Generations of kids in San Jose grew up riding the Danny the Dragon train ride at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. Now, the foundation that supports the park is launching a $500,000 capital campaign to “reimagine” the 63-year-old attraction.
Danny has been Happy Hollow’s longtime beloved mascot, with his green footprints leading visitors to the entrance at Kelley Park and a holiday-themed version of the ride carrying Santa and his elves at a Christmas in the Park display.
The ride, which takes young kids and their parents on a short journey through a storybook land and a glowing, fluorescent tunnel, has long been a fun exercise in kitsch (and a welcome respite for parents and grandparents chasing kids around). But it’s grown a little long in the tooth, and honestly, the “storybook” theme with characters like Snow White and the Three Little Pigs doesn’t really fit with Happy Hollow’s current vibe or mission.
The new experience will instead take visitors through different “lands” as Danny ventures his way back home, with architecture and animals that match the different habitats you can find at Happy Hollow.
“Danny the Dragon is not just about creativity and fun, but also a reminder of the importance of preserving and enriching the lives of both our wildlife and our community,” said Rebecca Turner, who is co-chairing Happy Hollow Foundation’s first-ever capital campaign with Leah Schnoor. “Together, we can create a lasting legacy of conservation, education and play for generations to come.”
The goal is to have the new Danny the Dragon ride funded entirely by community support. And to help contributors feel a little bit of ownership, a recognition program will feature donor names on “dragon scales” displayed along the fence where people line up for the ride. You can learn more about the project at happyhollow.org/support/dannysdream.
RECLAIMING THE GUADALUPE: One of the defining characteristics of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s time in office has been his willingness to roll up his sleeves and take part in park and neighborhood cleanups and beautification projects nearly every weekend. For this coming Saturday, though, Mahan’s office has cooked up what may be “The Mother of All Park Cleanups,” as it is assembling a huge crew of volunteers to tackle the Guadalupe River Park between Woz Way and Julian Street.
People will be painting, planting trees, spreading mulch and cleaning up garbage starting at 9 a.m. The Guadalupe River Park should be an absolute jewel going through the heart of San Jose, but it’s lost a lot of luster in recent years. As homeless encampments have grown along its trails, other users have largely abandoned the park, leaving it susceptible to vandalism and illegal dumping. One day’s work won’t eliminate all those problems, but Mahan told me recently he hopes this big cleanup gets things reset so the park can be a major asset for the big events coming to the area in 2026.
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The other partners taking part in the cleanup include the San Jose Sharks, the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, San Jose State University, Team San Jose, The Trash Punx, the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, San Jose Conservation Corps and the Rotary Club of San Jose, but other volunteers are more than welcome. You can find out more and sign up to volunteer at tinyurl.com/Revitalize-Guadalupe.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL THEATER: I really loved “Anora” director Sean Baker’s impassioned plea during the Oscars on Sunday on behalf of seeing movies in theaters alongside other people. And Baker — who won four Academy Awards with the small-budget Best Picture winner — made a point of singling out independent theaters, which he accurately said are having the hardest time of it.
So what’s the benefit of an independent theater? Well, Paul Gunsky’s locally-owned Cinelux Theatres chain hosts a monthly Monday Movie Matinee at the Los Gatos Theatre for, let’s say, seasoned citizens looking to do something social. Lissa Kreisler, one of the effort’s ringleaders, says they had a real treat this week watching the 1942 classic “Casablanca.” They have more modern fare playing there and at their locations in San Jose, Campbell, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Santa Cruz County.
You’ll also find interesting and different — dare I say, grown-up? — movies at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose. This week, it is showing Berlin Film Festival award winner “The Klezmer Project,” the Italian-French production “Marcello Mio,” starring Catherine Deneuve and her daughter, Chiara Mastroianni; and the tough-to-find Demi Moore thriller, “The Substance.”
Pruneyard Dine-In Cinemas also serves up classics (with dinner) for its Culinary Cinema events, to go along with its regular first-run fare. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
