San Benito Magazine February 27 - March 4, 2020

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Reunited

Hollister family experiences life-changing surprise P4

CALENDAR OF EVENTS P8 | HOME OF THE WEEK P14 | REAL ESTATE P15

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20 Belmont Ct. Hollister

26 Years of Helping Buyers and Sellers

4

FAMILY REUNION Sisters Susie Branon Sanchez ( from left), Laura Stephens

and Lisa Branon Reini have reunited after a lifetime apart.

Daniel J. Furtado, Broker

MAGAZINE

www.danfurtadorealestate.com 408.313.0833 | 831.313.1656 furtadodan@gmail.com CalBRE: 01131718

64 W. Sixth Street, Gilroy, CA Mailing address: P.O. Box 516, Gilroy, CA 95021 Phone: 408-842-6400

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FEBRUARY 28, 2020

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Associate Publisher Editor

Erik Chalhoub Calendar Editor

Tia Sundberg

March 11, 9:30 am

Contributing Writers

Jenny Arbizu, Wallace Baine, Kimberly Ewertz, Laura Ness, Susan Rife, Kate Russell Advertising Account Executives

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Carrie Bonato, Scott Harvey, Eileen Katis, Cynthia Runyon Design Director

Kara Brown

Production Operations Manager

Sean George

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Crush

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Cover Story

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Calendar

10 Community 12 Theater 13 Concours 14 Home of the Week 408-847-2717 MountMadonnaSchool.org

Dan Pulcrano Jeannette Close

Art & Play in the Pre & K! Parents of toddler, preschool, and kindergarten age children are invited to come for a morning of activities and fun experiences with your child(ren) in the preschool / kindergarten.

Publisher

15 Real Estate

Editorial Production Manager

Katherine Manlapaz

Published by New SV Media Inc., Gilroy, CA Entire contents Š 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisher’s written permission.

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& A

OUT & ABOUT

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The public

is invited to join environmental experts and learn about issues facing the region at the Environmental Town Hall in Hollister, Feb. 28.

SAN JOSE

GILROY

GILROY

TOWN HALL

LEAP YEAR BIOBLITZ

PIANO COMPETITION

HISTORICAL LECTURE

Assemblymember Robert Rivas will present a community town hall focusing on environmental issues and featuring a panel of local, regional and state stakeholders and environmental experts. Environmental issues facing the region will be discussed and the community will have an opportunity to learn more about what challenges these issues create for the environment. Friday, Feb. 28, 3-7pm at San Benito High School Library, 1220 Monterey St. For information or to RSVP, call 831.759.8676 or email amy.mcelroy@asm.ca.gov.

Find and identify as many species as possible at the Laguna Seca Leap Year BioBlitz, where participants will work together to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi and other organisms that live there.

Docents will guide participants and teach them to use the iNaturalist app on smartphones or tablets to record all of the living things they encounter. Saturday, Feb. 29, 9am-noon at North Coyote Valley Conservation Area.

For information and to register, visit tinyurl.com/wtyafym.

Gavilan College and the Filice Family present the 15th annual Marian Filice Piano Competition and Music Festival, showcasing piano students from fifth to 12th grades.

Contestants will perform two contrasting pieces from the classical repertoire from memory. The competition consists of junior and senior divisions with monetary awards and honorable mentions recognized in each. Sunday, Mar. 1, 10am at Gavilan College Theater, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. Admission is free and the awards ceremony and music festival begin at 3pm. For information, visit gavilan.edu/music.

Guest lecturer Mas Hashimoto will speak on the subject of racism, the Constitution and Concentration Camps in the United States at “America’s Concentration Camps.” Hashimoto, a historian and educator, will speak about his experiences in a Japanese internment camp during WWII and will connect these events in the context of the United States’ Constitution and America’s history of racism. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 11:30am-12:45pm at Gavilan College, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. For information, visit tinyurl.com/rxeayfb.

