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The season is winding down for those wonderful outdoor festivals. We only have a few events left, and then we’ll have to nourish our adventurous souls on memories or become more pack-like and venture out in small groups of friends and families over the winter.I realize that going out to these festivals is not for everyone, but I think they do hold something for just about everyone.There’s usually some food and some form of adult beverages, most likely music, shopping and nice people. Often, you get the owners of the businesses and brewery or winery right there serving and talking to you.What’s not to like?This weekend you get a double dose of fun. Both the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley have events planned.Weather alert! It’s going to be in the 70s—perfect outdoor event weather, special ordered.Saturday afternoon, Oct. 14, the Downtown Association hosts the Brew Crawl. This event will bring in 19 breweries and a specialty drink (think selzer) to pour samples at various businesses in Morgan Hill’s downtown.The focus of the Brew Crawl is to bring in as many small craft breweries as possible to make the event special. Craft brews are taking the adult beverage world by storm and some of the finest will be here.This year there will be two check-in points to complement the two biggest sponsors of the event: The Trail Dust restaurant and Running Shop & Hops store and tap room.This event starts at 1pm and ends at 5pm, so enjoy those beverages and consider sticking around for dinner and shopping afterwards. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 day of event (if there are any left…).The big weekend actually gets started a day earlier with the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley’s Passport Friday Night event. This is a private event, but you can find out how to be a part of it by purchasing tickets to the weekend of tasting for $40—that’s an entire weekend of tasting with over 25 wineries participating.Friday night, 19 wineries will be serving tasting pours all in one location—The Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. This two-hour evening event (6 to 8pm) usually sees more of the winemakers themselves pouring their wines since it is a smaller crowd and shorter event. Don’t miss this intimate private event.If you got that Wine Passport you’ll have a pass to the over 25 wineries that will have all kinds of special treats in store all weekend for wine tasters on the prowl.The wineries really put on their best face for the weekend of tasting. Besides pouring samples of their fine wines, many will have entertainment and food. Some of the wineries are getting to be known for their special food offerings.  We should all be proud of our local wineries; their wines are just getting better and better, and tasting these wines in their festive settings just seems to make them even tastier.So get plenty of rest, eat well and get out starting Friday night to have a great time as you can only do right here in the South Valley.Brew Crawl info:morganhilldowntown.orgPassport Weekend info: santaclarawines.comJohn McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

On Feb. 2, I attended my first and, I think, last Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education meeting.The meeting started out normal enough with recognition of community members and programs. Then came the open comment period, where several speakers asked for Trustee David Gerard’s resignation, plus a couple who supported him—one saying he was just “talking smack” and it was no big deal (certainly the threshold for acceptable behavior for some can be remarkably different than mine…).Then came the big agenda item which was the public hearing for censure of embattled Trustee Gerard involving his emails from his MHUSD address.The usual administrative readings were followed by questions/comments from the trustees themselves. Trustees Ron Woolf and Donna Ruebusch expressed how they had felt attacked and belittled in the now infamous emails.Not surprisingly, Trustees Rick Badillo and Gino Borgioli offered Gerard their support.It appeared to me that the cornerstone of Badillo’s comments was freedom of speech. I am prepared to accept that what Gerard said was not illegal but if we are to use minimum legal standards to justify actions then we are operating in the basement of behavior.I think we all expect our elected public officials to operate at the highest levels of behavior, and not merely squeaking by on a legal judgment.Then came one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in a public meeting, and I’ve been to a lot: Trustee Borgioli’s comments and alternate resolution for censure. I felt that the atmosphere at the meeting was turning a bit theatrical but this moved it into three-ring circus material.Borgioli had previously asked President Benevento who wrote the current resolution under consideration. The answer from the president was fellow trustees, community members and an attorney.All eyes were on Trustee Borgioli as he read a prepared statement, which I was not convinced he wrote himself from his reading. Then he proposed an alternative resolution which no one had seen and he could not easily describe.President Benevento then asked Trustee Borgioli who wrote the resolution. You would think that what happened next was part of a comedy skit.Trustee Borgioli, now faced with question reciprocity, did not answer for several seconds. I can only imagine how long those few seconds felt as all of the eyes in a packed room were on him.  “Armando Benavides” finally spilled out of Trustee Borgioli’s mouth, and there was a murmur in the room.Apparently Mr. Benavides has been at odds with the three that were supporting the censure resolution. I was gobsmacked.Is Armando Benavides the fourth man allied to the apparent trinity of Gerard, Borgioli and Badillo? He sure seemed to exert some influence over the hearing from his seat in the audience.I left during Trustee Gerard’s very long prepared speech which finally included the apologies many had been asking to hear for so long. That apology rang hollow to me since he was under the pressure of a censure resolution.Apparently I missed an incident later in the evening where Trustee Badillo was requested to be questioned by the MHPD. More theater was created when Badillo moved briskly to the front door past the audience and away from the police. He was met at the front door by another officer, and a chaotic scene ensued in which it was later learned that police received a report that Badillo might have been carrying a weapon (he was not; it was a utility tool on his belt).This is getting ridiculous and I feel that the community of Morgan Hill is now starting to pay for the behavior of Badillo, Borgioli and Gerard.Morgan Hill is becoming a laughing stock with the behavior of the trinity which I now call the “Holy Cow!” trinity.Holy cow! We need a change in behavior at the MHUSD board level now!John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner, Vice President of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

I was an early adopter of technology at one time.

