Community

With free giveaways, promotions and an in-store appearance by three-time Super Bowl Champion and San Francisco 49ers’ great Roger Craig, Dick’s Sporting Goods will host a special grand opening weekend Sept. 9-11 at Cochrane Commons shopping center in Morgan Hill.

On Sunday, Aug. 14, the Indian Association of South County (IASC) held its’ fourth annual Indian Independence Day celebrations at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.

The California Highway Patrol will host a free driving seminar for senior motorists Sept. 1 in Morgan Hill, to help older South County residents tune up their skills.The program, known as “Age Well Drive Smart,” will take place 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Morgan Hill Senior Center, 171 W. Edmundson Ave. The seminar/presentation is hosted by the CHP’s Hollister-Gilroy Area office and CHP senior volunteers.The presentation lasts about three hours and will help senior drivers refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road; learn about normal age-related physical changes and how to adjust; become better, safer and more alert drivers; discuss when it might be time to limit or stop driving; and understand alternatives to driving.Special guest Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman will attend the event, according to a press release from CHP.Anyone interested in participating can stop by the senior center and sign up, or call the Hollister-Gilroy Area CHP office at (408) 848-2324.

Morgan Hill's CineLux Tennant Station movie theater is launching Sensory Friendly Matinees, a new program that makes the movie-going experience even more accessible to everyone.

Residents of one of unincorporated South County's most beautiful and environmentally fragile areas are fighting mad because PG&E is considering it for a power substation.Rural home and property owners fear such an installation would ruin the ecosystem and forever mar a pristine and historic country lane that is a designated scenic county roadway and part of the region’s tourist-drawing wine trail.Redwood Retreat Road in west Gilroy is one of eight sites being studied by the utility company for a 10-acre substation as part of its South County Power Connect project that would help strengthen the local power grid and make it more reliable now and in the future.Bryan Stolle, a venture capitalist who owns land PG&E is considering for its project, said Monday, “I would be vehemently against anything sited on Redwood Retreat Road, and if they wanted to do anything on the backside of the property there still might be neighbors annoyed. I am not looking to sell and have no interest in selling, the property is not on the market.”The founder and former CEO of Agile Software and founding partner of Wildcat Venture Partners, Stolle owns a 55-acre parcel in the area. He said a substation on his property would “destroy the ambiance” of the Redwood Retreat Road.In spite of receiving some letters from the utility, he said he remains uninformed about the process PG&E is involved in or whether the company could threaten to use eminent domain to acquire his land.Because of the historic nature of the area and the protected plant and animal life, he is “not in favor” of the substation. He also agreed with neighbors that PG&E has not been completely forthcoming about its plans.“They don’t really provide a lot of information,” he said.Stolle added, “They are a huge powerful bureaucracy and I have no idea what our ability to fight it is. At the end of the day, they are the big giant that gets to do what they want to do and I don’t know what we could do [about it].”All the sites under study for South County Power Connect are in Morgan Hill and Gilroy, but it is the Redwood Retreat Road location, near Watsonville Road, that has area residents and those on nearby El Matador Drive angry.A well on Redwood Retreat Road supplies water to about 70 homes on El Matador Drive.