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

HOLLISTER

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All photographs submitted

SISTER AND BROTHER Laura Stephens and Chris Branon.

FIRST CHILD Laura Stephens and her birth parents,

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Dave and Kay Branon.

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THE SIBLINGS Susie Branon Sanchez ( from left), Laura Stephens, Chris Branon and Lisa Branon Reini.

DAUGHTER AN

d

a Stephens an D FATHER Laur

e Branon. her birth father, Dav

Together

BY WALLACE BAINE

once again

Family reunites through DNA test

O

Susie, 46, was the only one of the Branon siblings to have done the popular DNA test administered by 23andMe. Mainly she was curious about her Irish lineage. But on that drive home, Lisa told her that a woman in Texas had been communicating with other members of the family and, at least according to 23andMe’s data, she might be a fourth Branon sibling, the older sister none of them knew they had.

“They needed me to log on (to 23andMe) to confirm all this,” Susie said. “I get home and I’m shaking trying to log on.

And I click on this bar and it tells me I have a sister named Laura Stephens in Texas. In the moment of me doing that, our entire existence, of everything you know to be true for your entire life, was altered. My first thought was, ‘Who’s going to call Mom and Dad?’” Laura Stephens, 54, is a schoolteacher in Midlothian, Texas, a few miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth. She purchased the 23andMe genetic testing kit, mainly because it was on sale. But she did nothing with it for a year. In June 2019, under the mistaken belief that the kit was set to expire, she quickly submitted her saliva sample to the company.

Laura had known her entire life that she was adopted.

Like the Branons, she had also grown up in a stable loving family environment with a mother, father and older brother (who was also adopted). She wasn’t sure what she would learn from the test, given that she knew nothing about the circumstances of her birth or her genetic heritage.

Within a couple of days, 23andMe had informed her that her results were ready, and within 23andMe’s messaging system, she received an odd message. 23andMe had found ➝6

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

ne evening in the middle of June last summer, somewhere on the road between San Jose and Hollister, pigs began to fly.

At least that’s how it seemed to Susie Sanchez, who remembers the exact spot on her commute home that night where she learned a family secret that was, in her mind, much more unlikely and fantastical than pigs flying.

She was on the phone with her sister Lisa, who lives in Colorado. Lisa, through tears, was trying to tell Susie something, but was having trouble getting it out. Then, in a flash, Susie was hit by the realization that has since upended her life—but in a good way.

Susie, Lisa and their older brother Chris (who, like Susie, also lives in Hollister) are the children of Dave and Kay Branon who raised their family in Morgan Hill and now are living out their retirement years in the mountain town of Groveland, near Yosemite.

The Branons were a fine, happy, upstanding family. But Dave and Kay kept a secret from their three children for more than 50 years.

In 1965, in the year she turned 20, Kay got pregnant before she and Dave were married. In December of that year, sequestered in Texas, Kay gave birth to a baby girl that she gave up for adoption. Soon after, she and Dave were married and they started their own family. But every year on the child’s birthday, not knowing what ever became of her, the Branons shared a thought and prayer for their lost daughter. They said not a word to anyone about it, until the summer of 2019.

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FEBRUARY 28, 2020

TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN

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her granddaughter, a young woman in California named Lexi. Laura was convinced that 23andMe had made an error. For one thing, she had left her sample in a mailbox for 24 hours on a particularly hot Texas day and she assumed it had become tainted.

Even more importantly, she had no grandchildren.

Laura decided to contact Lexi, to tell her that it was all a big mistake.

The two women began to correspond and Lexi asked about Laura’s family background. Laura had to tell her that she was adopted and knew nothing.

“Once I told her that,” Laura said, “it was like a wildfire. It was all out of my control.”

Still unsure what to make of this troubling new revelation, the Branon siblings in Hollister decided it was up to the eldest, Chris, to make the call to their parents. Chris called his mother in Groveland. As delicately as he could manage, he asked Kay, “Mom, what happened on Dec. 5, 1965?”

