Morgan Hill’s downtown amphitheater got a new name. It will now be known as the Morgan Hill Rich Firato Downtown Amphitheater after it was announced by Mayor Mark Turner Friday evening.
Firato—known as Morgan Hill’s pirate and a devoted father, husband, friend and business owner—died unexpectedly Aug. 22, 2024, at age 64.
During the headline band’s break during the final Friday Night Music Series concert, Turner announced the name change in a unanimous 5-0 vote by the city council.
“For the past 11 weeks we had music at this venue bringing the community together and it was started years ago by Rich Firato who was actively involved with the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and creating a venue here to to bring people together to celebrate and have some fun—and for that reason it is with great honor that the Morgan Hill City Council approved renaming this facility the Morgan Hill Rich Firato Downtown Amphitheater,” Turner told the crowd to huge applause. “It’s important to note that Rich’s impact on this community, his memory and his legacy will continue to live on.”
Standing on the stage with his mother, Julie Firato, Nick Firato said the night was
profoundly special for their family and for everyone who loved his dad.
“The official naming of the ‘Morgan Hill Rich Firato Downtown Amphitheater’ felt like a moment where the whole town wrapped its arms around us,” Nick said. “From the stage to the lawn, you could feel the warmth—people weren’t just attending a concert; they were celebrating a life that brought this community together.
“We’re deeply grateful to the city of Morgan Hill, Mayor Mark Turner, the city council, the chamber of commerce, the Friday Night Music Series team and everyone who came out. The reception was overwhelming in the best way—cheers, hugs and countless stories about my dad’s kindness and his ‘pirate’ spirit. It turned what could have been a hard anniversary into a celebration of legacy and community.”
Nick also said that a statue project is moving forward better than imagined. It will stand at the amphitheater as a joyful, permanent invitation to live with the same sense of adventure and generosity that defined Rich—also honored each year in September on National Talk like a Pirate Day Sept. 19, now known in Morgan Hill as “Rich Firato Day.”
That sense of adventure began years ago when Rich, with the help of many friends who contributed their skills to the effort, began to build his backyard pirate’s paradise. Complete with jungle and water features, skeletons, a poppy jasper mine and a replica of an 18th century Spanish galleon, Firato’s pirate’s cove became the site of community fundraisers, parties for family and friends and a place where curious onlookers were invited for informal tours.
Word of the uniquely themed property grew, and Firato’s backyard was the subject in 2022 of a segment on Disney’s “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” series.
In early 2024, Rich and his wife, Julie, created the nonprofit Morgan’s Cove Foundation, an educational organization that incorporates the family’s backyard as an outdoor classroom.
“The greatness of Rich Firato is the legacy he created with the Morgan’s Cove Foundation, a living educational historical experience,” Rich’s older brother, Al Firato, said at a Sept. 6, 2024 memorial. “There, local grade school students are treated to an interactive classroom centered around the settlement of Morgan Hill from the early indigenous people on through to the Spanish involvement—a reality that textbooks simply cannot provide.”
Before introducing the mayor on Aug. 22, Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Nick Gaich said Rich was driven and sustained by the love of his family and an unwavering passion for service to others.
“Today we celebrate Rich Firato with all who are here and with those who could not attend,” Gaich said. “For the very reason we are gathered in this venue, at this site, stems from Rich’s vision to expand and amplify the richness and diversity of what we offer in our Friday Night Music Series. Rich initiated an empowering force of community connection—be it one night of music, one performance, or one moment of happiness, it demonstrates that we can make a meaningful difference in the hearts and minds of our community.”
Rich believed in the potential of community, and his tireless efforts created opportunities that transformed lives.
“Generations will reap the benefits of the seeds he planted,” Gaich added. “Rich’s spirit, energy and good-natured persona will remain an enduring memory of the man we all loved so dearly. For the Firato family with us tonight, please know that we are forever grateful and pledge to continue Rich’s vision of community advocacy in all that we do with our Friday Night Music Series and beyond.”
