Community

With light showers sprinkling .03 inches of rain fall in Morgan Hill earlier today, cloudy skies, scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible for the rest of Thursday afternoon through this evening, according to Forecaster Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service.

Every morning for as long as anyone can remember, retired educator and longtime Morgan Hill resident Belle McCormick starts her day with a warm glass of water and lemon.Whether the daily ritual is the secret to her longevity is a bit uncertain—although family members might say otherwise—McCormick, who turned 109 years young May 2, is living proof. (She also enjoyed a daily nightcap of a shot of brandy, according to family.)“I’ve had a wonderful life,” said the centenarian as she sat around the table Saturday with four generations of family members in the backyard of her West Edmundson Avenue country house—one she’s called home since moving from Montana in 1952.The second youngest and last surviving of four siblings, McCormick, along with her late husband Bill McCormick, a rancher and cowboy by trade, raised three daughters in Morgan Hill—Margaret, Annie and Mary Ellen. The family tree has since branched out to include nine grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.“I raised this family,” said McCormick, who is known as “Nana” by the brood she so cherishes. “We all get along so beautifully. We all have so much fun together.”On this particular sunny afternoon, McCormick’s daughter, Margaret “Maggie” Escover, 73, who lives a short drive away in Gilroy, planned the small gathering at her childhood home to celebrate her mom’s special day. Her 109th birthday comes about one week before Mother’s Day, which didn’t even become an official American holiday until 1908, two years after Belle was born. Family members ate birthday cake and shared stories of time spent with Nana over the years, stopping frequently to ask McCormick if she remembered as well.“Her life was devoted to us. We never knew we weren’t the most important people in her life. She would do anything for us,” said Escover of her mother who was the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 1987. “She worked so hard. She could do anything. She could do it all.”McCormick’s younger daughter, Annie Saso, 72, of Morgan Hill, added: “She taught us there’s a right and wrong way to do everything, including riding horseback, fishing, setting the table, ironing a shirt and cleaning the house.”An educator, seamstress, outdoor adventurer, fashionista, horse lover, mentor and a beloved mother to this very day, McCormick took on many roles in her enriched and extended life, almost all of her adult years spent at the same house in west Morgan Hill.“She’s been here forever. She is part of our history,” Mayor Steve Tate said of McCormick. “She’s just a treasure to have as part of our community.”Dennis Kennedy, a former mayor and current director on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors, said he knows the family well and even attended McCormick’s 100th birthday party—some nine years ago—held at the Community and Cultural Center.“She’s an amazing lady,” Kennedy said. “She was highly respected and regarded in the education community. I think she’s outlived most of her students.”The praise came as no surprise to grandson Tim Escover, who recalled day trips to Monterey and surprise visits while living in San Jose from his grandmother (known to never turn down a friendly street race in her Oldsmobile). He also remembered picking walnuts and feeding the chickens at the west Morgan Hill property, as well as the extravagant family dinners on holidays like Christmas Eve with the dining room table decked out in fine china.“She loved to cater to the family,” said Tim, sitting with his two children (Belle’s great grandchildren), Joshua and Jessica. “It’s just extremely incredible how independently strong she’s been. She still appreciates life and the outdoors.”Jessica Escover, 17, who attends Oakwood School, enjoys hearing McCormick talk of the old days more than anything. “It’s fun. I like hearing all the stories she tells us when dad and his siblings were kids,” Jessica shared.“Life is what you make it,” said McCormick with everyone all ears at the family gathering.And her life has been nothing less than extraordinary.After beginning a 36-year teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Montana, McCormick started substitute teaching locally at the Machado School while also earning her teaching degree from San Jose State University in the 1950s.“She somehow in some way touched a lot of people’s lives here in Morgan Hill,” Margaret Escover said. “She never lost patience or got angry with anyone. She’d just sit down and talk to you about whatever the problem was.”Lana Wright, owner of Lana’s Dance Studio, fondly recalls having McCormick as her fifth grade teacher at the old San Martin Elementary School.“She was warm and loving, and I think she treated us just like she would treat her own kids,” said Wright, who stopped by for McCormick’s 109th party. I just remember her as being one of my favorite all-time teachers.”McCormick, who also taught at the old Burnett School among others in town, was an active member of St. Catherine Church and a proud member of the Delta Kappa Gamma international society for key women educators.“I have a lot of friends,” said McCormick, whose positivity undoubtedly attracted many of them.One DKG sorority sister, Cindy Miller, also a retired teacher and now a local Realtor, met McCormick in the early 1980s. At that time, McCormick was already retired from the teaching profession.“She was a leader in that organization at a local level. She is someone who would take everyone under her wing,” said Miller, who shares the same birthday as her dear friend. “She was such a role model to so many different people.”And that includes her own children.“She used to be Mrs. Morgan Hill,” Margaret Escover said. “She’d do anything for Morgan Hill.”While Escover—married 53 years to husband Jack—said one of her most treasured memories will always be how her mother made her wedding dress, Saso recalled how special Easter mornings were with McCormick and her “goldenrod egg” breakfasts.“Not too long ago, I was visiting a friend with her and she asked my mom, ‘How old are you?’ My mom said, ‘I really can’t remember like I used to,” Saso explained. “I told her you’re 108—and she said, ‘no wonder I can’t remember.’”