Instantly, Kay collapsed in tears and said the words that buried everyone’s doubts.

“Oh my God, Chris,” she said.

“Tell me she’s alive and tell me she’s OK.” That weekend, Father’s Day weekend, Chris and Susie drove the three hours to Groveland and, with Lisa on speakerphone, the siblings heard the story from their mother for the first time.

Kay’s mother had been scandalized by her daughter’s out-ofwedlock pregnancy and sent away the young woman to Texas for the birth. Kay delivered a healthy baby girl, but at the last minute, she reconsidered her decision to give the baby up and decided to keep it.

She and the infant were together for three days, until Kay’s mother issued an ultimatum. Kay’s father, she was told, had just recently suffered a heart attack. He knew nothing of the pregnancy. If Kay kept the baby, her mother told her, it might kill her father. So, reluctantly, she gave up the child.

But why the secrecy? Susie said her mother admitted that “selfishly, I’m going to want to come find you. But I let you go. What if you don’t want to be found? It would be wrong for me to impose on you.

You have to reach out to us, and

FAMILY REUNION Kay Branon hugs her daughter Laura Stephens in photo at left. Right photo: Susie Branon Sanchez ( from left), Laura Stephens and Lisa Branon Reini. if you do, we’ll embrace you with open arms.”

Back in Texas, Laura Stephens was trying to enjoy her own family’s Father’s Day weekend (she and her husband have four children, ranging from 28 to 16). But she was distracted. She not only wanted to learn the circumstances of her birth, she wanted to get a sense of how the Branons were feeling about her. She had been in communication with Chris’s wife Christine about the Branons’ impromptu family conference. And a couple of hours had come and gone.

“I was a nervous wreck,” she said.

Finally, Christine calls.

“She told me on the phone, ‘I can’t tell you the story right now. It’s a gut-wrenching story. But everybody is feeling great about it. Kay and Dave are ready to talk to you.”

A couple of weeks later, Laura found herself on a plane to San Jose. It was the first trip she had ever taken to California. As the plane crossed the Central Valley and approached the South Bay, she looked out over San Jose and realized it was somewhere in that vast sprawl where she was conceived.

She began to cry.

She already had phone conversations with her birth parents and her three newly discovered siblings. They all shared social media photos of themselves and their own children. They marveled at the physical similarities between them, as well as a couple of astounding coincidences. (Young Kay was sent to Texas with a relative who

was named Laura; and, in the three days before she gave up the baby, she decided to name the girl “Tracey Lynn.” Years later, Laura, unaware of any of this, married a man named Tracey Lane).

Laura landed in San Jose and met in the flesh, for the first time, her birth brother Chris. The plan was for the two of them, along with Susie and Lisa, to meet at their parents’ house for the long July 4 weekend. Except Dave and Kay had no idea that Laura was coming.

Laura got here only after assurances from the Branons that she would be welcome. Even more important was the blessing of her dad back in Texas (her mother had passed away a few years before). He was worried about her being hurt but, to Laura’s amazement and gratitude, he supported her connecting with her birth family.

When she got to Dave and Kay’s place near Pine Mountain Lake, she told her husband later it was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. And then, after more than 50 years, Kay got to hug the child she gave up. She grabbed Laura by the face and, through tears, apologized.

Laura told her then, and she tells anyone now who asks her about the story, that Kay had nothing to be sorry for.

“No mistakes were made,” she said.

In fact, considering the loving parents who adopted her and the fulfilling life they gave her, she was grateful things happened just as they did.

If anyone in the family was struggling with this new circumstance,

Laura was ready to withdraw with no ill will.

“I just wanted to have a picture or two,” she said. “I wanted to know the circumstances (of my birth) and I wanted to tell them all how thankful I was. If I only got that, it would be enough.”

She got much more than that.

