SBM1925

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

JUNE 21, 2019

Growing skills Career training program beginning to blossom

CALENDAR OF EVENTS P8 | GARDENING P15 | REAL ESTATE P19

JUNE 21, 2019

3:00 PM MAY 1 TO THROUGH 7:30 PM SEPT. 25 EVERY WEDNESDAY ON SAN BENITO STREET BETWEEN FIFTH AND SEVENTH STREET

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2011 - 2016, 2018, 2019

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JUNE 21, 2019

Must be 21 years or older // Must present a valid government-issued photo ID // Minimum delivery still applies after discounts and before taxes // Sale items cannot be combined with other discounts // While supplies last // Deals subject to change

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EDITOR’S NOTE Presents

NEXT SatURDAY

June 29

RODNEY 1:30pm-10pm ATKINS Morgan Hill FRANKIE BALLARD Outdoor Sports Center

Growing community The efforts of local teachers are always worth highlighting, and in this issue, writer Jenny Arbizu features one that is particularly inspiring.

Former San Benito High School teacher Chris Evans and landscape business owner Peggy Churchill combined their love of teaching and gardening to form Growing Hearts Garden Center, a non-profit corporation that specializes in employment for individuals with special needs.

Churchill’s son Mason is one of the pioneering students of the

program, and as Evans explains in the article (page 6), Growing Hearts has proved more beneficial to the young man than any traditional high school curriculum had before.

Growing Hearts is also working on increasing their community outreach, and it has been working: We first learned about the non-profit thanks to the efforts of our photographer Robert Eliason, who spotted their booth while covering the Hollister Farmers Market.

ERIK CHALHOUB

Editor, San Benito

MAGAZINE

64 W. Sixth Street, Gilroy, CA Mailing address: P.O. Box 516, Gilroy, CA 95021

ERIC PASLAY RAELYNN MATT STELL

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Phone: 408-842-6400 Publisher

Dan Pulcrano Associate Publisher

Jeannette Close

B OOTSA NDB REWS.COM

Editor

Erik Chalhoub Calendar Editor

Tia Sundberg Contributing Writers

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Crush

Advertising Account Executives

6

Cover Story

Design Director

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Calendar

Production Operations Manager

12 Event 13 Event JUNE 21, 2019

14 Theater

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Jenny Arbizu, Wallace Baine, Mary Bartholomew, Janet Enright, Ron Erskine, Kimberly Ewertz, Colleen Grzan, Cheryl Huguenor, Laura Ness, Susan Rife, Kate Russell, Neera Siva

15 Gardening 16 Getting Out 17 Home 19 Real Estate

Carrie Bonato, Scott Harvey, Eileen Katis, Cynthia Runyon Kara Brown Sean George Editorial Production Manager

Katherine Manlapaz Cover photograph by:

Robert Eliason Published by New SV Media Inc., Gilroy, CA Entire contents © 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisher’s written permission.

TO PLACE AN AD Email:

advertising@newsvmedia.com Phone:

408.842.9404

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OUT & ABOUT

HOLLISTER

DOWNTOWN PARADE The Saddle Horse Show Downtown Parade will kick off a week of festivities leading up to the 86th annual San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo. The parade features marching bands, floats and horsemen and horsewomen, including some in the old vaquero tradition. Miss San Benito Rodeo 2019 and various community groups will also be in attendance. Saturday, June 22, 11am-2pm in Downtown Hollister. For information, visit sanbenitocountyrodeo.com.

HOLLISTER

HOLLISTER CONCERTS The Long Run: Experience the Eagles will perform the music of the Eagles as they kick off the Hollister Concerts.

The concert will include an opening performance by Neon Circus, a tribute to Brooks and Dunn. Saturday, June 22, 6:30-9:30pm at Hollister Concerts at Pepper Tree Ranch, 500 John Smith Road. For information, visit hollisterconcerts.com.

MORGAN HILL

PROHIBITION PARTY The Morgan Hill Historical Society presents the fifth annual Speakeasy: A Prohibition Party fundraiser. The event includes an evening of custom cocktails, food and dancing to 1920s and ’30s music. Professional dance instruction, complimentary photos in front of a restored Prohibition-era car and other surprises will also complement the evening. Must be 21 or older with valid ID. Saturday, June 22, 6:30-10pm at Hiram Morgan Hill House at Villa Mira Monte, 17860 Monterey St. For information, visit speakeasyparty.com.

