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Two children were transported to the hospital after a vehicle hit them in a downtown Morgan Hill traffic accident the evening of July 4, according to police.About 9:10 p.m. July 4, Morgan Hill police were dispatched to a report of an injury collision at Monterey Road and Fourth Street, police said. While responding to the call, officers learned a white Jeep traveling northbound on Monterey Road had struck two juvenile pedestrians crossing the roadway.Upon arrival, police located the involved parties and assisted the injured pedestrians. According to a July 5 press release from MHPD, it appeared both juveniles were crossing eastbound on Monterey Road, in the crosswalk. On of the children was riding his bicycle and the other was riding a scooter. Neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision.One of the juveniles was trapped under the vehicle when police arrived, and had to be extricated by Fire/EMS personnel, according to police. MHPD Sgt. Bill Norman said at the scene that both children suffered “critical injuries.” They were transported to Valley Medical Center.The female adult driver of the Jeep, who was not hurt in the accident, remained on the scene and cooperated with authorities, police said.At the time of the collision, there were no signs the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.The accident is under investigation by MHPD.Anyone who witnessed the collision can call MHPD Cpl. Scott Silva at (408) 779-2101or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

The Morgan Hill Shetland 1 All-Stars won the 2016 Sectional Tournament held at Britton Middle School this week, surviving a come-from-behind effort from Blossom Hill 1.

Final touches to Cordevalle are being made ahead of next week’s U.S. Women’s Open set to begin July 7 marking the first time the prestigious  golf tournament in the Bay Area.

Dear Red Phone,Wasn’t the parking lot at the old liquor store downtown supposed to be closed to the public several weeks ago so the owner could begin construction on a new project? I know the pop-up park that used to be there has moved, but cars are still parking in the lot.Dear Caller,The parking lot at the corner of Third Street and Monterey Road, in front of and next to the former Simple Beverages building, was indeed supposed to be fenced off May 6 so that developers Ken Rodrigues and Imwalle Properties could begin construction. However, city staff said they have run into some “snags” in transferring the property to Rodrigues/Imwalle. The new owner is likely to close on the purchase of the site and begin construction in early July.The city council and planning commission have already approved the proposed development on the site—a complex of four restaurants owned by a small South Bay chain—but the last step they needed was an exception to floodplain construction requirements. That variance was granted by the Morgan Hill Planning Commission on a 5-2 vote June 28. The city’s “flood damage prevention” section of the municipal code requires most new construction to be built at least 12 inches above the base flood elevation in a flood zone. The property at Third Street and Monterey Road sits within a 100-year floodplain.However, city staff recommended the Rodrigues/Imwalle project be granted an exception to this requirement so that it would fit with its commercial neighbors. Morgan Hill Public Works Director Karl Bjarke noted that under existing regulations, the floor of an elevated restaurant on the site would rise about five feet above that of Trail Dust restaurant next door on Monterey Road. The city will still require the new project to be build just above the base flood elevation, but not as high as the regulations state.Assistant City Manager Leslie Little added that Rodrigues/Imwalle are scheduled to close on the .42-acre site July 6, and they could begin fencing off the parking lot the following day.Rodrigues/Imwalle purchased the property from the City of Morgan Hill (acting as Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency) in 2015 for $525,000. The Morgan Hill RDA purchased the property in 2009 as part of its effort to revitalize the downtown.Rodrigues/Imwalle plan to build four establishments owned by South Bay restaurant group The Opa! Group. These restaurants are Opa Greek restaurant; Tac-Oh! Mexican restaurant’ Mo’s…the Breakfast & Burger Joint; and Willard Hicks (steaks and American food).As you have likely noticed, the pop-up park that used to be at that site has been relocated to the corner of Second Street and Monterey Road.

The City of Morgan Hill continues to have a hard time finding landscaping contractors for public properties who can perform the work expected of them, and at least one council member thinks the bidding and qualifying process could use some improvements.