To a person, the Branons have embraced her as family. Since last June, Laura has traveled twice to California. In December, Susie took her teenaged son Nolan to Texas to surprise Laura on her birthday. A month later, Laura’s birth parents visited her in Texas as well. This upcoming summer, she, her husband and children will all travel to Vermont for a once-every-fiveyears reunion with the extended Branon clan, an event that attracts several hundred family members.

The Branon revelation came during a summer that was otherwise tragic for Laura and her family. Her (adopted) brother died suddenly just a few weeks later, and her father, her father-in-law and her sister-in-law all faced life-threatening challenges that summer.

As much as she is excited about the possibilities of her new family in California, Laura’s thoughts often return to her 88-year-old dad.

“My mom’s gone, my brother’s gone. It’s just me and him now,” she said. “And I know he may not be around much longer and I think he’s thinking, ‘Laura’s going to be OK because I’m not all she has.’ No one’s taking anyone’s place. But I now have this bonus family and that’s a relief for him to know.”

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FEBRUARY 28, 2020

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O& A CALENDAR CALENDAR

TEA AND TREASURES

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

The 10th Annual Tea and Treasures Luncheon benefits the San Benito County Free Library. This light-hearted afternoon of tea features a brunch, silent auction and raffle. The Friends of the San Benito County Free Library is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers devoted to providing support to enrich the library’s resources. Sunday, Mar. 15, 12:30-3:30pm at San Juan Oaks Golf Club, 3825 Union Road, Hollister. Tickets are available for $40; purchase in person at Postal Graphics, or by calling 831.205.1373. For information, visit sbcfriends.org.

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HOLLISTER LIVE MUSIC VitalSign will perform at Grillin & Chillin Alehouse with a Southern dose of the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special and

more. Saturday, Feb. 29, 7-10pm at Grillin & Chillin Alehouse, 401 McCray St. For information, visit tinyurl.com/tl5vn3u.

YAPPY HOUR Yappy Hour is held the second Tuesday of every month at The Hollister House,

with a portion of the evening’s cocktail and food proceeds benefiting Pet Friends and Rescue Non-profit Organization of San Benito County. Pet Friends works to help eliminate cruelty and neglect of abandoned companion animals and encourage a community atmosphere of education, care and concern that will strengthen the human/animal bond. Tuesday, Mar. 10, 5-9pm at The Hollister House, 500 San Benito St. For information, visit petfriends.org.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA WORLD OF FUNGI The San Juan Bautista City Library

presents “The Wonderful World of Fungi.” This special presentation features Ron Bader, Big Basin Redwoods State Park docent and Santa Cruz Fungus Federation member. Bader will discuss local fungi and their roles in the ecosystem. Friday, Feb. 28, 6:30-8pm at 801 Second St. For information, visit tinyurl.com/ y3e77rqh.

SWEET BASKETS The “Petit Four Baskets” class at Family Threads Quilt Shop offers participants the opportunity to create small organizers that have been named after sweet petit four cakes. These small organizers can be made from 10-inch squares or scraps from the fabric stash and are ideal for gifts or for holding tiny treasures.

Scott Hinrichs

OUTDOOR EXPLORATION

Visit Coe Park for “Raincoats and Rubber Boots.” Participants are advised to bring rain slickers and boots to play in the creek, float rubber ducks and boats and hike along the creek on a scavenger hunt to discover plants and animals that exist there. Kids are encouraged to bring bikes and helmets to ride the obstacle course under supervision of experienced mountain bikers. Saturday, Mar. 7, 10:30am-3pm at Henry W. Coe State Park, Hunting Hollow Entrance. For information, visit coepark.net.

This class is appropriate for beginners. Saturday, Feb. 29, 10:30am-2:30pm at Family Threads Quilt Shop, 107 The Alameda. For information, visit familythreadsquiltshop.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT Vertigo Coffee Roasters holds Trivia Night hosted

by Quizmaster Miguel Silva each Thursday. Teams are limited to six people, and prizes will be awarded for first and second place.

Also enjoy $1 off all draft beer.