GILROY

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

KICKOFF PROCESSION

JUNE 21, 2019

Downtown Hollister will be the stage for the 86th annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo’s opening event, the Downtown Parade, June 22.

Kirigin Cellars’ Concours at Kirigin Valley returns with a day of wines, food and classic cars on display across 10 acres of cricket lawns. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and umbrellas. This event is open to the public at no charge, but a $5 tasting fee will be in effect. Sunday, June 23, 11am-4pm at Kirigin Cellars, 11550 Watsonville Road. For information, visit kirigincellars.com.

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Robert Eliason

JUNE 21, 2019

GROWING HEARTS Chris Evans and Peggy Churchill (second and third from left) are the founders of Growing Hearts Garden Center. Also pictured are Peyton Evans ( from left), Adam Bell, Robb Rodriguez and Mason Churchill.

Teaching out of the box New non-profit provides career training, employment for individuals with special needs BY JENNY ARBIZU

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specialist and special day class science teacher—Evans left his secure job in June of last year when he found it was necessary for special needs student, Mason Churchill, to leave San Benito High School.

Evans and his wife, Courtney, had become acquainted with Mason—who has Fragile X Syndrome, which has characteristics similar to autism—after Courtney had become his one-on-one instructional aide at SBHS and Evans had substituted for his PE class.

Evans offered his teaching services when he learned Mason would be starting a home-based program.

“His situation is what pulled me out of teaching and the public education system,” Evans said.

“Unfortunately—the school labels it in this way—but he was probably

one of the toughest kids coming from the junior high into the high school program.”

The new curriculum Evans built for Mason, however, grew into more than just a basic homebased program.

After brainstorming together with Mason’s mother, Peggy, Evans created Growing Hearts Garden Center, a project-based career training program. The non-profit specializes in supportive employment for individuals with special needs.

Peggy “is a landscaper; she owns Cutting Edge Landscape here in town, and she’s always wanted to open a nursery,” Evans explained.

“And I wanted to do employment and supportive career training. So we started melding them together.”

Peggy said she also dreamed of such a company 15 years ago, ➝ 10

JUNE 21, 2019

hris Evans has teaching in his blood.

His father was a teacher, his brother was a teacher, so it was fitting Evans would find his way into the profession as well.

But what seemed a natural career choice would become a pathway leading Evans to what he was naturally geared for.

“I decided it wasn’t for me anymore—the education system,” he said. “I felt I could do something more in private and in working with adults. I’m too relaxed and chill; I wasn’t built for a four-wall classroom education.”

But he was built to teach in a garden.

After years of working in education—most recently at San Benito High School as a resource

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O& A CALENDAR

FAMILY RODEO

JUNE 21, 2019

The 86th annual Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo features rodeo contests including bull riding, roping categories, cattle sorting, horsemanship and more. Attendees can acquire fine leather, jewelry and handcrafted tack at the Western Art & Tack Show, as well as experience free events in the Kids’ Corral and view memorabilia of San Benito County’s cowboys and cowgirls at the Saddle Horse Association Museum. The event also includes musical entertainment, wine and beer tasting, a live auction and more. Friday, June 28-Sunday, June 30 at Bolado Park, 9000 Airline Hwy, Tres Pinos. For tickets and information, visit sanbenitocountyrodeo.com.

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HOLLISTER PAINT PARTY Children of all ages are invited to Ohana Shave Ice to create a beachthemed American flag painting.

Participants will be led in a

step-by-step creative painting process by lead artist Joel Esqueda and will take home their masterpieces painted on 11-by-17 canvases. Food and drinks will be available separately from Ohana’s assortment of sweet treats.

Saturday, June 22, 11am-12:30pm at Ohana Shave Ice, 738 San Benito St. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y6evey7w.

COOKING DEMONSTRATION Becky Herbert of Farmhouse Cafe will help the public prepare a meal for four at an Interactive Cooking Lab cooking demonstration.

Participants will make a vegetarian soup and salad meal to take home.