The Morgan Hill Planning Commission June 28 recommended a November ballot measure to extend the city’s growth control ordinance for 15 more years, with a population cap of 59,000 in 2035 and no more than 230 new homes annually.

People like the stage sets artist Glynis Crabb has done for South Valley plays so much, they have asked if she could put them in their homes.Crabb, 68, spends months building her intricate and authentic designs in a Gilroy warehouse and then has them trucked to the Limelight Theater in Gilroy, South Valley Civic Theater in Morgan Hill and San Benito Stage Company in Hollister.“Set design can set the whole mood of a show,” says actress Rachel Perry. “As an actor, I feel that the set lends itself to the characters we become onstage.”Perry’s known Crabb for a few years through their mutual appreciation of theater.“She is an amazing talent,” Perry says. “Her vision and execution are always flawless and fun.”Crabb’s art varies depending on the production. She’s worked on sets for productions ranging from The Wizard of Oz to Always…Patsy Cline. She’s responsible for the set of Limelight Theater’s summer season production of Lend Me a Tenor, opening this week. The Tony-award winning comedy by Ken Ludwig originally debuted on Broadway in the late 1980s.“When there are original pieces of art on the set that have to be created, she’s my go-to person,”says Kevin Heath, the Limelight’s co-owner.Crabb gets inspiration for her set designs from the larger theater productions in San Francisco and Monterey.“Being part of the set design and the set artist, I usually go to the big shows and either get ideas or pull their set apart,” Crabb jokes. “‘I would have done it that way’ or ‘That’s fantastic.’”She scales down what she sees in big money productions but keeps the essence for the smaller halls.“The big shows rely on projection a lot these days, which is a beautiful thing and I think there’s a designer putting that together,” Heath says. “It can be effective. But for smaller theaters, and ours is a good example of that, we can’t rely on a big flat screen that will tell a story. We have set pieces that tell it. That’s where a set artist like Glynis is super important.”Crabb enjoys working with Heath and said that they seem to be on the same wavelength most of the time.“She’s as crazy as I am, so that helps,” Heath jokes.For the current comedy, Lend Me a Tenor, Crabb takes playgoers to 1934 in Cleveland, where an opera singer takes a knock-out drug and his assistant has to fake the role.“Kevin wanted it to look like a classy 1930s hotel room,” Crabb says. “I wanted to keep the colors down to a minimum, because I think it can get too busy onstage sometimes.”The production, directed by community theater performer Steve Spencer, also marks the Limelight Theater’s annual fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.“Glynis usually donates something besides her time, which is important,” Heath says. “She donates to the fundraiser as well.”Crabb was introduced to set artistry and design in 1999 when her son graduated from Gilroy High School. She got involved with the Sober Graduation event.“We converted the two gyms into four different areas,” Crabb says. “I had two rooms: a disco room and an arcade room. That was the first time I really painted large. I did a 64-foot by 10-foot-high Star Wars battle scene, with the Death Star and everything, in the disco room. The arcade room had Batman, Robin and the Joker.”Crabb said she spent nearly two months in a warehouse on the outskirts of Gilroy working on the event’s artwork. A friend of hers got her involved with South Valley Civic Theater afterwards.“It was The Music Man,” Crabb says. “So my friend called me up and asked if I would help. At the time I worked in a small warehouse at the north end of Gilroy. We had to transfer everything on trucks to the South Valley Theater in Morgan Hill on the back of pickups! We lost a few things.”Crabb has done around 20 shows for South Valley Civic Theater over the years. Her favorite set was the theater’s 2010 production of The King and I.“That was a fabulous set!” Heath says. “One of the best sets I’ve ever seen.”Heath thinks set design is just as important as a good actor or good costume designer.“The set designer has to have a vision of course, and the director has to have a vision,” he says.“Speaking for Glynis and I, I would come up with the bones of the set and have a vision. I’ll send her pictures on Facebook and go ‘I’m thinking of doing this.’ And she’ll come in and make it better than my original idea.”Crabb came to the United States from the United Kingdom in 1975 with her husband and son, who was eight at the time.“I’ve done some art on and off throughout my life, but never really pursued it,” Crabb says. “I wanted to go to an art college when I was young, but the teachers at school said I wasn’t good enough, so I didn’t do that.”Crabb says she left school not knowing what she wanted to do. She became a radiographer, which fulfilled what she wanted to do at the time.“I always wanted to paint. Because I’ve worked all my life, I’ve never really had the time. And so now I’m 68, like pretty much retired from X-ray. So I have the opportunity to pursue it now.”“She had an art exhibit here at the beginning of the year,” Heath says. “She also helped us out last year when we had an artist cancel at the last minute. I called her and said ‘Can you bring your art over, because we need an art exhibit.’ And she said ‘Sure.’ She really supports the center. We couldn’t do it without her.”Although Crabb’s been painting on smaller canvases lately, she says she prefers painting in larger mediums, much like her theater sets.“I enjoy painting large and letting the art speak for itself,” says Crabb. “We’re all different. Every artist produces something different and I think it’s part of themselves.”

