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$1 • Friday, June 22, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 25 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
Britton Middle School project breaks ground following sixmonth delay FIRST PHASE TO BE COMPLETED BY JULY 2019 Scott Forstner Reporter
HOME ON THE RANGE Rancher Justin Fields rides with his cattle, driving them onto summer pastures.
Ranchers hit annual payday WORLDWIDE DEMAND FOR BEEF KEEPS RANCHES IN BUSINESS Bryce Stoepfel Reporter
From San Jose down south U.S. 101 through Morgan Hill and Gilroy, the folks who live in the valley have little idea what happens in the hills that surround them. The rolling hills are
LOCAL SCENE Prohibition Party The Morgan Hill Historical Society’s fourth annual Prohibition Party Fundraiser: A Speakeasy will take place June 23, 7-10pm, at the Hiram Morgan Hill House at Villa Mira Monte, 17860 Monterey Road. The historic house will be turned into a swanky speakeasy from the Prohibition era. The fundraiser features live
full of life, though, and the cattle industry practiced since the Spanish vaqueros of old still thrives. Even though mostly unseen, the work done on surrounding cattle ranches shows up on our dinner plates and through the veins of Santa Clara County's agricultural economy with 13,300 head of cattle harvested locally, according to the 2016 USDA agricultural census. One of those ranchers is Justin Fields, the
president of the Santa Clara County Cattlemen’s Association, who works alongside his wife, Arleah Fields, and two daughters, Jenna,17, a senior at Sobrato High School who’s heading to Cal-Poly in the fall, and Jodi,13, to ranch almost 500 head of cattle. Fields is tall, with blue eyes and a neat pushbroom mustache, and he’s a real-life cowboy, with the chaps, spurs, rodeo belts and family heritage to prove it. Still, when he
comes to town to pick up his daughter from school, people often can’t understand what he does. “They are so removed from the land, they don’t know where their food comes from,” Fields, 46, said. “They don’t realize that their food is actually being produced here.” The Fieldses’ ranch is one of the few remaining family-owned cattle ranches in the county. The Fieldses own 700 acres of prime grassland in the
rolling hills of Coyote Valley, right outside of San Jose. To accommodate almost 500 head of cattle, they lease an additional 7,000 acres, much of which is on public lands administered by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. “In this area, there aren’t many family-owned ranches,” Fields said. “It’s rare that a rancher owns enough property where
dance music by Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys, and dancing led by Arthur Murray Dance. Tickets are $79 per person and include food, entertainment, dancing, classic car portraits and a no-host speakeasy bar with Prohibition era cocktails. To purchase tickets, visit speakeasyparty.com.
to provide input on future short term and long-term plans for Jackson Park. The purpose of the meeting is to review potential future park expansion and additional amenities. The meeting will take place at Jackson Park Gazebo on Trail Drive. For more information contact Chris Ghione at chris. ghione@morganhill.ca.gov or (408) 782-9154.
on June 28, 6-8pm. Bring blankets and chairs. Light snacks will be provided.
Edward Boss Prado Foundation will host “An Evening at the Ranch” fundraiser July 28, 6-10pm, at Coyote Ranch, located at Metcalf and Coyote Ranch Road just north of Morgan Hill. The event features food, drinks, dancing, live music, a hayride under stars and plenty of room to kick up your heels. Tickets cost $125 each. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit pradofoundationgala. eventbrite.com.
What to do with Jackson Park? The City of Morgan Hill will host a meeting at 6pm June 27 to discuss opportunities
Movie in the park The city of Morgan Hill will host a free family-friendly outdoor movie at Galvan Park, 17666 Crest Ave.,
Free fitness Residents of Morgan Hill can exercise for free at the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 W. Edmundson Ave., on July 6, 4:30am-10pm. Proof of residency is required.
Evening at the Ranch
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➝ Britton, 13
Bryce Stoepfel
After a six-month delay, plus a change in the nearly $40 million work order, the Britton Middle School Transformation Project finally broke ground June 5 in front a modest crowd of Morgan Hill Unified School District staff, school site faculty, school board trustees and Bobcat student band members. Superintendent Steve Betando led a septet of gold shovel bearers—Assistant Superintendent Kirsten Perez, construction director Casino Fajardo, school trustees Donna Ruebusch, Gino Borgioli, Ron Woolf and David Gerard, and teacher/coach Jim Green— in turning the first bit of dirt where a pair of two-story classroom buildings is due to be erected by July 2019. “Our plan was to have the project done by this summer, 2018, but that also anticipated us having our state approval in