Cost is $75 per person, and two sessions will be offered. Saturday, June 22, 11:30am-1:30pm or 2-4pm at Farmhouse Cafe, 615-D San Benito St. Space is limited.

For tickets and information, visit eatwiththeseasons.com.

LEGO CLUB Children of all ages are invited to Lego Club at the

San Benito County Free Library.

Children only need to bring their imaginations, Legos will be supplied and snacks will be provided. Sunday, June 23, 2-3pm at San Benito County Free Library, 470 Fifth St. For information, visit sbcfl.org.

DRIFTING COMPASS Drifting Compass will bring its original lineup of rock music to Johnny’s Bar & Grill. Admission is free.

Sunday, June 23, 2-5pm at Johnny’s Bar & Grill, 526 San Benito St. For information, visit driftingcompass.com.

TWILIGHT LEAGUE Wednesdays through Aug. 21, San Juan Oaks will host the Wednesday Night Twilight League. Golfers will enjoy different formats each week with

CLASSIC CARS

Los Padrinos Car Club will display classic and custom cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles at the 12th annual Los Padrinos Classic Car Show. This event, benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, San Juan Bautista Veterans of Foreign Wars and local charities, also features live entertainment, vendor booths and raffles throughout the day. The Los Padrinos Car Show will be held Saturday, June 29, 8am-5pm in downtown San Juan Bautista. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y38z3kmv.

an optional skins game. Cost is $25 for Mission Members, or $40 for the public, which includes entry, golf and cart. Wednesday, June 26, 5:30-8pm at San Juan Oaks Golf Club and Restaurant, 3825 Union Road. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y4zgwfos.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

GILROY DOWNTOWN LIVE Gilroy’s family-friendly Downtown Live free concerts return Thursday nights, with live music, vendors and a kid zone. Food trucks will also be onsite for hungry

The Amah Mutsun culture will be celebrated at Chitactac Family Day. The Amah Mutsun has had an extensive history in the local area of communal activity, shared cultural understanding and collective rituals and beliefs that will be shared on this day. Participants will take part in hands-on activities, play traditional games and make unique crafts at this free event Saturday, June 29, 11am-2pm at Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park, 10001 Watsonville Rd, Gilroy. For information, call 408.846.5632 or email interp@prk.sccgov.org.

attendees. Attendees are advised to bring along folding chairs and dancing shoes. R&B HipHop Fusion band Barely Functional will hit the stage Thursday, June 27. Downtown Live will be held Thursdays, 5-9pm in Downtown Gilroy. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y2weag7o.

permitted; beer, wine, food and more are available for purchase on site. All food proceeds from this event will benefit community youth scholarships. Friday, June 21, 6-9:30pm at Morgan Hill Downtown Amphitheatre, 17000 Monterey Road. For information, visit morganhill.org.

MORGAN HILL

SAN JOSE

MUSIC SERIES Morgan Hill’s 2019 Friday Night Music Series– Rockin’ the UpBeat Vibes, runs Fridays through Aug. 30. The event features music, booths offering local goods and services, local wines, and free admission and parking. No outside alcohol

FAMILY PRIDE Children’s Discovery Museum’s Proud of My Family event will celebrate all types of families, especially LGBTQ+ parents, relatives and friends. The event will include rainbow art activities, a Rainbow Dance Zone and a temporary ➝ 11

JUNE 21, 2019

MYTHO-HISTORY DRAMA Men of Rab’inal: A Mayan War Dance in Time, the new play inspired by the ancient dance-drama, “Rab’inal Achi,” chronicles the mytho-history of two Mayan princewarriors and their journey toward

the embattled Rab’inal kingdom.

Ancient mythology is brought to life as this production examines the history and performance traditions of pre-Colombian indigenous America through the lens of contemporary drama. Performances are June 21-23 at El Teatro Campesino Playhouse, 705 Fourth St. For tickets and information, visit elteatrocampesino.com.

CHITACTAC FAMILY DAY

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GROWING HEARTS GARDEN CENTER

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Robert Eliason

JUNE 21, 2019

GARDEN WORK Chris Evans and Mason Churchill tend to the plants at Vista Park Hill Community Garden.

