Uncategorized

Veterans Day Memorial Services & Events--Join those who wish to honor the men and women who have fought, given their lives, and those that remain missing in defense of the United States of America and the ideals for which it stands.Morgan Hill Veterans Day service at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 in Downtown Morgan Hill at the intersection of Monterey and First street.Gilroy Veterans Day ceremony. At 11 a.m. at the Veterans Building, 74 W. Sixth St., Gilroy.Gather the family to participate in the Veterans Day Run at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at The Running Shop and Hops in Morgan Hill at 17500 Depot Street, Morgan Hill. For more information visit, http://bit.ly/2fDrKrNMORGAN HILLWinter Craft FairDon’t miss out on the Annual Historical Machado School Winter Craft Fair where you will find unusual and wonderful handcrafted holiday décor and gift ideas. The original Machado building was in use from 1895 to 1967. It was closed when new mandated earthquake standards went into effect. But with the help of the community the old school now serves as a local community center and is maintained and supported by memberships, donations and special events. Come out on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 15130 Sycamore Dr. in Morgan Hill.GILROYAmerica WestGavilan College Children's Theatre Presents ‘America West.’ Each semester, seasoned performers and novices join together to produce a theatrical performance just for youth when they enroll in the Children's Theatre Repertory class. This fall, the explore Folktales and Folksongs from the American West, six short plays based on folk songs and Native American tales highlighting strong female characters. Reminisce with folksongs including; Oh Susannah, Sweet Betsy from Pike, Sister Fox and Brother Coyote, Hiiaka and Pohaha. Be entertained throughout this one hour performance followed by one hour reception with cast. Family pack of tickets are available the day of the event at the Theatre Box Office for $30 for two adults and two children. Individual tickets available at event or online at brownpapertickets.com. Don’t miss this performance of the Gavilan College Theatre Arts on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd.Fortino Winery Fall BoutiqueDo your holiday shopping in the beautiful countryside at Fortino Winery Fall Boutique. Shop 20 different local vendors showcasing a variety of arts, crafts and handmade goods. There will be a special tasting menu for this event and a barrel tasting also. Come out and enjoy wine tasting or mulled wine along with local live music on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4525 Hecker Pass Hwy, Gilroy. Admission is free. For more information go to fortinowinery.com. HOLLISTERHoliday Giving CampaignFor 12 days before Thanksgiving there will be amazing people coming together to campaign for local charities for the Holidays Giving Campaign. There are five organizations that collaborate, raise funds and help to increase awareness of how to assist those in need. Participating organizations are CASA of San Benito County, Community Food Bank, Chamberlain’s Children Center, Emmaus House and the Salvation Army. Learn how to get involved at givesanbenito.org. To kick off San Benito’s 12 Days of Giving, United Way will host its annual Gala Holiday Extravaganza on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The evening will include a festive dinner, no host cocktails, entertainment and a live auction for $60 at The Barn on 6971 Airline Hwy in Tres Pinos. Call (831) 332-7550 or register at unitedwaysbc.org.SAN JUAN BAUTISTAWalk to Stop DiabetesThe community of San Juan Bautista is passionate about the fight against diabetes and will STEP OUT and Walk to Stop Diabetes. The walk raises funds to help find a cause and cure for this silent disease. If you have diabetes and participate in a Step Out then you are a Red Strider and the reason behind this event. When you register for a local event, be sure to select the Red Strider participation option and receive the latest information. You can contact a local Walk Manager at 1-800-DIABETES for details about your local Red Strider program. Create a team and register to participate on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 8 a.m. Historic Town Square, San Juan Bautista State Park. For more details go to evensi.us.La Virgen del TepeyacCelebrate a beautiful Christmas story, La Virgen del Tepeyac, a biennial spectacle of vibrant music, sacral theater and Aztec Dance. This Christmas adaptation by Luis Valdez dramatizes the four apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Presented in Spanish with live music Nov. 25 through Dec. 18 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy El Teatro Campesino's performance at the beautiful Old Mission San Juan Bautista, at 406 Second St. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on brownpapertickets.com.THE VALLEYFestival of the TreesNothing brings out the holiday spirit more than an elaborately decorated Christmas tree like the ones you’ll see at Rebekah Children’s Services Annual Festival of the Trees fundraiser. Rebekah’s is a non-profit group in Gilroy offering family-centered mental health, educational and training services and is dedicated to promoting the social, emotional and physical well-being of children and families in the South Valley. Guests will enter a room filled with magic and wonder, enjoy a splendid dinner and take part in an auction like no other. The auction includes holiday gift baskets and ornamental door wreaths. Help kick off the season on Friday, Nov. 18 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Corinthian Event Center, 196 N Third St, San Jose. Tickets are $100. Register at rcskids.org.Calendar GirlsCalendar Girls is based on a true story about two British friends who rally a group of women to produce a tasteful, yet clever, family-friendly nude calendar. The calendar is intended to raise funds but getting the acceptance creates all kinds of antics. Come and laugh on Nov. 17 through Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays or 2 p.m. Sundays at the City Lights Theater Company, 529 S Second St, San Jose. Tickets range from $19 to $42. For more information go to cltc.org.

Live Oak’s regular season finished off with a strong showing against Willow Glen and now the Acorns are gearing up for  the start of the Central Coast Section Open Division III playoffs.

Sobrato football announced it will be moving down to the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley Division next year and that decision could mark the end of the city’s biggest rivalry game.

