In honor of Sunshine Week no doubt, the bulk of the Gilroy City
Council decided to join post-meeting St. Patrick’s Day festivities,
forming what shall ever be known in this editor’s mind as a
Claddagh Quorum.
In honor of Sunshine Week no doubt, the bulk of the Gilroy City Council decided to join post-meeting St. Patrick’s Day festivities, forming what shall ever be known in this editor’s mind as a Claddagh Quorum. Against the background of an Irish whistle and amidst the free-flowing glasses of Guinness, the suit-clad contingent from the Council chambers made quite an entrance Monday night adding to the already raucous ambiance at Mike and Leslie’s fine Irish pub on First Street. Bob Dillon, Dion Bracco, Craig Gartman, Cat Tucker and Perry Woodward all made a quick stop, and not to worry folks, social interaction is all well and good under the sunshine and Brown Act as long as you’re not huddled in the corner talking business.
Also, in the Claddagh mix, Gilroy firefighter and Little League coach Mark Ordaz, who informed my lovely bride and I that firefighters tend to, in the Irish vernacular, keel over and kick the bucket one year after they retire. Perhaps it was the wee bit of Jameson, but this caused me to wonder aloud why firefighters keep trying to get earlier and earlier retirement as a key benefit if they all die a year after hanging up their boots? Then, the kicker – Mr. Ordaz is selling Mona Vie juice, a proprietary Acai berry blend sold via a type of pyramid marketing arrangement, that is supposed to increase one’s life span. I couldn’t help but spout (good naturedly, of course) that I hoped that didn’t catch fire in the department because we taxpayers certainly couldn’t afford the additional retirement benefits. Firefighter Jim Buessing even enjoyed the jest.
By the way, the Irish stew in the bowl and the Celtic cross T-shirts on people’s backs at the Claddagh this year – fabulous …
More fabulous news … as we go from one celebration to another … coming from the Garlic Festival as well. Shaboom will be back for the 30th annual July Superbowl of Fests, likely for their swan song. The old-time rock ‘n’ roll band which has lit up the amphitheater stage for 24 years will likely bow out in grand fashion this year leaving a quarter century of fond memories in its wake. Speaking of which, a shout out to Jeannie and Joann, the sharpest (and cutest) knives ever in the Dispatch paste-up crew archives, who used to really cut a rug with Shaboom on stage many moons ago. They’ve gone on to bigger things with their beautiful Garlic Fest poster contest entries now.
Plentiful entries for both the poster contest and the Design the Herbie Bobblehead to commemorate the 30th annual event according to reports from Exec Direct Brian Bowe and this year’s Volunteer President Ed Struzik who you’d swear was Italian the way he talks – with his hands. Mr. Struzik has a particular cause – to reinvigorate the volunteer corps with some of the new Gilroy residents. Toward that end, the festival web site will be featuring a volunteer sign-up form in the coming weeks. Get connected with the Fest and stay connected to the community soon at