The Poppy Jasper Film Festival is back and bigger than ever for its 11th year, as volunteers are ready to kick off the juried event May 12 with a big-screen tale of Morgan Hill’s best-known swashbuckling seadog, the “Benevolent Pirate” Rich Firato.This year’s festival—traditionally a short film festival—will screen feature-length films for the first time, according to PJFF Chair Kim Bush. And this year’s festival will be longer than ever, running through May 17 at the Granada Theater in downtown Morgan Hill.“We’ve been around 10 years, and this is to freshen it up,” Bush said.Categories of films to be shown during the juried competition and festival include foreign films, music/animation/science fiction, documentaries, dramas, feature-length and family films. A new category this year is “edgy” films, which are more adult themed, Bush said.The annual festival is not just a competition and a chance for filmmakers to show off their latest work, Bush explained. It has an educational mission and allows those in the industry to network.These efforts will be facilitated by two workshops to take place next-door to the theater at Grinds, Vines and Automobilia coffee shop, starting at 12 p.m. Mattock Scariot and Nils Myers, founders of 152 WEST Productions, will lead a workshop on how to produce visual effects on a budget; and award-winning filmmaker Rupert Hitzig will host a workshop on developing a film idea from a “dream” to a movie.Specifically, Hitzig will share his year-long experience developing his latest work, an unreleased pirate film based on Morgan Hill resident Firato.Firato and his band of consultants and associates were the subject of a documentary that premiered at the 2013 Poppy Jasper Film Festival. That film was about the creation of Firato’s backyard pirate-themed paradise in northeast Morgan Hill, complete with meandering creeks and waterfalls, buried treasure, majestic pirate ships and even the remains of scallywags from eras past.Firato, who is chair of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, often produces and hosts fundraising events at his cove.In fact, Firato is also in the midst of production on multiple upcoming film projects. Aside from Hitzig’s film, Firato and local producers are working on a television series to be titled “The Pirate Theater, hosted by The Benevolent Pirate.”The show will replay a classic pirate film, with Firato—dressed in his most authentic pirate garb and surrounded by props—interjecting at select breaks to offer unique history, criticism and insight into the film or the pirate life in general.The first episode will feature 1945’s “Captain Kidd.” The show is designed for late-night television, and the 2015 PJFF will kick off with a trailer previewing the series, followed by an encore of Firato’s documentary that debuted in 2013.“We’ve been doing a lot of research and development, trying to come up with the right concept,” Firato explained. “We think what we came up with is unique and unusual.”Firato, along with producer William Leamon and acting coach Donna Cowan, will be shopping for a vendor for “The Pirate Theater” at PJFF.“There are 340 films about pirates,” said Leamon, who is also a co-founder of PJFF. Thus, there should be no shortage of episodes for “The Pirate Theater.”The first three days of PJFF, May 12 – 14, will feature free screenings starting at 6:30 p.m. each night. Tickets to the blocks of competition films May 15 – 17 cost $10 per block, or $35 for a festival pass that allows access to every screening. Each block of films features a question and answer session with the filmmakers.Screenwriting legend Victor Miller, who wrote the original “Friday the 13th” horror flick, will present the 2015 PJFF keynote speech 7 p.m. May 15.For more information and to purchase tickets, visit poppyjasperfilmfest.org. The Granada Theater is located at 17440 Monterey Road.

Public art continues to deck the downtown, as students from Central High School are in the midst of painting a giant mural depicting local life covering the rear outside wall of the Granada Theater. The students, working with San Jose based Empire Seven Studios, gained funding for the project through City Hall’s “mini-grant” program which includes a dozen art pieces to be completed throughout the spring.

Morgan Hill Police, city officials and community volunteers gathered April 25 at the annual “Cops and Robbers Ball” to raise funds for public safety efforts, and to celebrate a local retired officer who has volunteered for the local department for the last eight years.The nonprofit Morgan Hill Community Law Enforcement Foundation sponsored the dinner, raffle and ceremony at the Community and Cultural Center.CLEF’s mission is to raise money to augment the city’s efforts to provide public safety services in Morgan Hill. Past efforts spearheaded by CLEF include the purchase and training of K9 dogs for MHPD, a license plate reader and other technology.At the Cops and Robbers Ball, CLEF honored Bruce Dudley with the 2015 Public Safety Award.Dudley is retired from the Sunnyvale Police Department, where he started serving in 1966. In Morgan Hill, he has volunteered as a crime scene and forensics investigator. In doing so, he has saved MHPD about $50,000 in evidence processing fees that would otherwise have been paid to the Santa Clara County Crime Lab.Dudley also volunteers at MHPD events taking pictures and shooting videos.To learn more about CLEF, visit morganhillclef.org.