Thursday, Mar. 5, 6:30-8:30pm

GARDEN PLANNING Gardening enthusiasts are invited to plan their summer garden now with UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County’s Growing Warm Season Vegetables event. Learn about the basic requirements of warm season vegetable crops including soil, nutrients, pest control, harvesting tips and space-saving techniques.

Warm season vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers and squash will be discussed. There is no cost to attend, and registration is not required. Wednesday, Mar. 4, 7-8:30pm at Gilroy Library, 350 W. Sixth St. For information, visit mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu.

San Benito County Arts Council will host its Open Studios Preview Exhibition.

This preview is an opportunity for the community to view samples of artworks from the group of diverse artists participating in this year’s Open Studios Art Tour. This year’s tour features 34 local artists and artisans. This special exhibition is free, open to the public and on display from Friday, Mar. 6. 10am to Saturday, April 4, 4pm at ARTspace Annex, 217 Fifth St., Hollister. For information, visit sanbenitoarts.org.

SAN MARTIN CRAB FEED BUFFET Clos LaChance is holding its Crab Feed Buffet, and invites guests to attend and get cracking. Menus for both lunch and dinner are complete with fresh Dungeness crab. Ages 21 and over only and reservations are required. Saturday, Feb. 29, choose between two seating times, noon2pm or 5-7pm at Clos LaChance Wines, 1 Hummingbird Lane.

Tickets are available for $60 for lunch or $85 for dinner. For tickets and information, visit clos.com.

MORGAN HILL BACKBENDING WORKSHOP Learn about the benefits of backbends at Art of Yoga’s Backbending with Barb

Workshop. Participants will explore different backbend asanas using props to facilitate and deepen their practice. This workshop is open and accessible to all levels with backbends appropriate for everyone.

Saturday, Feb. 29, 2-4pm at Art of Yoga, 16165 Monterey Road #200. For information, visit artofyogamorganhill.com.

MONTEREY FAMILY FUN Families are invited to Free Family Fun Day: Whosits and Whatsits, a day inspired by the multi-layered art of Robert Armstrong and Jennifer Brook-Kothlow in Stretched, Strung and Strewn. All ages can enjoy free admission and activities.

Saturday, Feb. 29, 11am-5pm at Monterey Museum of Art, ➝ 11

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

AMERICANA BAND Shawn Andrews Blues Band is coming to Daisy’s Saloon. Guests will be treated to a night of foot stompin’ blues and classic ‘70s tunes. Saturday, Feb. 29, 9pm-1am at Daisy’s Saloon, 213 Third St. For information, visit shawnandrewsband.com.

at Vertigo Coffee Roasters, 81 Fourth St. For information, visit vertigocoffee.com.

PREVIEW EXHIBITION

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Drumming to happiness

Submitted photo

KEEPER OF THE BEAT Barbara Borden will offer a beginning drumming workshop at the Morgan Hill and Gilroy libraries.

Percussionist to lead workshop at local libraries

By KIMBERLY EWERTZ FEBRUARY 28, 2020

0

COMMUNITY

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D

iscovering one’s passion can sometimes take years, but for Barbara Borden, 74, first-class percussionist, teacher, composer and subject of the documentary film, Barbara Borden: Keeper of the Beat, that discovery came very early on.

Surrounded by music growing up, Borden’s love for it emerged in the form of drumming.

“I had a toy drum when I was 5, and I got my first drum set when I was 10, but in between that time I used pots and pans and that worked out very well,” Borden said, smiling. “I know that when I am drumming I feel uplifted, electric, connected to everything and everyone, deeply happy.”

At 19, Borden moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles and began her career as a professional musician which has spanned more than 50 years. She’s traveled the globe as an essential member of numerous bands, “using music to strengthen and enliven the heartbeat of humanity.”

When her run with the all-women jazz quintet Alive! ended Borden experienced a deep void in her life.

The search to fill that void eventually led her to the Transformation Institute where she experienced a holistic body-oriented way of teaching, which inspired her to utilize her musical talents through teaching others the meditative art of drumming.