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when Mason was first diagnosed with Fragile X. “I wanted to open a company that would create a job for him and other adults after they graduated from high school, [so they have] a purpose and a sense of community,” she said.

That dream came into fruition when they discovered a nursery site at Vista Park Hill Community Garden on Hill Street in Hollister.

“I needed a place where I could do education with Mason, and with his mom doing landscape and me wanting to do some gardening, I thought, ‘This is our classroom,’” Evans said.

In their classroom, a large section of succulents are blossoming in one corner, and in another one will find tomatoes, tomatillos, cilantro and peppers sprouting.

“We’re doing an all-salsa blend,” Evans said of this season’s harvest.

Last year, the garden produced cabbage, broccoli, kale and onions.

All the while, Mason has been blossoming as well.

Since the organization became a non-profit corporation in October, Evans has been doing speech and occupational therapy with Mason, as well as working on social skills.

“He loves to meet people now,” Evans said. “He goes up to people and loves to shake hands. That started about six months ago.”

Being a supportive employment business has allowed Evans to hire others with special needs.

His first employee, Adam Bell, for instance, was hired in March as an intern to do social media marketing and to document the progress Mason and Evans were making.

Bell, a client with HOPE Services—a local non-profit organization that assists individuals with

developmental disabilities and mental health needs—also has a job coach, Robb Rodriguez.

As a HOPE employee, Rodriguez will work with Bell “100 percent of the time at the beginning of the internship,” Evans explained.

He will eventually allow Bell to work more independently as the year goes on.

Bell was also able to choose what area of the business he wanted to work in; a facet of the program Evans says is crucial.

“Once you know what people’s abilities are, people love to work,” Evans said. “Our special friends want that, and there’s a need for that in our community.”

To further Bell’s social media skills, which include blogging and shooting photos for the company, he has taken courses to become Facebook Blueprint certified and has improved his speech skills by

reporting on the weather and writing his blogs.

Evans hopes this experience will allow Bell to work independently with Growing Hearts, or even venture off to something different.

Rodriguez has already noticed a difference in the short time he’s worked with Bell.

“To get to help him out every day, and to get to watch him grow, has been huge,” Rodriguez said.

“It’s nice to see the community support, too—the amount of thankyous and the giving. It makes it worth it.”

Bell is appreciative of the training he’s received.

“When you leave high school, you go to day programs,” said the 23-year-old. “When I came to Chris and Growing Hearts, I felt like I was getting somewhere. I love it.”

Up next for Growing Hearts is hiring a second employee through HOPE Services.

“He’ll do landscaping for me, so I’ll have a landscape intern,” Evans said.

With the list of projects lined up, Growing Hearts will need the assistance. These project include building gardens at Hollister’s Community Food Bank, working with Hollister Recreation in July to maintain the rose gardens at Dunne Park, and landscaping gardens at the San Benito County Jail for inmates to use.

“Obviously we can do community integration stuff, work together,” Evans said. “I’m trying to keep everything within the community so it circulates. … It’s our goal to grow hearts, and if we can grow hearts, we can impact the community.”

Growing Hearts Garden Center has a booth at the Farmers’ Market every Wednesday, set up outside of Fisher’s.

The First Annual Growing Hearts Walk/Run is on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 9am at Brigantino Park in Hollister.

For information on Growing Hearts Garden Center, visit www. facebook.com/growingheartsgardencenter or call Chris Evans at 831.537.7700.

O& A CALENDAR

9 Attendees are invited to bring a picnic dinner or purchase a meal onsite and relax while enjoying a bottle or glass of Guglielmo’s award-winning wine. Area bands will perform throughout the series.

Attendees must be 21 or over, and no outside alcohol is permitted.

Wednesday, June 26, 6-9pm at Guglielmo Winery, 1480 East Main Ave., Morgan Hill. For information, visit guglielmowinery.com.

Ana Lelescu

SUMMER DELIGHTS

Summer Delights: Stone Fruit and Wine Tasting tour will feature a gourmet luncheon, wine tasting and “Old World” family wine making traditions at two wineries. Tours will also stop at Andy’s Orchard, where participants will learn about the orchard’s history and taste dozens of stone fruit varieties. Tours are available Mondays-Saturdays through Sept. 30, departing at 11am from 50 E. Third St, Morgan Hill. For tickets and information, visit californiapassporttours.com.

art installation using colors of the Pride flag. Live performances including the Rainbow Women’s Chorus and resources about the LGBTQ+ community shared by local partner organizations round out the event. Saturday, June 22 at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, 180 Woz Way. For information, visit cdm.org.

