Community

Today’s high temperatures, pushing triple digits throughout southern Santa Clara Valley, were only the start of a three-day warm spell to hit the area, according to Forecaster Duane Dykema of the National Weather Service.

Join Jeff Mitchell, publisher of New SV Media, Inc. (Morgan Hill Times, Gilroy Dispatch and Hollister Free Lance,) and Bobbi Jo Palmer, publisher of Out & About Magazine, for "Coffee with the Publishers" from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Aug. 8 at Fifth Street Coffee, 7501 Monterey Road, Gilroy; Aug. 15 at GVA, 17400 Monterey St., Morgan Hill; and Aug. 22 at Heavenly Bakery, 601 San Benito St., Hollister. Here's your opportunity to let the publishers know how they're doing and how they can improve. For information, call (408) 842-6400.

Local author Jordan Rosenfeld packed the house with literary enthusiasts for her July 25 book launch at Booksmart in Morgan Hill for her latest novel entitled “Women In Red.”

Garlic ice cream is one of the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s perennial favorite mainstay attractions or, depending on who you ask, maybe it’s just one of those food items you have to try once in order to feel adventurous.Samplings of garlic ice cream are offered for free all day, every day throughout the three-day festival that celebrates all things garlic at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy. First-time tasters and garlic ice cream lovers who would sneak through the line for a second or third serving offered to describe their feelings toward the frozen, sweet and spicy treat Friday, July 24, the first day of the 37th annual festival.“It’s edible. You can taste the ice cream in it,” Tom Aguilar, who is stationed with the Air Force in New Jersey but is visiting family in town, said dryly. “I probably wouldn’t buy it, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.”It was Aguilar’s first time eating garlic ice cream. “He eats it all the time,” he added, pointing at his nephew Logan Guerrero of Gilroy, who hurried to finish his cone before it melted under the sun.Patty Gillespie, a first-time Garlic Festival attendee from Clovis, said, “It’s OK. It tastes more vanilla than garlic.”Lina Craighill, a Gilroy native who lives in Santa Monica, was also attending the festival and sampling the ice cream for the first time. She is in town visiting high school friends from alma mater Christopher High School.“It tastes like a normal meal, but it’s cold,” Craighill said.Rose Myers, attending the Garlic Festival with husband Lee Myers from San Jose, enjoyed garlic dessert.“It’s a very fun day and the ice cream adds to these spirits,” Rose said.Zoe Mason, 13 of Redwood City, was visiting the Gilroy festival with family and friends, some of whom drove all night from their home in Phoenix, Ariz. for the summer visit.“It was good,” Mason said of the ice cream. “I expected the garlic to be more overpowering, but it wasn’t.”Warren Yuers, of Sebastopol, said he is “not too crazy about it” as he exited the end of the garlic ice cream line with friend Mike Hawthorne. Yuers declined a sample, but Hawthorne enjoyed it.“It’s totally not what you expect,” Hawthorne said. “It’s sweet on a hot day. Cold is good. Free is good.”The two were looking forward to seeing their friends’ band, Sean Wiggins and Lone Goat, who were scheduled to play on the festival’s Vineyard stage from 2:30 to 4 p.m.Frida and Angel Ortiz, of Milpitas, tasted garlic ice cream for the first time Friday.“It’s very good,” Frida said. “It’s sweet, yet you can really taste the garlic.”Angel added, “It’s something different. It’s pretty unique.”Tim Roby, of Whittier, said he thought the ice cream taste “starts out vanilla, and (the garlic) is not really strong.”“I kind of enjoy it,” added the first-time festival goer. “I might buy some.”The Gilroy Garlic Festival continues Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. For more information, visit gilroygarlicfestival.com.

A second bid for the failing Daughters of Charity Healthcare System, which includes Gilroy’s Saint Louise Regional Hospital and Morgan Hill’s De Paul Medical Center, will once again be placed under the microscope of the state attorney general’s office in the coming months.

United Academy of Martial Arts instructors, students and their families celebrated their biennial black belt test Jan. 19 at Britton Middle School. It was UAMA’s 39th black belt test since the studio opened in downtown Morgan Hill in 1992, according to UAMA instructor Mollie Clampitt.“All of these individuals have conquered some major obstacles to earn their black belts,” Clampitt said. “They all have to pass the presidential fitness requirements by 80 percent (mile time, sit-ups and push-ups) or higher, must have a 3.0 GPA in academics, break boards & concrete and earn at least an 80 percent or higher on their Tae Kwon Do requirements. They must also get an approval form signed by parents and teachers stating that they demonstrate self-discipline, focus, and respect, and are worthy of testing for their black belt.”At the July 19 black belt test, seven students earned their first degree black belts, two earned their junior second degrees and two earned their senior third degrees, Clampitt added. They ranged in age from 10 to 18.UAMA recently moved out of its downtown location to 330 Digital Drive in north Morgan Hill.

Based on an apparent drop in sales and foot traffic at downtown businesses since the city’s “complete streets” trial on Monterey Road started, the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce is urging the city to keep the street in its original two-lane configuration.

