Town to enjoy Holiday Lights Parade Saturday
MORGAN HILL
It’s time to get out the jingle bells once again Saturday as the annual Holiday Lights Parade comes to downtown Morgan Hill.
Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Morgan Hill, the parade will wend its way through the heart of the city, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at First Street in the northbound lanes of Monterey Road and end at the Community and Cultural Center at the Fifth Street.
This year, the Live Oak High School Emerald Regime Marching Band will end the parade with a performance on Monterey Road at the community center. Mayor Steve Tate will then light the holiday tree on the front lawn of the center.
“It worked well last year, the first year we did it that way,” said parade organizer Barbara Kimmich. “Everyone seemed to enjoy being at the community center afterwards.”
A “special visitor from the North Pole” will arrive on his “Magic Ship of Christmas,” Kimmich said, and he will greet children at the community center after the parade.
Many parade favorites are returning this year, Kimmich said, including Lana’s Dance Studio, the PT Cruiser group from Monterey, the Girl Scouts, King’s Martial Arts and the United Academy of Martial Arts. Local fire departments and the Morgan Hill Police Department will be parading, and new this year is a San Jose Search and Rescue group, brining some of the equipment they use. But there are still room for more entrants, she added, and groups interested in participating should call Kimmich at 612-2901.
Downtown will start to shut down at 3 p.m. but will be re-opened by 8 p.m., she said.
More beds at Gilroy shelter
GILROY
As the winter months roll around, homeless individuals have yet another obstacle to overcome – cold, wet weather. As of Monday night, 250 additional beds are available nightly for those experiencing homelessness in Santa Clara County, 125 of which are available in Gilroy.
EHC LifeBuilders’ emergency cold weather shelter program operates seasonally, opening its doors each year on the Monday after Thanksgiving and staying open through the winter, until March 31. The organization provides life-saving services: a warm meal and a safe place to spend the night. Anyone who needs a warm bed or a nutritious meal is welcome, said Cindy Corrello Hike, public relations manager for LifeBuilders.
Two National Guard armories are hosting the shelters and guests are welcome to stay from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. The shelters are located at 8940 Wren Ave. in Gilroy and 620 Maude Ave. in Sunnyvale. The permanent shelter at 2011 Little Orchard St. in San Jose provides 250 beds and will remain open as usual.
Although it takes a couple of nights for people to become aware that the shelters are open for the winter, all the beds usually fill up every night, Corrello Hike said.
House fire with no injuries
MORGAN HILL
A home in the western hills of the city burned late Tuesday night, but no one was injured in the blaze, according to Santa Clara County Fire Department officials.
Six engines and a water tanker from the county and CalFire responded to the 11:53 p.m. fire on Manzanita Drive, and it was extinguished shortly before 1 a.m. A damage estimate and cause of the blaze were not available by press time.