EVENTS

THE ELDORADOS The Eldorados will bring their soul blues music to Johnny’s Bar & Grill. They will perform original songs including R&B, blues, rock & roll, country and even some South Texas Zydeco.

Friday, June 21, 8-11pm at Johnny’s Bar & Grill, 526 San Benito St., Hollister. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y32lnhzl.

VINES & VIBES Guglielmo Winery presents its summer concert series, Vines & Vibes.

EVENING AT THE OBSERVATORY Fremont Peak’s free Evening Public Program features a media presentation and the opportunity to observe the night sky through a 30-inch Challenger telescope and volunteers’ instruments from dusk until midnight. Weather may cause delays, shortening or cancellation of program. Saturday, June 29, presentation at 8:30pm, viewing from 8pm-midnight at Fremont Peak Observatory, San Juan Canyon Road, San Juan Bautista.

Parking is available at nearby lots in Fremont Peak State Park for $6. For information and updated program times and availability status, visit fpoa.net.

ROCKABILLY BLUES Sweet Daddy & The Bad Cats will rock Daisy’s Saloon with their brand of countryfied rockabilly blues with a Texas twist. They will perform music from Freddy Fender, The Texas Tornados, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more, mixed with danceable original rockabilly blues. Saturday, June 29, 9pm-1am at Daisy’s Saloon, 213 Third St., San Juan Bautista. For information, visit sweetdaddyband.com.

CLASSIC MUSICAL South Valley Community Theater is bringing a Broadway musical classic to local audiences with its production of Gypsy. Loosely based on the memoirs of famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee and her show business mother Rose, the story transports audiences to the 1920s, when vaudeville was dying and burlesque was born.

This performance also features many Broadway hit songs such as “Let Me Entertain You” and “Everything's Coming Up Roses.”

This production runs through Saturday, July 6 at Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, 17090 Monterey Road. For information and tickets, visit svct.org.

SUMMER DANCING San Benito County Arts Council and Hollister Recreation are partnering to present Dance @ Dunne. The community is invited to get moving at a Zumba class Fridays, 5:30-6:15pm. Participants will also learn a new style of dance each week following Zumba, beginning at 6:15pm. This program is free, and all ages and abilities are welcome to attend. Fridays through July 27, 5:30-7:30pm at Dunne Park, 600 West St, Hollister. For information, contact the Arts Council at 831.636.2787 or info@sanbenitoarts.org.

JUNE 21, 2019

COMEDY DRAMA Belles: The Reunion, the South Bay premiere of the 2016 follow up to Mark Dunn’s popular comic drama Belles, arrives at Limelight Actors Theater. The production follows the Walker sisters from Memphis as they return after 25 years, back on the phone for another crisis-

filled weekend. Guests are invited to bring their own dinner and wine to performances. This production runs Friday, June 21-Sunday, July 14 at Limelight Actors Theater, 7341 Monterey St., Gilroy. For information, showtimes and tickets, visit limelightactorstheater.com.

STREET MANDALA Volunteer artists of all levels are invited to join Project Art SJB in creating its second street art mandala of the year. This free event, sponsored by the City of San Juan Bautista, will take place Saturday, June 29, beginning at 8:30am on Tahualami Street between Second and Third in San Juan Bautista. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y3ozuewg.

QUILTING 101 Quilters of all skill levels are invited to Family Threads Quilt Shop for a five-week Quilting 101 class. Participants will begin with fabric and color selection and work through a variety of basic quilting techniques to create a number of different quilt blocks. Participants will use straight sewing and learn many tips and techniques along the way. Quilting 101 will be held Wednesdays through July 17, 6-8:30pm at Family Threads Quilt Shop, 107 The Alameda, San Juan Bautista. For information, visit familythreadsquiltshop.com.

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EVENT

Building a community

CREATE SOMETHING The Gilroy Mini Maker Faire on July 13 will feature a variety of crafting activities.