Trail Dust BBQ will take part in Silicon Valley Beer Week from July 24-Aug. 1 by hosting a BBQ and Barrel Aged Beer event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 29 at its 17240 Monterey Road restaurant.

The Daughters of Charity Health System Board of Directors has selected BlueMountain Capital Management, a private investment company, to recapitalize its operations, including Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, the hospital system announced today in a press release.

As the founder of the Mushroom Mardi Gras festival, an innovative fire chief, former mentor for at-risk youth and a family man respected by colleagues and friends alike, Brad Spencer’s impact on Morgan Hill is likely to last for generations.Spencer died July 2 at his west Morgan Hill home of a sudden heart attack, according to his wife of 42 years, Rene Spencer. He was 72.“He’s going to be missed by the community,” Brad’s son Devin Spencer, 41, said days after his father’s death.Brad Spencer is also survived by his daughter Brynne Spencer, 38, grandson (Devin’s son) Aiden Spencer, 9, both of Morgan Hill. His brother Robert Spencer, as well as his sister and brother-in-law Susan and Richard Moore live in Vancouver, Wash., and his father and mother-in-law Ray and Dorean Miller live in Lindon, Utah.Originally from Mountain View and the descendant of two Santa Clara Valley pioneer families, Brad Spencer moved to Morgan Hill in 1965 where he worked at Sterling Lumber Company, Rene explained while sharing stories and photographs in the couple’s longtime living room.That same year, Spencer joined the Morgan Hill Fire Department, where he served as chief from 1974 to 1994. Former colleagues noted his devotion to the safety of his crew, a passion for innovative efficiencies and his easy-going demeanor as a leader.Devin recounted how one year in the 1980s, before communications and records systems were computerized anywhere in California, his father went to Toys R Us to purchase Commodore 64 computers for the Morgan Hill Fire Department in order to store data and implement administrative programs.He also led the effort—started in 1974 and ongoing to this day—to restore the city’s 1927 Seagrave fire engine, in which Spencer rode in many consecutive Fourth of July parades. The engine, still owned by the city, remains a staple of the annual parade, driven by retired MHFD Capt. Jim Xavier.Although Spencer knew how to delegate department tasks and hold his men accountable, he was “a really easy guy to work for,” said Xavier, who has known Spencer since they both started working for MHFD in 1965.Retired MHFD Capt. Mike Sanders started working for the department in 1974, on the day that Spencer became chief. He added that Spencer spearheaded local advances in technology and equipment that improved safety, not only for the community but also his staff. Simple things like upgrading fire hoses and painting fire engines lime green for better visibility illustrated this commitment.“Brad was a mover and a forward thinker,” Sanders said.Most of all, even when on the job, Spencer was devoted to family, Xavier said.“For the big earthquakes (including the 1989 Loma Prieta quake) he would tell us, ‘Make sure your family is safe first, because you can’t do your job not knowing if your family is safe.’ That always stuck in my mind. He was a very strong, family first type of guy,” Xavier said.He was also an enthusiastic grandfather up until his last days, not only to grandson Aiden but also to Devin’s girlfriend’s 8-year-old daughter Maggie, who he treated like one of his own, Devin said.“Being grandpa was one of his last proud moments in life,” Devin said, describing Brad’s love of magic tricks and practical jokes. He enjoyed taking the family on vacations and day trips, which he organized meticulously, laughed Devin’s girlfriend Audra Stoneking.Rene recalled that when she first met Brad, he had been involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, which connects at-risk youth with adult mentors. “He had already had at least three ‘little brothers,’” Rene recalled.By the time of his death, Brad Spencer was also involved for decades with the Knights of Columbus and the Morgan Hill Historical Society, Rene added as she listed some of his community activities over the years. He worked for the American Red Cross in Hollister at one time, and volunteered as a poll worker for elections in Morgan Hill.Brad helped save the Acton House, an historical abode which is now preserved at the MHHS museum, Rene added.He was also a partner, with Rene, in the couple’s antique business, which occupies a space at Collective Past in downtown Gilroy.“He did repairs and restoration. He loved working with tools,” Rene said.Perhaps Brad Spencer’s biggest legacy is one enjoyed by countless locals and visitors, many who never even knew him. Spencer thought up the Mushroom Mardi Gras food, wine and art festival as a fundraiser to buy fire equipment at a time when the city was struggling financially, according to family and colleagues.In the early days, the festival was held off Foothill Avenue in southeast Morgan Hill. As the MMG grew, it moved to more spacious accommodations. And as the city’s finances improved, the festival’s beneficiaries changed. It is now a fundraiser for scholarships and grants for local high school students, and over the years has raised nearly $1 million for that cause, Rene said.In May, the festival celebrated its 36th year on Depot Street and the grounds of the Community and Cultural Center. It is now run by a nonprofit organization that works year-round to organize the two-day event, for which Brad served as a board member until his death.“There was something in my dad’s makeup,” Devin said, attempting to put in words what motivated Brad to help others so generously. “He had a loving heart.”