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Gilroy Gardens had its largest-ever Gilroy Appreciation Day March 30 when more than 9,000 locals turned up to get the ball rolling on 2013’s summer of fun.

More than 100 people from Santa Clara to Santa Cruz flocked to Morgan Hill and Gilroy on May 18th to learn all about backyard chicken keeping from folks who know a thing or two about caring for clucking companions.

The 13th annual Wings of History Open House and Fly-by may be for the youth, but the hot air balloons that were being prepped early that morning were a piece of old-world technology that hasn't changed much since the first flight more than 240 years ago.

Nearly a quarter century after an enchanting, underwater princess named Ariel swam into young girl’s hearts with the release of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” a pair of Morgan Hill inventors – Sydney Murphy and Ksenia Medvedeva, both 11 and in the fifth grade – have created their very own usable mermaid tails with prosthetic fins.

The Frys.com golf tournament, now entering its fourth year at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, is an economic turbine every time it rolls into town.

The Moors of the sixth century who started the Spanish Alhambra castle didn’t have to contend with PG&E pipelines and utility company oversight, but construction still lasted more than 100 years.

The 34th Annual Miss Gilroy Garlic Queen pageant opened with a video montage – set to pop/country artist Taylor Swift’s song, “22” – and finished with crowd favorite Olivia Echeverria, 22, being crowned 2013 Miss Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen Pageant winner.

The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival, now in its 34th year of turning Memorial Day weekend into a celebration of the mushroom, takes place this weekend.