Gilroy Mini Maker Faire arriving at library JUNE 21, 2019

By KIMBERLY EWERTZ

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reative minds can put their design skills to the test, as the Gilroy Mini Maker Faire is coming to the Gilroy Library.

“We want to show making to the community,” said teen services librarian Kelly McKean. “We want to start forming a community of makers in Gilroy that we can build on and grow.”

McKean sees the event as a vehicle to inspire the creative spark in everyone. That’s why she and adult services librarian Lisa Duff secured a license for the library from Maker Media, the company behind the science and art festival, Maker Faire.

Although Maker Media recently announced a company-wide layoff, McKean confirmed the event will carry on in Gilroy as planned.

“Gilroy needs this,” she said.

The faire is scheduled for Saturday, July 13, 11am-3pm.

“We’re going to be outside in the paseo as well as in the library,” McKean said. “There’s going to be tents outside, we’ve got food vendors coming in. We think it’s going to be a big thing, we hope so, and we’ve got different activities scheduled.”

Some of those activities include Squishy Circuits, 11am-1pm, and Kid’s Craft, 1-3pm, which includes hands-on time with slime and

bubbles. Mad Science Bay Area, a provider of science-based enrichment activities for children ages 4-12, will provide a fire and ice performance at 11:30am.

There’s certainly something for everyone at every age, with more than 30 workshops which run the gamut from making soap to building robots. The Walt Disney Family Museum will offer an animation drop-in class, and for the science lovers, demos of Maker tools such as 3D printers, and Dremel lasers are all included in the four-hour event.

Local Makers, including the Gilroy Library knitting and crochet group, will show off their handiwork. The San Ysidro Nueva Vida Neighborhood Group will demonstrate corn husk flower making.

Showing kids that they can be creators will be Isaac Jarson, 12, creator of a Lego candy dispenser, and Morgan Hill artist Matthew Fitch, 12, designer of his own coloring book, who will be accompanied by his mother, Karen Fitch.

“My mom explained that a Maker Faire is an event that celebrates art, crafting, engineering (and) science,” Matthew said, “projects that people make and share. I knew it was the thing that I wanted to be a part of.”

Karen, a strong proponent of arts and crafts for children, said she is excited to have her son involved in the event.

“Creative children become creative adults, and creative adults come up with creative solutions,” Karen said.

Online registration is not mandatory, but it is encouraged, as are volunteers, “so we can have an idea of interest,” Duff said, adding that all who register will be entered to win a Maker prize.

To register, visit gilroy.makerfaire.com.

EVENT

SOARING LEAP Hollister-based Doggone Dirty Dog Sports is holding

a series of dock-diving competitions throughout the summer.

Four-legged flying athletes Local dog sports organization marks decade of dock jumping By ERIK CHALHOUB

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In response to what it calls a “growing demand,� Doggone Dirty Dog Sports recently announced it will offer what is known as Nosework, where dogs search for specific odors by sniffing them out.

Nationwide, dog sports are increasing in popularity.

According to the American Kennel Club, its National Championship, which took place in December in Florida, drew record entry numbers in its 18th year, with 5,003 dogs entered into the competition.

For information and to register for the Doggone Dirty Summer Series, visit doggonedirtydogsports.com/ Events.html.

JUNE 21, 2019

or 10 years, dogs have been jumping off a dock into a pool at a facility on the northeastern edge of Hollister, vying for the farthest jump in a fierce competition.

To celebrate the decade, Doggone Dirty Dog Sports is holding a series of dock-diving competitions throughout the summer, and is inviting dog owners to register their four-legged athletes for the next competition July 5-7.

Rhonna and Mark Dias are the founders of Doggone Dirty Dog Sports. In addition to dock diving, the organization also offers such dog sports as herding and barn hunts.

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THEATER

Stay on the line

PHONE SISTERS Christine Wanish, Christine McElroy, Rosalind Farotte, Donna Knippen, Betsy Andrade and Christy Wait form the cast of ‘Belles: The Reunion.’

