Yes indeed, June and July have come and gone,
”
101 Dalmations
”
has taken its final bow, that delicious scent of garlic is
fading, volunteers are clearing out the last evidence of Gilroy’s
famous Garlic Festival and summer is coming to an end. However,
there is still much to do on those warm August nights. Lets hope
the breezes keep blowing.
Yes indeed, June and July have come and gone, “101 Dalmations” has taken its final bow, that delicious scent of garlic is fading, volunteers are clearing out the last evidence of Gilroy’s famous Garlic Festival and summer is coming to an end. However, there is still much to do on those warm August nights. Lets hope the breezes keep blowing.
Don’t miss out on the final three Friday evenings to enjoy fabulous free concerts on Fifth Street. Bring a chair and sweater, sit back, relax and enjoy the music.
Aug. 5 brings the Fast Lane Band with easy listening blues, rock and jazz. The Morgan Hill-based band features Pat Curtis on guitar, Bob Porter on bass, Les Pierce on tenor and alto sax, Donovan Jones on drums and Patty Curtis on vocals. Patty has a delightful way of connecting with the audience, making Fast Lane a favorite with audiences of all ages.
Aug. 12 features the 16-piece South Bay Swing Band directed by Greg Chambers with vocalists Ted Sanchez, Sandra Marlowe and Patti Lemon. Not long ago, Chambers was an outstanding saxophonist at Gilroy High School. After graduation he went on to receive a master’s degree in saxophone performance from UCLA. He also went on to marry Chelsea Lumley, exceptional clarinetist and oboist. They first met at Brownell Middle School and continued to play music together at Gilroy High School. After graduation both attended UCLA. While Greg continued studies at UCLA, Chelsea received a master’s degree in music performance from the Royal College of Music in London, England. Products of Gilroy High School’s top notch music program, these two exceptional musicians make us proud.
The Gilroy Recreation Department fall/winter activity guide has been delivered to local homes. If you’ve misplaced it, pick up another at the City of Gilroy Community Services, 7351 Rosanna St. Inside the guide, you’ll find a wealth of activities for all ages.
Candace Fazzio, of the Music Academy on Church Street, offers keyboard musicianship classes for ages 4 and older. It’s never to late to learn how to play and her most senior student, age 84, is proof. Fazzio considers herself a music teacher, not a piano teacher. Her “My Music” classes for 4- to 6-year-olds are active and interactive, allowing children to experience music as well as explore the keyboard.
Fazzio feels that teaching is a “calling.” She had to convince her parents that she could make a living teaching music and now, after 38 successful years, she “wouldn’t know what else to do.”
Music Academy teachers Fazzio, Andoni Bundros (piano), Sandra Marlowe (voice), John Garcia (guitar) and Eric Finley (violin) will give a faculty recital in September at the United Methodist Church at 7600 Church St. The newly hammered piano at the church should sound fabulous.
South Valley Civic Theatre has stepped beyond its usual comedy fare to bring the classic drama “Inherit the Wind” to its Morgan Hill stage. Producer Beth Dewey tells me that more than half of the large cast are Gilroyans. Featured are Allen Siversen as Matthew Brady, James (Dan) Pearson as Henry Drummond, Scott Lynch as Rev. Jeremiah Brown and Joseph Biafore as the Mayor. The play, based on the famous 1924 Scopes Monkey Trials sparked by the teaching of evolution in the public school system, is about the right to think. The teaching of Darwinism and evolution still generates controversy among some groups today.
On a lighter note, Pintello Comedy Theater opens “Faith County” on Friday, Aug. 12. The comedy – with country flavor – takes place on obscure southern fairgrounds where beehive hairdos are still the rage and everybody knows everybody else’s business. Local actors Barbara Bottini, Charley Gilmore, Jennifer and Rob Langford, Whitney and Simon Pintello, Robin Harris, Rachel Perry and Sarah Smith will portray the interesting small-town characters in this “laugh ’til your sides hurt” comedy. The family-friendly atmosphere of the theater features comfortable table seating, coffee and cookies.
Thanks to arts patron Don Christopher and the Gilroy Foundation, The Gilroy Center for the Arts on Monterey and Seventh streets is undergoing much needed improvements, including better lighting and another bathroom with handicap access. The building, run by the Gilroy Arts Alliance, is truly a community effort and could not exist without the efforts of many volunteers. If you are interested in becoming involved, contact president Kevin Heath at ke*************@gm***.com.