You never know what you are going to get at a show by the Morgan Hill-based dance cover band the Emphatics.

When Morgan Hill resident Daniel Reyes would tell his friends and family that he was a writer, some would respond with skepticism and ask for a sample of one of his published works.

The Morgan Hill Freedom Fest—one of the oldest parades in the county—has exploded like fireworks over the years, growing from one day to two days.The beloved hometown event, which started in 1876 with sack races, a picnic and parade now includes a parade, street dance, car show, family fun night at the aquatic center, live music and patriotic singing.The celebration starts at 6 p.m. July 3 with a patriotic sing and music festival, capped with a downtown street dance. Sunday night’s singers include local school children led by Karen Crane for the Patriotic Sing and Musical with the National Anthem sung by incoming Sobrato High School freshman, Angelina Madriaga. Also performing are Brooklyn Anderson and cover band the Hack Jammers.Monday’s events include an early morning 5K for adults and a kids’ 1-mile race, a car cruise, a parade and a fireworks display with a concert on the green.“It used to be a parade, fireworks and picnic, and then we started the 5K race and then we started the car cruise and parade together,” says parade chair Bob Hunt.Hunt, along with his wife and co-chair Maureen Hunt, have overseen Fourth of July festivities in Morgan Hill for the past 27 years.“It’s a darn good parade with lots of great events—all of them, all seven,” says Bob Hunt.Car enthusiasts can catch vintage vehicles warming up the parade route before the parade floats through downtown. The cruise will end with a car show at the Centennial Community Center.The parade this year will include some of last year’s best contenders, including Grand Sweepstakes Winner St. Catherine’s Church and most Patriotic Winner, the Freedom Fest Patriotic Singers.“They are all wonderful,” says Maureen Hunt.Each year there is a patriotic theme people can decorate to, says Bob Hunt about the parade floats. This year’s theme is “America, My Home Sweet Home.”“We’ve had some really excellent float builders,” he continues. “A lot of do-it-yourself floats—like last year we had the St. Catherine’s for the second year in a row take Grand Sweepstakes with their float because they did such an outstanding job and they did it themselves.”“They had the Statue of Liberty in New York, and people had their suitcases and they were coming to America from all of their homelands,” says Maureen Hunt, recalling St. Catherine’s 2014 winning float for ‘Destination America.’The Independence Day celebration has grown over the last several decades and continues to be one of the few celebrations in the Bay Area that includes events all day. It’s the only event run entirely by volunteers.After the parade, folks can head over to the Aquatics Center and splash down at the water park before the fireworks light up the sky.The July Fourth concert on the green includes musical performances by Country Cougar, The Patriotic Singers and The Usual Suspects.