Downtown Morgan Hill’s Third Street filled with families, local vendors and community organizations June 18 as the Downtown Morgan Hill Improvement District hosted its first Twilight Market of the summer.
The event, held from 4:30-7:30pm, drew more than 40 vendors and businesses. Originally conceived as a way to include vendors whose availability doesn’t allow them to participate in the usual Saturday morning “Sidewalk Saturday” markets hosted by the district, this year the event has been expanded to include a wider variety of entries.
“We’ve added some more community organizations,” said Gabby Crescini, the district’s business engagement and events manager. “We tried to open it up to pretty much any youth or family-serving organization in the community that wanted to come out and talk about what they do to help Morgan Hill be a better place.”
The Twilight Market is free to attend and free for non-selling community organizations to participate, with one condition.
“The deal was they had to provide some sort of activity or giveaway or something for kids to do,” Crescini said.
Thursday’s event featured face painting, a DJ sponsored by Leal Hospitality and a visit from MOHI Farms, which brought two baby cows to the street to create a miniature petting zoo. Community groups in attendance included the Morgan Hill Historical Society, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Morgan Hill Public Library and the Mushroom Festival.
The Twilight Market is funded through the Downtown Morgan Hill Improvement District and by small vendor fees. The DMHID is funded by assessment-based fees paid by downtown business owners as well as by grants, sponsorships and event revenue.
“The vendors that sell things pay a small fee, because that’s the only way we can shut down the street and things like that, but they make it back on a night like this,” Crescini said. “That’s why we’re able to continue to do this.”
The district will host a second Twilight Market from 4:30-7:30pm Aug. 20 on Third Street.