It would be hard to find a sillier, funnier way to spend a couple of hours at the theater than by seeing Exit Laughing, presented by Limelight Actors Theater in Gilroy.The comedy, written by Paul Elliott, is best appreciated without much knowledge of the plot beyond the basic setup: Four women in Birmingham, Alabama, have spent the last 30 years deepening their friendship around the bridge table. When one of them dies, the other three mourn her death in an unusual way, involving the “theft” of the urn containing her ashes.Actually, there’s not much plot beyond that, but the story offers some sweet reflections of the importance of friendship (and love) within the gentle comedy.The three surviving friends—Connie (JoAnna Evans), Leona (Rosalind Farotte) and Millie (Christy Wait)—gather at Connie’s home after the funeral. The liquor flows (with Leona happily pouring drinks) but things take an absurd turn when Millie, who is a bit of a ditsy blonde, turns up with the purloined urn for one last bridge game.Over the course of the evening, the three women celebrate their friend’s life and their friendship. There’s some clever, sharp dialogue involving why they are all single, with some of it focused on Connie’s uptight daughter Rachel (Tina Elder-Flores), a college student bemoaning her lack of dating success after being stood up by a classmate (“That girl’s on her own private rollercoaster,” says one of the women).Things get even sillier when a “policeman” (a charming Brennan Perry) starts knocking on the door.The whole business has the feel of a sitcom, perhaps a mashup of Golden Girls andDesigning Women, but in the hands of director Kevin Heath and the entire cast, who all give performances that create the feel of real bonds between the women, the show fulfills the promise of its title.Exit Laughing, by Paul Elliott. Directed by Kevin Heath. Presented by Limelight Actors Theater at the Gilroy Center for the Arts. Playing Nov. 11-13, 18-20 and 25-26. limelightactorstheater.com

As the days get cooler and the nights start earlier, thoughts drift to autumn flavors, like the indomitable pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cinnamon that perk up our coffees and desserts.

With the passing of Propositions 55, 51 and 58 in the Nov. 8 election, State Superintendent Tom Torlakson commended voters for helping to improve California’s education system.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency’s Measure B, a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvements, surpassed the two-thirds majority it needed to pass.

The City of Morgan Hill’s long-standing growth control policy was never under threat of dying at the polls Nov. 8, as Measure S was resoundingly supported by 77 percent of those who cast ballots.

After all the candidates rested from their election viewing parties throughout downtown Morgan Hill, final vote tallies show political newcomer Rene Spring besting the field of five candidates for two city council seats.Incumbent Larry Carr, vying for his fourth four-year term on the council, came in second place with 26 percent, or 4,546 votes cast, according to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Spring topped the field with about 31 percent, or 5,441 votes. These top two vote getters won the available seats.In the race for mayor, incumbent Steve Tate won election to his sixth term in office, which he has said will be his last. Tate received about 63 percent of the total votes, compared to 24 percent for Kirk Bertolet and 13 percent for Joseph Carrillo. Tate was the top vote getter among all candidates for city offices, with a total of 6,882 ballots cast in his favor.Spring, a city planning commissioner since 2012, thinks the results placing him in the lead for the council race are a referendum on the current administration, while Tate and Carr naturally see the election as a validation of their many years in local office.“I really think people wanted some change,” Spring said the night of Nov. 8, while drinking pints of beer and eating pizza with his supporters at The Running Shop and Hops. “A large segment of our city feels (the council) doesn’t represent them anymore. I want to bring in a different perspective to the council that has been missing at times, and it looks like many residents of Morgan Hill like that.”Carr said he’s ready to continue to work on some “big regional issues” that will have an impact on Morgan Hill in the next four years—namely the state’s High Speed Rail project and “how the growth of Silicon Valley and housing to the south of us have greatly impacted transportation in Morgan Hill.”“I’m glad the mayor was re-elected so I can continue to work with him on regional issues,” Carr added.Incumbent Marilyn Librers, seeking her third term on the council, came in third place in the voting with 18 percent or 3,182 votes. She was followed by candidates Armando Benavides (13 percent) and Mario Banuelos (12 percent).Carr and Tate joined dozens of supporters at Rosy’s At The Beach restaurant in downtown Morgan Hill to watch the returns roll in the night of Nov. 8.“I think I have a lot of experience, a lot of networking capability, and I’m familiar with the issues,” Tate said while surrounded by supporters and eating bruschetta from a smorgasbord of hors d'oeuvres displayed at a nearby table. “And I don’t think I’ve done anything to screw up.”The race for council and mayor, at times, played out like a referendum on the growth of Morgan Hill, with Spring, Benavides and Bertolet advocating substantially lower growth rates than currently in place and proposed in Measure S, which also won at the polls Nov. 8.Carr, Librers, Tate and Banuelos agreed the city needs to slow down the growth, but they felt existing policies, and those proposed under Measure S, were appropriate.One of Tate and Carr’s supporters at Rosy’s was Laura Gonzales Escoto, who took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of local politics shortly after she lamented the televised national results that showed Donald J. Trump in the lead for the presidential race.“We can have the most impact in our daily lives by being involved in local government,” Gonzales Escoto said. “That’s what builds community: involvement, engagement and connection.”Varela keeps water district seatAlso at Rosy’s the night of Nov. 8 was Santa Clara Valley Water District John Varela, who won his race against challenger Tom Cruz. Varela received 58 percent of the vote, or 31,393 votes.“It’s always good when your message resonates with the voters,” Varela said.Varela was appointed to the district’s board of directors December 2015, after former Director Dennis Kennedy resigned due to health reasons. Varela was appointed to complete Kennedy’s unfinished term, which expires after the November election.