It’s ingrained, there like a frozen moment. In my mind until, perhaps, a sad point when I really can’t remember. Even now, my heart starts to trot when I think of it, watching as the spotlight focused on the set in a warehouse at Christopher Ranch. First daughter, first solo, first freak-out feeling for Dad. Shannon nailed it, belting out a fine rendition of the classic Irving Berlin number, “I was blue, just as blue as I could be … Ev’ry day was a cloudy day for me … Then good luck came a-knocking at my door … Skies were gray but they’re not gray anymore … Blue skies, Smiling at me, Nothing but blue skies, Do I see … And we cheered as my eyes moistened and I thanked the wonderful John Bisceglie, choreographer and director of so many youth productions in Gilroy, for giving my daughter that opportunity to shine. There were many plays and many songs after that night when Miss Jenny recalls, “She sang Blue Skies and blew us away.” Then, the STAR program at Gavilan gave her – and her younger sisters – a stage for years and a creative home that challenged them and helped them grow. That’s why I’m drawn to “The Voice” TV singing show. There are so many great stories and so many incredibly talented “regular folks” – passionate singers giving it their all to get a break. When they “blind” audition for the judges, who have their chairs turned backwards, the families are watching off-stage and I feel what they’re going through as they dare hope and fervently wish for “Nothing but blue skies.”
There are dark clouds in our American culture these days. We seem to have lost our ability to fight for and claim a victory for common sense while navigating between what really matters and what’s yelling “fire” in a crowded theater when, in fact, there is none. Case in point, our lead news story today. So, based on an unknown parent or parents being “uncomfortable” listening to our spectacular choirs singing in local churches, the Gilroy Unified School District administration – on the advice of our society’s new deity, an attorney – has issued a decree banning the choirs from the long-standing tradition of singing at the Mission San Juan Bautista or St. Mary’s or Gilroy Presbyterian based on the argument that the venue mixes church and state. Well then, so does the state’s fourth grade curriculum which mandates studying the California missions. Beyond that, this is silliness and punitive, denying these dedicated students the opportunity to perform in an acoustically superior structure that also accommodates the crowds which come to watch and admire their skills and growth. I could go on and on, but let’s get to the bottom line. GUSD school trustees – Tom Bundros, Mark Good, Patricia Midtgaard, James E. Pace, Dom Payne, Jaime Rosso and Fred Tovar – should vote on this policy decision after a public hearing. This reasonable and long-standing tradition that beautifully complements our public school’s venerable singing programs should not be allowed to sail silently into the night never to project notes off walls and ceilings built to highlight such moving human sounds.
Sounds like success for Station 55 Bar and Grill on Fifth Street downtown where I’m headed tonight for dinner after meeting the new enthusiastic and experienced owner Charles Davis. He mapped out his plan for the upstairs and down, pointed out that there are new big screen TVs upstairs and said there’s a great affordable steak on the menu. I’m in. It’s such a fantastic building – an historic brick firehouse – that I always hope for a thriving business with longevity for the location. It’s been through so many restaurant re-incarnations that I’ve lost count. But this time I have a feeling …
Had a feeling at the Sharks game Saturday night – before he scored four goals Tuesday against the New York Rangers that included an incredible behind-and-between the legs wrist flick over the goalie’s shoulder – that Tomas Hertl, rookie forward, was something special. Wow, is he. Teams will be looking to punish him physically now after the hot start, so he’ll likely cool off. But I think the Sharks, mixing in a couple of gifted rookies, will be consistent winners this season and at long last make the Stanley Cup finals.
Meanwhile, the much-heralded 49ers pass rusher Aldon Smith, who’s currently away for rehab after a second DUI charge, has been charged with three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon. Says the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office, he’s expected to self-surrender later this month. If convicted, Smith faces a sentence range between no time in custody to four years and four months in jail. Seems Aldon forgot those lessons in the “Character Counts” program. Hmmm, wonder if Gilroy’s very own former NFL QB Jeff Garcia, who’s locally on KNBR sportstalk each Tuesday at 5 p.m., has something to say about that. Good to see Jeff on TV and hear him on radio, but whoa Nellie, breathe in between those insightful comments.
Reach Editor Mark Derry at ed****@ga****.com
