When thinking of Morgan Hill’s Friday Night Music Series, the images that come to mind are skilled bands with professional lighting, in front of a sea of dancers with picnicking families seated behind them and dozens of vendors sharing their goods and services while the Chamber of Commerce team sells beer and wine.
The beloved Friday Night Music Series’ humble beginnings were the brainchild of local merchants at a redevelopment association meeting in 1992 with a goal of bringing customers downtown. Brad Jones of Booksmart remembers, “A friend of Cinda’s and mine, had a band, and he offered to play for whatever we could raise. I walked around downtown, asking merchants to contribute $10 toward the band, and off we went.
“That first year, the band simply played on the corner of the sidewalk. We didn’t even close off the street until the second year, when the crowd grew large enough that safety became a concern. With a lot of hard work and dedicated volunteers, the series just kept growing from there.”
FNMS had brief stays at the corner of Third and Depot streets as well as Monterey and Depot streets before the chamber voted in 2009 to move to the Community & Cultural Center. It’s hard to believe, but many people threatened to boycott the event at the new venue. An unidentified gentleman called into the Morgan Hill Times “red phone,” stating he and 20 of his friends were going to “go home and play cards.”
Current board member and past President Robert Airoldi recalls being asked by then Chamber Board President, Rich Firato to join the board in 2011 to help grow the event.
Former CEO John Horner; former board members Tim Hennessey and Brittany Sherman; and current board member Dusty Perryman along with a slew of volunteers started small at the Downtown Amphitheater, with two “jockey boxes” and a few cases of wine.
“Firato was the conductor, and we all followed his lead,” Airoldi said.
Eventually it got so large the group had to get rid of the slow-pouring and hard-to-change kegs attached to the jockey boxes. “Firato got Budweiser to bring a refrigerated trailer early Friday morning filled with dozens of kegs and we created a larger wine tent,” Airoldi added. “Then the Kiwanis Club set up adjacent and sold hot dogs and other food items.”
As was his custom, Firato went a step further, finding very popular bands that cost more, but he and his son Nick sold sponsorships to offset those costs. The Leadership Morgan Hill Class of 2015 raised money for their Class Project, adding professional lights to the stage. A VIP tent was added, which is still available to rent.
“Rich Firato took something that was nice and turned it into something magnificent,” Airoldi said. “The FNMS of today continues to operate under the blueprint Rich created. Many people have contributed time, effort and talent over the years, but Rich was the transformational leader who made it huge. What a legacy.”
The event continued to grow. In 2021, Chamber Board member Poonam Chabra added multi-cultural performances to the line-up.
“The weekly 15–20-minute program highlights the diverse beauty of global cultures through music and traditional dance performances,” she said. If your cultural group would like to showcase your heritage to the Morgan Hill community, please reach out to Board member Poonam Chabra at pc*******@***il.com.
“Friday Night Music Series is an essential community building program, and we are so thrilled to have the opportunity to provide a beautiful night of community and entertainment thanks to the generous support of our Chamber Members and local businesses,” said Brooke Jakovcevic, director of sales and events who manages booking the bands.
This year’s series runs from June 13-Aug. 22. The wine and beer tent opens at 5:30pm. The opening band plays 6-7pm, followed by the cultural performance at 7pm and the headlining bands perform from 7:30-9:30pm.
To see the complete line up, go to the Chamber of Commerce website at morganhillchamber.org or the Friday Night Music Series Facebook page.
Cheri Brown serves on the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce Board. She can be reached at Me***********@***il.com