“It is absolutely unbelievable that PG&E has the capability of making this decision, with all its myriad of implications for quality of life (human and animal) for generations to come,” Linda Pond said Monday in an email to PG&E which she shared with the Times.In an interview, she cited among many concerns the endangered and protected plant animal species, such as steelhead trout and mountain lion, water quality, fire safety and property values.Pond’s family has lived on and farmed the land, where she and her son now operate Fernwood Cellars, since 1863. One family member started Redwood Retreat in 1891, a metaphysical resort that drew clients from the Bay Area and beyond and gave its name to the road.Over the years, the two-lane road has been the site of horse farms and vineyards, a reported visit by Robert Kennedy and home to famed writer Robert Louis Stevenson’s widow, Fanny, who built a house that still stands in the redwoods at the base of Mount Madonna.John Tepoorten, whose property adjoins the PG&E candidate site, said he was incredulous when a Santa Clara County official told him the county has no jurisdiction in the matter, that it’s between PG&E and the state Public Utilities Commission.Citing a PUC general order, Tepoorten said the county does indeed have a say, if not final say, in what happens. It can bring the utility company to the negotiating table and force a hearing before the PUC on the matter, according to Tepoorten, who distributed 100 flyers about the PG&E move to neighbors.He was critical also of the way PG&E notified residents, saying they initially sent what amounted to a postcard resembling junk mail.Tepoorten also chided county District One Supervisor Mike Wasserman for not responding to emails from residents concerned about the project and for not taking a stand against the Gilroy site when its historic and ecologically fragile character has been touted by the supervisor as a county wine trail.Wasserman responded Monday, saying every email and letter he receives on the topic is forwarded to PG&E’s government affairs official. He said if the county can influence the decision, he will make sure it does even though the PUC has final say.Wasserman said he understands residents' concerns and is on their side when it comes to the Redwood Retreat Road location.“Do I personally think this is not a good choice? Absolutely, I can say that definitively,” he said.All of the reasons cited by residents, he said, “are very good reasons why that site should not be chosen.”Residents also suggested PG&E has been less than transparent about plans for the South County Power Connect project.But Nicole Liebelt, a spokeswoman for the utility, said PG&E does take residents' concerns into account and will abide by all laws regarding protected species and cultural resources. She outlined ways the utility has reached out to residents of the area and the South County community at large.The outreach included three rounds of open houses, the last in mid-July, during which the eight options were presented and discussed.The project and open houses were publicized via postcards to 15,000 households, businesses and PG&E customers, including all those within 500 feet of the proposed power corridors.Specifically, mailings went to 91 residents of El Matador Drive and 49 residents of Redwood Retreat Road, Liebelt said.The open houses also were advertised in four local newspapers, on five radio stations and on numerous posters, websites and social media platforms in South County, she said.For Kurt Jacobsen, those notices were not enough. The Redwood Retreat Road resident said he attended an open house at the Gilroy Senior Center three weeks ago and found more PG&E representatives in attendance than residents while he was there because word had not gotten out.Jacobsen said PG&E assured everyone that its chemical-laden transformers were safe years ago and it was later found out they were not. He said the same could happen with chemicals used today in substations.  For more information on PG&E’s South County Power Connect project, visit http://bit.ly/2bvqisi.