I recently mentioned that the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, in partnership with the City of Morgan Hill, invited construction projects downtown to participate in a competition to see who could make their site the most interesting.The prize for this competition was a lunch for the construction crews, so there was little incentive other than the spirit of competition and lots of community spirit.The Leal organization’s site for the future Granada Hotel and Spa won the competition with a decorated fence and a construction site that really doesn’t look like either anymore. This is a great example of how to make a normally unsightly looking construction site blend back into the background.So I told some people about the competition and realized that the Leal organization was not being recognized for some of the other good things they do.I originally started writing this column because I didn’t feel that the community knew enough about so many of the good things being done in Morgan Hill, and this is a good example.The Leal organization became visible to most of us in Morgan Hill with its purchase of the old Granada Theater site. Little did we know that someone could save that old building (it was structurally unsafe), let alone make it a thriving business and contemporary landmark.It took a lot of resources to save that sentimental old building, but the Leal organization made it happen. Now we don’t have to rely on just memories of the building; we can be entertained and dine in an updated version that can now make new memories.For me, most of those memories are associated with the philanthropic work in the way of charitable fundraisers in that building.Think about the Edward Boss Prado Foundation’s annual Gala Event which found a new home there. Community Solutions’ “Black, White & Bling” Gala was the first event in the newly renovated Granada (this year’s gala is Nov. 4). Those events were generously supported by donation of the venue by the Leal organization.New this year will be Rebekah Children’s Services’ “Festival of Trees” fundraiser which just moved to Morgan Hill from the swanky Corinthian in San Jose. The Live Oak High Booster Club will be the recipient of 25 percent of the receipts from the “Pasta for a Purpose” dinner. This is a takeoff of the “Pizza for a Purpose” event the Leal organization held in Hollister for their local needs.The Leal organization is a business and will conduct itself as one, as it has to. The organization is also very active philanthropically—it doesn’t have to be but it is.This organization is another example of how so many of our local businesses become partners in the community. I welcome them to the community.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

Cruising through downtown on the way to the Times’ office, I had to wonder what visitors or newbies thought when they saw the chairs lined up in the middle of Monterey Street. “What kind of a crazy town is this?,” they must ask themselves. Well, it’s a crazy good hometown, tradition-laden-Fourth-of-July-parade-every-year town – and people come from all over to enjoy the nostalgic and patriotic feeling that comes with it. Uncle Sam would be proud of Morgan Hill.

It’s that time of the year again, when we start to see the events on the horizon that many in the region look forward to year after year: the Spring Passport Weekend, Wine Stroll, Mushroom Mardi Gras and more…I have to suppose that most people have no idea how much advance planning and time goes into making sure we have the types of events that will bring people back every year.As an example, work on the Wine Stroll and the Wine and Food Week events starts about four months before the events, with weekly meetings on the schedule until the event happen.If the planning is successful, it should appear these events were a breeze to put together and there will be smiles all around as you enjoy the festivities.The first big event that I usually attend in the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Spring Passport Weekend. This celebration is planned to kick off Friday, March 17, with a special night of fine wine tasting, and then continue on through the weekend.The Friday Night Passport kickoff is one of my favorite events at the Community and Cultural Center in Morgan Hill. It is an invitation only event for those that have a ticket for the entire Passport Weekend (don’t worry—you can purchase the Weekend Passes at the door).This year, 16 wineries will pour tastings Friday night, all in one location. Most of the people pouring will be the winemakers themselves. One of the main reasons for the creation of this event was to provide some of the wineries unable to participate in the entire weekend an opportunity to pour samplings of their hard work. Now this event is attracting other wineries who love the thought of being able to show off the fruits of their labor in the festive atmosphere that pervades this night.I can’t think of a better way for this Irishman to enjoy Saint Patrick’s Day than to spend it with about 200 friends enjoying fine wine.The rest of the weekend can be spent sampling wines at 23 different wineries throughout the Santa Clara Valley AVA. The AVA part stands for American Viticultural Area which means that perfect conditions for the growing of grapes and wines made from this fruit are unique to the Santa Clara Valley. And our local wineries take full advantage of these conditions. Their many awards over the years are only one testament to this.When you’re out on this Passport Weekend I hope you fully appreciate more than just the award winning wines. Stop and meet the people whose passion is not only to make great wines, but to provide you with fun and memorable experiences. Most every winemaker I’ve met has a unique story to tell. They love to tell those stories and talk about just about anything related to wine, including how a curry flavored chocolate pairs well with a red wine.This is a great way to kick off a new season of events in the South Valley, now get out and enjoy yourself.For more information about the Spring Passport Event, visit santaclarawines.com/passport.html.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. This is a special edition of “Our Town,” timed to give extra notice for the upcoming Spring Passport Weekend, which takes place in South Santa Clara Valley March 17-19. The column will return March 24.

The city of Gilroy Recreation Department and the Gilroy Children’s Theatre, led by director Hillary Little, have brought the Disney musical production of Beauty and the Beast Jr. to Gilroy High School Theatre. Fifty-plus kids 6 to 16 gather and have as much fun as the audience. Mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles and grandparents in the audience whoop it up and support the kids in a formative theatrical adventure.