“I like to teach people how to

embody the pulse, because that’s where it lives, in your body,” Borden said. “That’s my goal to have that comfortable relaxed vibe going on. When you’re relaxed you can let go a little more and your heart has a better chance of opening.”

Thanks to Silicon Valley Reads, a program instituted in 2003 to promote literacy and community engagement, Borden is offering her beginning drumming workshop to the South County community.

“All of us at the Gilroy Library are excited that the theme for Silicon Valley Reads this year is ‘Women Making it Happen,’” said Kelly B. Young, supervising librarian for Adult and Teen Services.

Young believes Borden’s workshop is a perfect fit for this year’s theme and the community.

“We know that the Gilroy community is very musical and feel sure that this drumming workshop will have a wide appeal,” she said.

Borden is excited to offer this experience to a new audience as she feels there’s nothing quite like it.

“The real deal is that drumming is a mood transformer and everybody who drums with me, or at least 99 percent, always feel better at the end of the drumming,” Borden said. “They feel more exhilarated and enlivened and happier.”

Borden will be featured at the Morgan Hill Library on Saturday, March 7, and at the Gilroy Library on Sunday, March 8. Both workshops begin at 2pm, with each session lasting about 90 minutes. Registration is required and Borden will happily provide drums for all participants although she encourages anyone who has their own to bring it along.

“It’s open to men and women and if you’ve always wanted to drum and have fun doing it come see me, and come drum with me, we’ll have a lot of fun and laugh a lot,” Borden said.

For information, tinyurl.com/ wqqpkpk, tinyurl.com/w62dnt5, or call 408.842.8207.

O& A CALENDAR

9 visit eaa119.org/youngeagles. To register, visit youngeaglesday.com.

LIVING HISTORY Meet mountain men, Civil War soldiers, Victorian ladies, and more while stepping back to the early days of San Juan. Attendees can take part in craft and cooking demonstrations and see historic horse-drawn vehicles and Victorian furnishings. Saturday, Mar. 7, 11am-4pm at San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, 19 Franklin St. For information, visit sanjuanbautistaca.com.

ECCO

AUTHOR VISIT

The Gilroy Library welcomes author Catherine Chung as part of Silicon Valley Reads 2020. Chung will discuss her critically-acclaimed novel The Tenth Muse, a story of a female mathematician who embarks on a quest and discovers her family’s mysterious history and secrets buried during World War II. A book signing will also be featured at this free event. Sunday, Mar. 1, 2-3:30pm at the Gilroy Library, 660 W. Main Ave. For information, visit tinyurl.com/rdcwlkh..

559 Pacific St. For information, visit montereyart.org.

EVENTS

YOUNG EAGLES Kids ages 8-17 fly free at the Young Eagles Rally.

Young aviation enthusiasts will get the chance to ride the skies on a safe and enjoyable flight and gain new perspectives on the world.

Participants will receive a free 15to 20-minute flight and follow the basic steps in the flight pattern.

Saturday, Mar. 7, 9am-noon at the Watsonville Aviation Education Center, 60 Aviation Way, Watsonville. For information,

JAPANESE JAZZ Worldrenowned drummer Akira Tana will bring consummate musical mastery into congruence with his deep Japanese cultural roots as he performs with his group, Otonowa in Watsonville. Guests will be treated to unique melodies as Tana and Otonowa perform Japanese jazz. Proceeds will benefit the Watsonville Buddhist Temple and City of Watsonville Kawakami Sister City Program. Saturday, Mar. 7, 3-6pm at Watsonville Buddhist Temple, 423 Bridge St., Watsonville. For tickets, visit tinyurl.com/srhvkf4.

MARCH MIXER Soul Kiss Band will perform at The District Theater March Madness Mixer.

