Around Town: Here comes the Fourth

PET MODELS … For over a year, Palo Alto High School rising senior Jai Wadhwani has been photographing local pets, creating a business from the moody and playful shoots. While he’s had a knack for photography since he was a child, his business was not for personal gain, but for his four-legged friends. On July 1st at 2 p.m., Wadhwani will present a large $8,000 check – the money he’s raised for local animal shelters Pets In Need and Sunrise Horse Rescue through his thriving business. When Wadhwani visited a few local animal shelters in 2021, looking for his first pet dog, he immediately noticed the orphaned pets’ poor living conditions, according to a Weekly article. It was then that he decided he wanted to raise money for pet rescue and animal welfare in the area. The big check reveal will be hosted at Pets In Need at 3281 E Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA. 

FUN FOR THE FOURTH … The City of Palo Alto is hosting its 40th 4th of July Chili Cook Off on Independence Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mitchell Park. This year features eight family teams and three corporate teams, including Palo Alto Professional Firefighters, vying for six cash prizes including “Best Spirit Award,” “Best Decorated Booth,” “Best Overall Chili” and “People’s Choice Award,” decided by the first 3,000 people to receive a free chili tasting wristband at 11 a.m. “We do have limited quantities, so if folks are interested, I suggest they come at 10:30, 10:45 to line up,” said Lance LeDrew, recreation coordinator of special events for the City of Palo Alto. In addition to free chili tasting, find a variety of food trucks, including Twister Food Truck serving orange chicken and pork katsu, Oaxacan Kitchen serving burritos and nachos, I Love Cheesesteak serving cheesesteaks with an Asian twist, Chubbys Chickn serving Nashville hot chicken, and more. Beer and margaritas will also be available.This family friendly event has a kids’ corner with arts and crafts and bouncy houses. San Francisco-based Motown mashup band Steady Eddy and the Shakers will provide live entertainment. Water refill stations will be available. LeDrew estimates there will be around 4,000 to 5,000 people coming out to this year’s event. “Parking is very limited, so walk or ride your bike,” LeDrew said. “Bring a blanket, bring some sunscreen.”

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN … Palo Alto formally thanked last week an all-star team of departing civic volunteers, some of whom have spent two decades or more advising the City Council on complex topics such as electricity rates, race relations, and historical buildings. The list of resolutions that the council approved on June 17 includes three members of the Historic Resources Board – Gogo Heinrich, Michael Makinen and Margaret Wimmer, and two former chairs of the Utilities Advisory Commission, Lauren Segal and Lisa Forsell. Nia Taylor, a member of the Public Art Commission, got council kudos for her contributions, as had Human Relations Commission member Daryl Savage and two Stormwater Management Oversight Committee members, Marilyn Keller and David Bower. The departure of Makinen, an aerospace engineer and historic preservation expert, is particularly notable. He has been serving on the historic board for 26 years before concluding his term in May. The council resolution lauds him for “outstanding public service,” for acting as a steward for the city’s historic resources and for “contributing to the retention of historically and culturally important features of our built environment.”