GILROY—The second-annual South County Legislative Summit was a who’s-who of elected officials that included U.S. Congress representatives and South County mayors pro tem.

A group of hopeful local leaders has a “bright idea” to illuminate a local public entertainment facility as their contribution to the Morgan Hill community.The Leadership Morgan Hill Class of 2015 is currently raising money for the project, a “permanent, state-of-the-art stage lighting system” for the Morgan Hill Downtown Amphitheater, according to class member Lisa Washington. The amphitheater is located adjacent to the Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road, and is the venue for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual summertime “Friday Night Music Series” and other special events.“We expect to enhance the experience of residents and out-of-town guests at this year’s (FNMS), and broaden the appeal of the amphitheater for additional events such as concerts, ceremonies and lectures,” Washington said. “For the city of Morgan Hill, this will translate into upside potential for revenues from new renters.”The class is looking to raise $25,000 to design, build and install the ambitious volunteer-, nonprofit-funded project, which they have titled “Bright Idea.” They are currently halfway toward the fundraising goal, Washington said. They hope to have the lighting system installed by the time FNMS starts June 5.Specifically, the project would add six lights onto each of two existing light poles, pointing at the stage from the edge of the audience lawn. Another 12 lights will be installed above the stage, pointing onto the performance area for down lighting, backlighting and angling to light up the dance floor, Washington explained.“The LED light fixtures will be weather and UV resistant with wireless controls and a spectrum of colors—red, green, blue and white,” Washington added.The Morgan Hill City Council approved the “Bright Idea” concept at the April 15 meeting, and will take up the matter again as it gets close to installation by the end of this summer. The city of Morgan Hill owns the amphitheater and CCC property, and charges fees to the public and nonprofits such as the Chamber to use the facilities.Chamber board Chair Rich Firato, who also chairs the committee that runs the annual FNMS, said the “Bright Idea” lighting will enhance the music and dancing experience at the venue.“It will bring an upscale experience to concert goers and performers for night-time events at the amphitheater,” Firato said. “Plus, it will streamline production of our live music program this summer, since we’ll no longer have the hassle of setting up and taking down temporary lighting each week.”FNMS begins June 5 at the Downtown Amphitheater, and will continue most Friday nights through the summer.LMH Class of 2015 is offering recognition opportunities to donors who make generous contributions to the fundraising effort, from “Bronze” to “Platinum” levels, Washington said. Sponsors will be features in event promotions.LMH is a training and development program “created to inspire future leaders to community service,” according to the LMH website. Each class goes through a year-long program, and is required to complete a hands-on project that benefits the community in order to graduate from the program.For more information about the project and to make a donation, visit leadershipmorganhill.org or check out the Facebook page titled “LMH Class of 2015 – Bright Idea Project.”

Four veteran Santa Clara County office holders offered unique insight into their experiences as women in politics at an April 23 panel discussion in Morgan Hill.The forum featured Morgan Hill Councilwoman Marilyn Librers, Santa Clara County Board of Education member Claudia Rossi, former Morgan Hill Unified School District Trustee Kathy Sullivan and San Jose Vice Mayor Rose Herrera.The event was organized by the American Association of University Women Morgan Hill chapter, and was held at the Community and Cultural Center.A key goal of the forum was to encourage women to run for office and support those who are already serving their communities in office, according to AAUW members.“Don’t be afraid to try it,” Herrera offered as advice for any woman who is thinking about running for an elected position. “Or support a woman who wants to run. We have to realize that women are great political leaders.”The panelists answered questions about their reasons for running, their accomplishments in office and challenges they have faced in politics.Rossi, who sat on the MHUSD board of education before being elected to the county board in November 2014, said she was inspired to run by longtime Morgan Hill educator, volunteer and community activist Loritta Bonfante Johnson.“She recognized a potential in me I didn’t see in myself,” Rossi said. “There are people in our community serving very quietly.”Rossi added her advice to potential candidates is to “think beyond the election” and “know your role.” As an example, she referred to her “dismay” at reports of recent MHUSD board meetings in which tensions have flared among trustees and staff.“There are certain board members who do not know their role. That can be disruptive and demoralizing,” Rossi said. She did not name these board members at the April 23 forum.Librers said while she served as an appointed city commissioner before running for office, she heard frequent “mumbling and grumbling” in the community about government decisions.“I thought, ‘I’m not going to just grumble. I’m going to step up,’” Librers said.

Members of the Community Advocacy Coalition have organized a Cinco De Mayo Celebration from noon to 7 p.m. May 3 at Morgan Hill Galvan Park (17666 Crest Avenue).

Local gardeners and their children celebrated the unveiling of Helen Lessick's latest public art display at the Morgan Hill Community Garden at "Soil Art Day" April 18. Festivities included an art workshop for children, gardening workshops for grownups and a tour of the garden. The Community Garden is located on Butterfield Boulevard, between the South County Courthouse and the VTA bus station parking lot.