Community

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.

The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce is creating a buzz amongst local merchants and shoppers with a new rewards-based loyalty program with a smartphone app known as BuzZub.

Santa Clara Valley Water District officials are anticipating an Aug. 27 shutdown for recreational boating at Anderson Lake as water from the reservoir continues to be drained and used for the county’s main source of drinking water.

Under a giant American flag hanging over the south end of downtown Morgan Hill from atop a CalFire ladder truck, local children and families got a chance to play games and hang out with police officers and firefighters—on their own terms—at the Aug. 2 National Night Out.Uniformed officers from the Morgan Hill Police Department and Morgan Hill Fire Department were joined by other local public safety agencies as they invited kids to climb on their equipment, fire engines, patrol cars, SWAT vehicles and motorcycles throughout the area near the intersection of Monterey Road and Third Street.City council members and other officials joined the crowds, inviting kids to play street games and take a free serving of ice cream while enjoying live entertainment.The annual National Night Out is a nationwide event designed to promote positive interaction between public safety officials and the communities they serve. The City of Morgan Hill has participated in the National Night Out for several consecutive years, with the crowd seemingly growing each time.Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing said locally, National Night Out is part of the city’s overall public engagement strategy, which strives to build a meaningful and lasting relationship between police and the community. When officers make a traffic stop or respond to a traffic collision or other emergency, their interaction with the public can be somewhat tense, Swing explained.National Night Out can provide for a much more relaxed setting with police.“An event like National Night Out allows us to put our guard down and have a little more personal, friendly conversation,” Swing said. “I think we accomplished that” Tuesday night.Another highlight of the National Night Out festivities was the presentation of the 2016 California Peace Award for the 30th Assembly District to Morgan Hill attorney Juan Lopez. In 2014, Lopez founded “We The People,” an organization that defends the civil rights of Morgan Hill residents and promotes multicultural events in the community, according to 30th Assemblymember Luis Alejo’s staff.Lopez was one of nine recipients from the 30th district named for the 2016 Peace Award.“It is my honor to recognize these truly remarkable individuals and organizations who have made it their mission to promote peace throughout all of our communities,” said Alejo (D-Salinas). “The commitment and dedication they have demonstrated for their communities exemplify what this award is all about. It’s everyday heroes like these who help keep our neighborhoods safe.”MHPD has more events coming up that allow residents to interact with police on friendly terms, Swing added. On Sept. 30, the Morgan Hill Police Officers Association will host its annual golf tournament fundraiser. This year, the tournament will raise money for the Shop With A Cop program, which invites local elementary school student-leaders to join an MHPD officer while they spend a donated $100 gift card at the local Target store.“That was a huge success last year,” Swing said.Furthermore, the police department hopes to kick off a regular “Coffee with A Cop” session in the coming weeks, the chief added. This event allows any community member to join an officer for coffee at a time and place in Morgan Hill specified beforehand, just to ask questions and offer input. More details about this event will be announced as they are available.

A bobcat kitten found wandering alone at a Los Gatos construction site has found its way to Morgan Hill’s Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, where its current caretakers are preparing the animal to be released back into the wild this fall.The kitten, nicknamed “Gato,” was first taken to San Jose Animal Services when it was found wandering all alone a few weeks ago. Upon realizing the animal was a wild bobcat rather than a lost housecat, staff at the San Jose facility transferred the 5-week-old, 560-gram feline to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. WCSV took care of the kitten for about three weeks, then transferred the animal to WERC, which specializes in the rehabilitation of orphaned, injured wild bobcats, according to WERC Educational Coordinator Anna Venneman.“Initially, he would not eat at all. They had to tube feed him,” Venneman said.Gato spent two weeks in an indoor nursery at WERC before he was ready to be transferred to an outdoor enclosure. Before making the transfer, WERC staff and volunteers brought him to Princevalle Pet Hospital in Gilroy for a checkup and shots, Venneman said.After the checkup, Gato was placed in WERC’s outdoor enclosure in west Morgan Hill with the help of a surrogate bobcat “mother,” a WERC volunteer dressed in a bobcat costume. Venneman explained this procedure helps ensure the wild animal doesn’t associate “positive interaction” with humans they might encounter when released back into the wild.“That could get them hurt, or hurt the human,” she said. “We try to disguise our scent (with) sage and bobcat urine. You can’t do any normal human postures…The only time they get human interaction is when they go to the vet.”WERC has rescued and rehabilitated dozens of bobcats—which are common throughout Santa Clara County—over the years. Gato is its first bobcat of 2016. Venneman said WERC hopes to release Gato back into the wild, near where he was found, this fall.

Morgan Hill-based Del Monaco Foods, a privately held food manufacturing company, was acquired July 26 by Kettle Cuisine, artisan producer of refrigerated and frozen premium quality, all natural soups, according to an announcement made by the new owners.

All Santa Clara County Library District libraries, including the Morgan Hill library, will be closed for building and technical upgrades on Wednesday, Aug. 3 and Thursday, Aug. 4, according to library officials.