work will taking place during the daytime hours, August 29 - September 7, 2012, will have traffic control in place as needed. This will allow through traffic, but the community is advised to expect traffic delays.

For more information, please contact Ed Arango, Civil Engineer, City of Campbell, 308-866-2166.

The Downtown Campbell Business Association (DCBA) wants to hear what you think about the new layout for the Sunday Farmers' Market. In the DCBA's negotiations with Urban Village Farmers' Market Association and the City of Campbell, the decision was made by all parties to change how farmers' booths are arranged along East Campbell Avenue beginning July 15, 2012.

If you have attended the market since July 15, please let us know what you think! Send an e-mail to [email protected] answering the following questions and adding any comments you'd like to make. Your feedback will be taken into consideration as the groups decide whether or not to continue with the new layout.

1) I shop the Downtown Campbell Farmers' Market…
a. every Sunday
b. 2-3 times per month
c. once a month or less

2) My thoughts about the new Farmers' Market layout are…
a. I like the new market layout and will return to shop
b. I prefer the shopping experience of the original market layout
c. I don't have a preference