Soul Kiss performs a variety of

DRUMMING WORKSHOP Barbara Borden, percussionist, teacher, composer and subject of the documentary Keeper of the Beat: A Woman’s Journey Into the Heart of Drumming, will lead a beginning drumming workshop at the Gilroy Library. Borden aims to introduce women to the restorative and transformative nature of drumming and music.

This special program is part of the Silicon Valley Reads programming.

Sunday, Mar. 8, 2-3pm at 350 W. Sixth St., Gilroy. For information, visit sccld.org.

MURDER MYSTERY Friday the 13th is a fine night for a murder, and Gilroy Sunrise Rotary Club invites guests to don their most fabulous 1920s attire and assist in solving “Murder on the Boardwalk: A 1920’s Mystery.” Tickets are $60 per guest, and space is very limited. This murder mystery dinner also features a cocktail hour. Friday, Mar. 13, 6:30-10pm at Old City Hall Restaurant, 7400 Monterey St., Gilroy. For information, visit tinyurl.com/ tmhhuo3.

LEPRECHAUN LEAP Hollister Recreation invites adult and youth runners to celebrate the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green and participating in the 1K Leprechaun Leap and Doggie Dash Fun Run. An obstacle course at Dunne Park will be featured and responsible dog owners are welcome to register dogs on leashes for an additional fee. The 1K Leprechaun Leap Pet Show will follow the race, featuring prizes for best trick, pet and owner look alike and most festive. Saturday, Mar. 14, 11am at Veterans Memorial Building, 649 San Benito St., Hollister. To register, visit tinyurl. com/rvlgcw3.

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

JAZZ BASH Experience a full weekend party of early jazz at Monterey’s Jazz Bash by the Bay. This wall-to-wall weekend of vintage jazz and swing is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a festival that is bringing together the many colorful forms of the roots of early jazz. The festival highlights Dixieland, traditional jazz, swing, gypsy jazz, ragtime, blues and zydeco as dozens of guest bands, artists and youth bands perform throughout the weekend. Jazz Bash by the

Bay will be held Friday-Sunday, March 6-8 at the Monterey Conference Center and Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey. For tickets and information, visit jazzbashmonterey.com.

CORKS & COPPERS The community is invited to attend “Corks & Coppers,” the inaugural benefit for Peace Officer Wives of California. The benefit includes wine, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction and raffle items and fellowship in a winery setting with proceeds benefiting first responder families.

This non-profit organization is devoted to seeing law enforcement families thrive in all aspects of their lives, and provides support and education to help decrease divorce, suicide, depression and PTSD among peace officers and their families. Saturday, Mar. 7, 2:30-5pm at Lightpost Winery, 900 Lightpost Way, Morgan Hill.

For tickets and information, visit faithwifehero.com/events.

top pop, rock, country, hip-hop, old school, classic rock and R&B hits from today and yesteryear.

Saturday, Mar. 7, 9pm-midnight at The District Theater, 7430 Monterey St., Gilroy. For information, visit soulkissband. com.

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THEATER

Glam-band memories

Chris Foster

VINTAGE FASHION South Valley Civic Theatre’s production of “Rock of Ages” opens Feb. 21.

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Teens take the stage in ‘Rock of Ages’

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By SUSAN L. RIFE

T

he cast of the jukebox musical Rock of Ages was born literally in a different century from the music they’ll sing in South Valley Civic Theatre’s teen production.

But they are thrilled at the chance to sing such glam-band hits as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “We Built This City.” Hits by Starship, Foreigner, Journey, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett and Poison are sprinkled throughout this story of a small-town girl trying to make it as an actress in

Los Angeles, who meets an aspiring musician working as a busboy in the Bourbon Room on Sunset Strip.

“For me, it was really about the music,” said Andy Gonzalez, a 19-year-old sophomore at Gavilan College, who plays budding rocker Drew Boley.

Although he was familiar with the band names and the hard-driving rock of the 1980s, “We didn’t know how iconic it was in the ‘80s; how influential it was to carry on in music,” he said.

