Los Gatos Jubilee—Town Hosts Brazilian Soccer Team

Editor's Note: We asked and you answered ... more than a dozen stories and poems about Los Gatos have been shared with us on our Los Gatos Jubilee Facebook page, or at the end of posts on this site for publication beginning Aug. 10, 2012, in honor of the town's quasquicentennial celebration. This is the fifth submission written by Tropic Tan of Los Gatos owner Ivy Daley, paying homage to the town we all love so much on We're joining the Museums of Los Gatos StoryShare project and sharing with them your contributions here.

Many events have happened in Los Gatos since I became owner of in 1987, but one crazy and exciting moment in our history that I recall is when the town hosted the Brazilian soccer team during the World Cup games in July 1994.

There were Brazilian flags and huge banners everywhere downtown welcoming the Brazilians.

The streets were jammed packed with soccer fans adorned with bright yellow T-shirts and Brazilian music was heard everywhere with such an energy I will never forget.

Chief of Los Gatos police at the time, Larry Todd, came up to my salon and asked if the police department could use Tropic Tan as a base for their security operations since it was centrally located and safe upstairs above all the chaos. I obviously agreed and that was quite an experience in itself!