Downtown businesses and the crew that runs San Jose’s increasingly popular Moveable Feast are finalizing plans to bring the mobile dining extravaganza to downtown Morgan Hill one night a week this late summer and early fall.

If you don’t think running and craft beer are two American pastimes made for each other, you haven’t been to The Running Shop and Hops.To be fair, the new downtown Morgan Hill establishment just opened last weekend. Owned and operated by local couple Paul and Renee Rakitin, the unique shop located in a converted metal-shelled storage building on Depot Street is, on one side, a full-service running apparel retail store, and on the other a beer room with dozens of taps (and counting) that specializes in West Coast microbrews of varying styles and flavors.It’s a perfect match for Paul, who has been running track and cross country since he was in elementary school, and has been a beer enthusiast since he became an adult.“To me it seems a natural evolution” to combine a running shoe store with a craft beer room, Paul said. “Runners love to drink beer. It’s a nice blend. Running is very social, and beer drinking is too.”The “Hops” side of the store opened with 32 beers flowing from the taps, and on Wednesday morning a truck was delivering more than a dozen new brews. The selection early in their opening week was heavy on hoppy India Pale Ale styles, but there’s something for everyone with smoother pale ales, pilsners, lagers and more. There are even a few sour ales on tap.The staff hopes to have all 50 taps—which are connected by industrial-looking “beer pipes” customized by Paul himself—running soon.Among the new shop’s customers Aug. 15 were Mayor Steve Tate, local education advocate Adam Escoto and small business owner Ann Horner. The three were sitting together at a table, having a casual meeting about a local school program. The mayor’s wife, Jennifer Tate, was sitting nearby at the bar with friends.“For real beer drinkers, to have 32 beers on tap, that’s a nice addition to our downtown ambience,” Tate said while sipping on a pint of Oaktown Brown Ale.Escoto said he has been a customer of The Running Shop since it opened at its original location on the other side of downtown, but he only just started drinking beer while he was in his 40s.“Now I just really enjoy good beers and learning about them,” Escoto said. “What a great place to do it. You can sense there’s going to be a wonderful vibe here.” He was drinking an Easy Jack session IPA.The beer room operators will rotate different varieties in and out based on the season, customer preferences and any limited edition brews that become available—“just to keep things fresh and unique, and to keep people coming back,” Paul said. “We have a lot of niche beer that you can’t find in Safeway or the liquor store.”The Running Shop, loosely separated from the craft beer room by a wall with an open doorway, is a relocation of the Rakitins’ store that opened in 2013. The former location was at Morgan Hill Plaza shopping center, maybe half a mile away from the new spot next to the Granary building.Paul Rakitin said he first had the idea of opening his own craft beer joint while he was serving in Afghanistan as a medic with the Army in 2011. When he returned to the states, he and Renee opened The Running Shop at their original location—a more affordable digs that allowed them to save up for a nicer place, one day with beer flowing amply.Paul is also passionately devoted to running as a competitive sport and fitness activity. He is the co-founder, along with Morgan Hill architect/developer Charles Weston, of the local Veterans Run, a 5K fundraiser for nonprofit veterans service organizations.Renee Rakitin is also a runner, but not quite as avid as her husband. She operates the beer side of their new shop.Collectively, the couple have decades of customer service and store management experience. Paul has managed various shops over the last 15 years; Renee has been a bartender, men’s clothing store manager/tailor and even a 911 dispatcher.The couple—who went to school together at Milpitas High—also strive to “add to the community” in their business endeavors, Renee explained.While the beer room doesn’t have a permit to prepare and serve food on site, customers are encouraged to order from nearby downtown restaurants if they get hungry, and have meals delivered to The Running Shop and Hops. They also encourage visitors who might be worried about parking to walk, run or ride their bicycle to the shop.This community aspect will be even more pronounced when property owner and developer Weston Miles Architects complete their plans for a new wine and cheese shop, an as-yet-unspecified retail store and a new residential project just next door to The Running Shop and Hops. In turn, these projects will complement other plans underway in downtown Morgan Hill for new restaurants, shops, a boutique hotel and wine bars within walking distance of the Rakitins’ new place, according to the developers.The Running Shop has also been a strong supporter of local youth runners, having fitted high school teams and younger athletes for shoes, Renee added. And the beer room will serve as the gathering headquarters for the South Valley Running Club, of which the Rakitins are active members.‘Community support’The shop is also a tribute to the old-school agricultural roots of the Granary property, where giant grain silos still tower over the east side of downtown. The interior of the shoe and apparel store has a customary, modern retail setup with decorated walls and sleek product displays, while the beer room has a more rustic, industrial look. Wood panels, baseboards and metal frames that were stored as scrap in the building when the Rakitins began remodeling now decorate the interior of the beer room and serve as furniture fixtures.Two giant metal sheets, also found when the Rakitins were cleaning out the space, adorn the walls with each shop’s logo cut out. Local crafter Matt Hubbard cut the logos—designed by Renee Rakitin—into the metal.The remodeling and permitting process to open the new Running Shop and Hops took about a year, but the Rakitins said it was worth the wait.“We had a lot of community support,” Paul added.