Limelight Actors Theater to perform ‘Belles: The Reunion’

JUNE 21, 2019

By SUSAN L. RIFE

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imelight Actors Theater co-founder and director Kevin Heath often stumbles onto a script for the company while he’s looking for something else. In the case of the company’s summer show, Belles: The Reunion, Heath already had read the script and seen a production of the original show, Belles, written by Mark Dunn in 1988, but thought casting six women in their 20s and 30s would be too hard.

“I thought, ‘Well, great script,’” Heath said.

Then in 2016 came the sequel, Belles: The Reunion.

“You know what? His writing had matured in the sequel, as did the characters. They’re all within the age range where I have a plethora of actors to choose from,” Heath said.

The show opens June 21 for four weekends at the Gilroy Center for

the Arts, where patrons can create their own dinner show by bringing in a meal or ordering from nearby Milias Restaurant.

The comedy (with the necessary serious notes) puts the six Walker sisters from Memphis back into family crisis mode 25 years after the original show was set. Mom, now living in a nursing home, has taken to stripping off her clothes in the community room. The sisters themselves have marital woes, financial setbacks and crises of faith.

The entire show takes place with the six sisters on the phone to one another.

“They are in six different locations. As a director, I thought, ‘This is really a good challenge for me. I have to get really creative. I can’t rest on my laurels,’” Heath said.

Each woman has a 4-by-8-foot rectangle of stage space in which to create her character.

“I pulled out some of the heavy

hitters I’ve worked with for years,” said Heath, and he told them, “This is the project. It’s going to be very different from everything you’ve ever done.

“Everyone was up for the challenge,” he added.

Cast members Betsy Andrade, Rosalind Farotte, Christy Wait, Donna Knippen, Christine McElroy and Christine Wanish all knew one another or at least were familiar with one another’s work.

“There was immediate chemistry between the women,” Heath said.

“They truly have become a family.”

The show requires some careful choreography since the interactions between the women are all on the phone.

“The choreography is much stronger and more important than in the average show,” Heath said.

“First of all, you don’t have the whole stage to play with. You have to choreograph everything you’re doing to make it look natural, still give insights to your character and translate what’s going on in your life at this time.”

Then there’s the page of dialogue in which two pairs of sisters are talking to each other at the same time, in a careful dance of spoken and overlapping lines.

And late in the show, all six sisters are on stage, with stage lights highlighting one pair and then another as they talk.

“We really did get an education with this script in a big way,” Heath said. “All six women have handled it beautifully. The collaboration between the six of them and myself, and the ideas, they took direction extremely well and took it to the next level. I just watched and said, ‘Wow.’ ” “Belles: The Reunion” by Mark Dunn, performed by Limelight Actors Theater, runs June 21-July 13 at Gilroy Center for the Arts, 7341 Monterey St., Gilroy. Tickets are $25. For information, call 408.472.3292 or visit www.LimelightActorsTheater.com.

GARDENING

A different type of migration

VISITING BUG Migrating leaf-footed bugs can impact such crops as almonds, pistachios, pomegranates and tomatoes.

Traveling insects can have a major impact on gardens

By KATE RUSSELL

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butterflies migrate each year, from Canada to Mexico and back again.

Technically, since it takes four generations to complete the trip, these one-way excursions are called emigration. Monarch butterflies don’t harm our gardens, but other migrating insects can and will. And there are a lot of them.

Several different migrating insects impact our gardens. These pests (and their favored foods) include: • Western boxelder bugs (Boisea rubrolineata): almond, apple, cherry, peach, pear and plum tree fruit, grapes, and ash, elder and maple trees • False chinch bugs (Nysius raphanus): tomatoes • Leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus): almonds, pistachios, pomegranates and tomatoes • Lygus bugs (Lygus hesperus): peaches, pears, pistachio, strawberries; they also carry fire blight and cause catfacing on tomatoes

Kate Russell is a UCCE Master Gardener in Santa Clara County. For information, visit mgsantaclara. ucanr.edu or call 408.282.3105 between 9:30am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday.

JUNE 21, 2019

igration probably isn’t something you associate with gardening in San Benito.

But maybe you should.

When we talk about migration, we generally mean large groups moving from one region to another due to seasonal changes, depleted food supplies, safety or reproduction. To most people, migrations are left to caribou, salmon, swallows and monarch butterflies. And therein lies our clue: Insects migrate, and those insect migrations can have a huge impact on your garden.