“All these songs tell stories; it’s not like that now,” said Emily Pember,

who plays Sherrie Christian, the starstruck newcomer to L.A. “The lyrics are like a poem,” said Gannon Janisch, who plays the sexy rock star Stacee Jaxx, citing “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison and “Heaven” by Warren, among others.

Janisch and Pember are both 17 and high school seniors, Pember at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill and Janisch at St. Francis Catholic High School in Watsonville. Both were born more than a quarter-century after “Rock of Ages” made its debut in Los Angeles in 1985. It moved to New York in 2008 and ran on Broadway from 2009-2015.

“My parents are really excited,” Pember said.

The teenagers are equally excited by the costumes they’ll be wearing, designed by Michelle Griffin, from crazy glam-rock wigs to vintage ‘80s fashion, “everything shredded.”

“The look of it is crazy,” said Gonzalez, whose last role at SVCT was as Jesus in Godspell. “Once you see everybody else’s costumes— it’s a time travel! Why would you throw away that fashion?”

Pember, whose bio at SVCT includes roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Little Mermaid, Shrek and Seussical, has more of a classically musical theater voice, she said.

“I have to find a good balance with picking your battles vocally,” she said. “The vocals are rough but so much fun. It’s really cool to get to know a different style of theater.”

The show is being directed

by Megan Griffin, with Michael Rubino as vocal/music director. A live band will bring a true rock feel to the show.

South Valley Civic Theatre’s teen production of “Rock of Ages” continues through March 14 at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, 17090 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill. Tickets are $18-$28. For information, visit www.svct.org.

Made Easy!

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February February2828 9:30am 9:30am

• CAIS & WASC accredited • Nonsectarian • Independent, nonprofit school • 375-acre campus with a redwood forest and hilltop meadows • Bus transportation File photo

RARE RIDES Judges inspect the vehicles showing in the

2019 Coyote Creek Concours d’Elegance in Morgan Hill.

Concours accepting entries

Call cafe152@charter.net

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Assorted Gourmet Sandwiches How many from 10 to 100

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Site at Cafe 152 Bread Co. Audrey’s FinestOn Chocolate Chip Cookies and many other Desserts Here are some ideas!

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Exceptional Breakfast • Assorted gourmetAssorted sandwiches Gourmet Goodies • Mini sandwiches Sandwiches

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The event begins on June 27 with a drive through scenic roads, with a stop for lunch and photo shoots. Further details will be announced later. A reception banquet at Guglielmo Winery follows.

The Concours takes place on June 28. Participants can enter their vehicles to compete or display in class, or they can enter The Starting Grid, which will provide space on the main show field for those who wish to display without being formally judged.

For information, visit coyotecreekconcours.com/event/registration.php.

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

egistration is now open for the Coyote Creek Concours d’Elegance on June 27-28.

This year’s theme is “Cars of General Motors and British Motor Cars” along with a host of other automobiles.

Car enthusiasts gathered at the first-ever Coyote Creek Concours d’Elegance in 2019 to check out more than 200 rare and collector’s vehicles from various eras. Held on the 18th hole of the Coyote Creek Golf Club, the Concours made its debut in Morgan Hill after a number of years in Alameda.

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Event returns to Coyote Creek Golf Club for second year STAFF REPORT

If the Shark to do somethin certainly pick Dave Galtman rious medals d then settled do in Gilroy, orig at Eighth and C established a fa his four sons al Emmanuel join radio man in David was also in Korea durin And Bob is a N ing on aircraft which were t into Vietnam.

“I actually hoped I coul older brother, lived with his Street house of Dave’s life, the house alo down the stre after I signed one walking to my brother Em just got out,’ (a

6

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Light/Bright Family Home—Affordable Too! DARLING 3BR/2BA ~ Open living/dining room & open family room/kitchen w/lots of counter/ cabinet space & S/S appliances. Master suite w/walk-in + addl closet. Backyard w/brick paver patio & room for outdoor activities & garden. $315,000 Los Baños (831) 245-0321

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