The Open Space Authority invites the community to the Coyote Valley Family Harvest Feast, a celebration of locally-grown food, local farms, and Silicon Valley’s agricultural roots.This free and family-friendly festival will take place Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, 550 Palm Avenue in Morgan Hill. This year’s Family Harvest Feast is sponsored by Bay Area Parent, Peninsula Open Space Trust and American AgCredit, according to OSA spokeswoman Patty Eaton.Attendees are encouraged to register in advance at CoyoteValley2016.eventbrite.com. Free shuttle service will be available from Milpitas and downtown San Jose. Details are available on the registration site.The Family Harvest Feast will feature cooking demonstrations, fresh produce for sale, music and entertainment from around the world, guided hikes, and affordable, delicious food, Eaton said. There will be plenty of shade and fresh drinking water. Attendees should bring re-fillable water bottles, wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, and bring a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen to protect them from the sun.The festival’s theme of urban agriculture reflects a worldwide movement to make cities healthier and more sustainable by local, community-based growing and selling of garden-fresh food. Attendees will learn about kid-friendly healthy eats, starting a vegetable garden, recipes for garden-fresh ingredients and more. The event will feature three San Jose-based urban farming innovators: Veggielution, a community-based urban farm and farm stand serving East San Jose; La Mesa Verde, a home and community gardening initiative that empowers local families to grow their own healthy foods; and Garden to Table, a nonprofit that runs a community-based urban farm near downtown San Jose and advocates for urban agriculture policyIt will be a delicious event for food lovers, according to Jamie Chen, Organizing Director of La Mesa Verde. "People will experience the fun of growing food together and enjoy delicious recipes with fresh summer produce right from the farm,” Chen said.Family-friendly activities scheduled throughout the day include home gardening, farming and craft food demonstrations; cooking demonstrations led by local chefs; music and entertainment from around the world; games and activities and more.Attendees can bring a picnic lunch or purchase food from on-site food trucks. Food cost is about $10 per person.For additional information and registration for the free event, visit CoyoteValley2016.eventbrite.com.

The San Martin families who lost their homes in a multiple-structure fire Aug. 7 have received an outpouring of generosity from their neighbors who want to help them get back on their feet.Members of the Jimenez extended family, who lived in one of the mobile homes that was destroyed by the fire on Murphy Avenue, picked up donated clothing and food at Rocca’s Market Aug. 11. The store’s management offered the market as a dropoff point for anyone who wants to donate clothing, school supplies, hygiene products and other items.Outside the rear of the store, the Jimenez family perused donated clothing on a table to take home. Maria Jimenez, mother of 14-year-old Braulio Jimenez who attends Britton Middle School, wanted to tell the community who donated the items, “Thanks a lot.”Braulio said the family is staying with his uncle in San Martin until they find a permanent place to live. Eight members of the Jimenez family—including five children who attend Morgan Hill Unified schools—were at Rocca’s. They lived in the home that burned for about three years, Braulio said.Rocca’s Market, located near the intersection of San Martin Avenue and Monterey Road, also donated groceries to the families. Cecelia Ponzini, director of Cecelia’s Closet and Food Pantry in Morgan Hill, dropped off gift cards at the market, which were distributed to the displaced families.“They need the help,” said Dan Keith, Rocca’s butcher. He said he wanted to help and get the word out almost immediately after he saw the smoke from the fire from his house in San Martin Aug. 7. “I feel good because they’re getting clothed and fed.”The fire displaced a total of 13 San Martin residents, including six children, according to a spokeswoman from the American Red Cross, which has helped the families with temporary housing arrangements and basic living necessities. Five families were displaced by the fire.Keith noted that the families lost almost everything they owned in the fire. The father of another family had only the clothes he was wearing Sunday night, so Keith went to Target that evening and purchased some new clothing so he could go back to work this week.Ponzini also opened her Cecelia’s Closet distribution center on Peebles Avenue in north Morgan Hill after she learned five families lost their home Aug. 7. The center, which is part of the nonprofit Edward Boss Prado Foundation, donates clothing, food and hygiene products to local families in need.The Aug. 7 blaze started as a vegetation fire and spread to the surrounding structures on the 1400 block of Murphy Avenue, according to CalFire officials. At least three mobile homes, as well as several greenhouses and vehicles were destroyed before firefighters from multiple agencies could extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

As about two dozen strangers shared a lunchtime break under the sun at her Morgan Hill home Saturday, 74-year-old retiree Bernice Lawrence could not be more grateful to her guests.