According to the journal Science, more than three trillion insects migrate over South Central England each year. England’s cold, damp weather makes it fair to assume that those numbers are profoundly higher in warmer areas such as ours. For example, between 33 million and a billion Monarch

• Migratory grasshoppers (Melanoplus sanguinipes) • Stink bugs: almonds, apples, peaches, pistachios and tomatoes; they also eat seeds, grain, vegetables, ornamental plants, legumes and tree leaves We are rarely aware of these massive migrations. Pests seem to appear out of nowhere. We may not see it, but insects use low, slow layers of air, or significantly higher, faster air currents to move from place to place. They can sense polarized lights and changes in wind speed and direction. Insects also have built-in clocks that keep them on schedule. The magnetic field theory, related to bird and mammal migration, appears to only impact short-distance fliers.

And insects are anything but.

The distances some of these insects travel truly is amazing.

British painted ladies travel 9,000 miles over six generations. Wandering gliders, a type of dragonfly, travel 11,200 miles, with individuals flying 3,730 miles. For an insect that is only 1¾ inches long, it would be the same thing as a 6-foot-tall person traveling more than 153,000 miles—on foot. Since insects are relatively short-lived, it can take multiple generations to make the complete trip.

You can join the citizen science movement related to insect migrations by reporting your sightings to groups such as the Big Bug Hunt (bigbughunt.com). Your information will be added to countless other sightings to generate ever more reliable prediction models.

This can help you protect your plants better and with less effort, using row covers.

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GETTING OUT

An Ohlone village

Ron Erskine

LONG-AGO ERA Bedrock mortars formed by the Ohlone people long ago can be spotted

throughout Chitactac Adams Heritage County Park.

JUNE 21, 2019

Family Day at Chitactac Adams park set for June 29

16

By RON ERSKINE

I

magine our south Santa Clara Valley before the Gold Rush. It was not unusual to see scores of grizzly bears in a single day.

Pronghorn and tule elk regularly browsed beside tule marshes and wetlands. Deer foraged beneath a forest of valley oaks evenly spaced across the valley floor. Uncountable waterfowl filled the skies. What a sight it must have been.

You would have also seen members of the Amah Mutsun band of the Ohlone people living tough but plentiful lives here. For millennia, they lived a hunter-gatherer

existence where the flora and fauna provided abundant food sources.

While agriculture and development have erased most of the archeological remnants of that sophisticated culture, at Chitactac Adams Heritage County Park, we can sit beside bedrock mortars that buzzed with activity centuries ago.

Located a mile and a half north of Hecker Pass Highway, it is easy to drive past this small park on Watsonville Road, giving it cursory notice. But it is one of the most important archeological sites in the Bay Area, home to native people for more than 3,000 years.

It doesn't take long to realize why the Ohlone people chose this spot. It is sheltered from the northeast winds that rake the center of the Santa Clara Valley.

Uvas Creek, just above its confluence with Little Arthur Creek, provided reliable water and plenty of fish. The unusual number of rock outcrops in the area were ideal mortars for grinding acorns and grains. There are 500 bedrock mortars in the park and on surrounding private land.

Chitactac was likely an important central village with smaller satellite villages providing resources from different landscapes nearby: lumber from the mountains; tule, grasses and acorns from the valley; shellfish from the coast; game everywhere.

Chitactac Heritage County Park is open from 8am to sunset, and entrance is free. Restrooms, picnic tables and its handy location make it perfect for a day out with the family. There are excellent interpretive panels in the shelter, and the short path through the park takes you past many bedrock mortars.

On Saturday, June 29, Santa Clara County Parks will host Chitactac Family Day from 11am to 2pm. There will be activities and crafts, and a great opportunity to learn more about the Amah Mutsun people who lived here and built a vibrant culture here over the centuries. The event is free.

As I walked through this 4.5acre park, I plugged in my imagination. Conjuring a vision of Chitactac in its heyday as you walk this once bustling site immeasurably adds to the experience.

I was alone, but once hundreds, maybe thousands of people lived there. Those bedrock mortars are not just holes in the rock.

Real people sat there, grinding acorns, likely laughing and gossiping among their friends. Sit where they sat, and listen carefully. You can hear them.

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