A Small But Cheerful Crowd Braved the Weather at Gilroy Gardens' Free Day

Morning rains may have kept many Gilroy residents from attending the free residents day at Gilroy Gardens, but the weather suited Kyle Ferguson just fine.

Ferguson, celebrating his 11th birthday at Gilroy Gardens, said that running from ride to ride without waiting in lines was "awesome."

More than 5,700 people attended last year's residents day at Gilroy Gardens. On Saturday, 1,328 people were admitted to the park, according to Daniel Martinez, marketing and admissions manager.

"At 2 p.m., we'd admitted fewer than 500 people, but the weather cleared up nicely toward the end of the day, and more people arrived for the last few hours," Martinez said.

Gilroy Gardens had sent golden tickets, good for free admission, out with the February water bills of every Gilroy residence. The tickets were good for one day only, Saturday, and the park was closed to everyone except Gilroy residents.

Although several rides were closed because of the bad weather, the carousel had an enthusiastic crowd of children and their parents for almost every ride.

When asked which ride she liked most, Alexandra Beyret said, "the horses!"

"The carousel," explained her father, Ersin Beyret.

The Caspary family said they also enjoyed strolling through the park's unusually empty walkways.

"It was nice of Gilroy Gardens to do this," Shane Caspary said. "It's too bad the rain kept people away."