The party is over for The Place, or at least it will be Monday when the San Jose cocktail lounge that boasts “the longest bar in town” closes its doors for good. The bar, which lost its lease, is going out with a daylong party on Sunday for customers.

The Place at 1058 S. First St. has been around for decades, though like any good dive, just how long is a matter of debate. A sign inside says it’s closing after 35 years in business, but others point to 1988, when owner Kevin Rosenkrantz took over what is officially known as “Kevin’s Place.”

Bartender Debbie Rodriguez says the secret to the Place’s success is that it’s not “cliquey.” “People don’t give anyone a hard time,” she said. “It’s just comfortable. I find myself here even when I’m not working. Who goes to work when they’re not working?”

Adrian Vargas Jr., who was having drinks Thursday evening with Susan Plascencia, said he’s been coming to The Place since he was 21 — half of his 42 years — after being aware of it as he grew up in Willow Glen. “It was just a local establishment that played all the old school music,” he said. “They know us by name here, and it’s got personality.”

It sure does.

The building itself goes back to the 1930s, and for decades, it was the home base of minor-league baseball player Larry Perrina. He opened the Pantry Lunch there in the mid-1950s, which was later renamed Larry’s Dugout before he moved to Palm Springs. The bar and its pool table were among the San Jose locations used for “Kiss Shot,” a 1989 TV movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. Newspaper clippings about the production are among the bric-a-brac on the walls that you’d associate with a classic dive.

There are collections of shot glasses, “artistic” paintings of topless women, license plates, a Playboy pinball machine, and surf memorabilia like a collection of tiki mugs. There are surfboards hanging from the ceiling and even a set of seats from Candlestick Park. The bartenders say everything Rosenkrantz doesn’t want to keep is being sold off, and customers have been affixing notes with their names to the items they want since the news came out. You can expect most of it to go during Sunday’s party, which will start a couple hours after the bar’s 10 a.m. opening and last until closing time.

As for that longest bar claim? Well, The Place has two entrances — one on South First Street and the other on South Second — and the bar almost runs the distance between the two. So if it’s not the longest, it’s pretty darn close. In any event, San Jose’s going to need a new longest bar come Monday.

HIGH TIME FOR MUSIC IN THE PARK: The San Jose Downtown Association has announced four concerts this summer for Music in the Park at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Tony! Toni! Toné! opens the series June 22, followed by Toots & the Maytals on July 12, Third World with Jordan T. on Aug. 3 and Malo on Aug. 24. And the series has a new title sponsor, Buddy’s Cannabis, which had previously sponsored the VIP area. Get ticket information at sjdowntown.com/music-in-the-park.

A GALE CELEBRATION: Monday is the International Day of American Jazz, and there’s no better time to spotlight Eddie Gale, the trumpet player whom former Mayor Norm Mineta proclaimed San Jose’s Ambassador of Jazz in 1974. It’s also the 50th anniversary of Gale’s first recording for Blue Note Records, “Ghetto Music,” and that’ll be celebrated Monday as part of a free, community event at First AME Zion Church at 95 S. 20th St. in San Jose. And Gale’s still got it: An anniversary collection, “The Remake and Beyond of Eddie Gale’s Ghetto Music,” got a favorable review in the most recent Downbeat magazine.

HISTORICAL VISTAS: I can’t imagine a better place for the Saratoga Historical Foundation’s May 19 benefit than Old Grandview Ranch, Don Head’s historic 22-acre Saratoga estate. The spacious manse has three art galleries, housing one of the biggest privately owned collections on the West Coast, as well as a stunning sculpture garden. That’s all included, along with light refreshments and wine, with the $200 ticket price.

Event sponsors who donate $2,500 get an even better deal — a private reception with food and wine from the Plumed Horse that starts an hour before the 4 p.m. event. Get more information and tickets at www.saratogahistory.com.

LOTT OF GOOD ADVICE: Though his playing days ended before they were born, NFL Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott had an audience of teenagers at rapt attention Friday morning for the 22nd annual REACH Youth Scholarship breakfast at the Marriott San Jose.

Speaking of his friend and former 49ers teammate Dwight Clark, who is suffering from ALS, Lott said, “The thing about that guy is that every time I see him, he’s trying,” he said. “He’s trying to do that with his life and he’s trying to exhaust every moment with ALS. So don’t quit trying. For you guys, you should never surrender.”

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It was just the first of inspiring moments at the event, hosted by the San Jose Sports Authority, which provides scholarships to Santa Clara County high school seniors who have used their participation in sports to overcome adversity. (For full disclosure, I’ve been on the selection committee all 22 years.)