Community

The 2017 Morgan Hill FreedomFest organizers are in need of sponsors and donations to make the weeklong Independence Day festivities possible again this July.

A group of about 40 sixth-graders from the Charter School of Morgan Hill are churning out the fundraising dollars as they learn about the importance of giving back and helping others through the local Relay For Life.

The Morgan Hill Post Office will host a Sunday Passport Fair for customers who are otherwise unable to schedule an appointment for service.The post office, located at 16600 Monterey Road, will accept walk-ins for passport service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 7, according to a press release from the U.S. Postal Service.Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. To help speed up the process, customers can fill out forms ahead of time. Application forms and information on the costs and how to apply for a passport book and/or passport card can be found at usps.com/passport or travel.state.gov/passport.Customers can also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at (877) 487-2778. Customers can also email [email protected] for any questions regarding passports.To apply for a passport, applicants need a valid form of photo identification, such as a current valid driver’s license, government ID or military photo ID. If you are renewing, simply bring in your old passport.

With weather of abundant sunshine and blue skies, the April 29 Morgan Hill Wine Stroll was sold out at 1,000 tickets. Organized by the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and its Wine Stroll committee, it was another great success for the downtown merchants and restaurants, the local wineries and the hundreds of wine lovers who came out to sip and shop.The Wine Stroll, an annual event held the last week of April, has been steadily gaining in popularity as over two dozen wineries in as many shops, poured a one-ounce taste of their wines.Maria De Leon, who attended the Saturday event with her husband, Eddie, and a group of friends, said, “I am so glad to take part in this event because it exposed me to great tasting local wines and restaurants in Morgan Hill.”The new downtown parking garage on Fourth Street accommodated plenty of cars and the  Wine Stroll check-in station was conveniently located on Third Street. People checking in received a logo’d wine glass, a wine carrier and a ticket book which mapped out the downtown shops and wines.A kid- and dog-friendly event, the streets were full of the young and the old alike, with families pushing babies in strollers and well-behaved dogs cruising behind. Street musicians sang and played guitars for tips. First-time sidewalk decals of the Wine Stroll logo caused a buzz, helping to advertise the event.Kicking off the Wine Stroll was Wine Week: a week-long lead-up of wine events. On Monday, Reina Carrillo of Grinds, Vines and Automobiles (GVA) Café hosted a “Meet the Winemaker’s Mixer.”“The event was intended to be a ‘thank you’ to the winemakers for their efforts throughout the year,” explained Reina. This included several wineries pouring their wines along with a buffet of finger foods.Tuesday through Thursday, price fix winemaker dinners were held at seven different restaurants in downtown Morgan Hill. Many restaurants waived their corkage fee on local wines during Wine Week.Another first-time addition to the event was the art poster contest for next year’s Wine Stroll. Posters were displayed at GVA and voted on by attendees of the Wine Stroll. Patty Curtis, a Morgan Hill artist, and her picture of two wine bottles and grapes was the winner.

Area residents were treated to a beautiful Sunday filled with culture as the 57th Annual Morgan Hill Haru Matsuri Spring Festival and Taiko Expo went off without a hitch at the Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center, which is located at 16450 Murphy Ave.

A local community that has become increasingly active since a U.S. immigration agency moved to Morgan Hill took to the streets May 1, this time organized by a group of Gavilan College students working tandemly with Community Agency for Resources and Advocacy Services.

Musical theater students at Gavilan College will perform the play, “Cabaret,” with a lineup of performances from May 5 through May 13.

Heather Ann Geddes was recently selected as the new community librarian for Morgan Hill Library after an extensive nationwide search, according to a April 25 announcement from the Santa Clara County Library District.

Immigration, housing and a state road in terrible disrepair topped the agenda when elected officials from just about every level gathered in Gilroy to share views on key issues facing city, county, state and federal governments and constituents.

The Morgan Hill Downtown Association’s Wine Stroll 2017 will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, April 29 in downtown Morgan Hill.Tickets cost $35 each if purchased in advance, and allow attendees to sample dozens of Santa Clara Valley Wines at various restaurants and merchants throughout downtown. Tickets cost $45 on the day of the event.“Participants love Wine Stroll because it pairs our award winning Santa Clara County wineries with our downtown merchants and restaurants, providing a unique tasting experience,” reads the event description on the MHDA website, morganhilldowntown.org.Ticketholders can check in starting at 11:30 a.m. April 29 at the check-in station at the Third Street Plaza.For more information and to purchase tickets, visit morganhilldowntown.org.