”
Goose
”
called. That’s my left-handed grammar school buddy’s nickname.
He had a smooth shot from the corner. Nice loft and lots of
shredded net.
“Goose” called. That’s my left-handed grammar school buddy’s nickname. He had a smooth shot from the corner. Nice loft and lots of shredded net. We proudly wore the red and white for St. Joseph’s playing for a legendary 8th grade basketball coach, Henry Schimpf. “Hey, I hear congratulations are in order …” he said. I knew what he wanted. A big time drug bust, somewhere around $80 million in meth and coke, will do that. Kevin’s the news director at ABC affiliate KGO in San Francisco. As is the way today, we made a deal or, as I like to think of it, he gave me the look, I dished our exclusive video shot by our incomparable reporter, Sara Suddes, to him, he tossed the ball back to me as a web link and the end result is a shot that hit nothing but net. We win …
Winning the economic battle takes teamwork and we’ve got a lot of that in Gilroy. But, note to Richard Spitler, Gilroy Economic Development Corporation director, the last E-Biz Newsletter on the EDC website is dated December 2008. Not a good message for new companies that might want to locate here and there are a few coming our way.
Big party coming our way, too, for outgoing Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage. Mark Saturday, Oct. 23 on your calendar and salt away a whopping $12 for a chicken BBQ served up by the Santa Clara County firefighters. When Don Gage goes out he does so in great Gilroy down-home style befitting a former mayor of our town. The party’s not only going to be a bargain, but I’m sure we’ll get to hear a few good LOL Don Gage stories from those lucky enough to get the microphone. We’ll miss him on the board, but we’re going to love him when he wins a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board. Can just imagine Tony Estremera’s thoughts when Don suggested at a recent candidate event that the Board hold night meetings to engage the public … says me, that’s a bunch of bunk thought Tony …
A bunch of Bunco for a good cause. That’s the dice or card game that’s so popular in Gilroy (never played but keep hearing about it). Anywho, the fundraiser will benefit the Susan G. Komen
3-Day Cure organization that fights breast cancer. Bunco tourney at Fortino Winery on Thursday, Aug. 26, $20 donation includes appetizers. Register with Dawn Anderson at 842-3305, and you have to do so in advance.
Advance purchase also advised for the upcoming Passport Weekend for the wineries of Santa Clara Valley. The fall is the picture-perfect time to tour our beautiful, up-and-coming wineries so the event, set for Saturday and Sunday Oct. 2 and 3, couldn’t be placed any better on the calendar. The wineries go all out, too. There are BBQs, barrel tasting, music, appetizers, tours and special vino deals. All this right close to home. Suggest you invite some friends. Oh, and if you have a ticket from the March Passport Weekend, it’s still good. Now that’s a deal. Otherwise, it’s $30 (good for both days) and that includes the souvenir wine glass that is not a leftover from the Garlic Festival.
This inquiry isn’t left over from the Garlic Festival, either, but I “get” this question from Richard because I wonder about the wackiness of the traffic signals on Santa Teresa almost daily. Says Richard, “I live in west Gilroy and drive to work at 4:45 a.m. When I come to First Street the light is red, I stop but the green light on First Street will turn yellow and then back to green, so the Santa Teresa light stays red and I go back and forth and it does the same thing. Two out of 10 times it may turn green for me to cross First Street.” Add that to the fact that one car turning right onto Santa Teresa out of Eagle Ridge – a vehicle that doesn’t even need a light change to move forward – trips the light and stops all traffic on Santa Teresa and you have a bonafide head scratcher. Maybe Councilman Dion Bracco, owner of a tow truck company, could let Richard and I know who at City Hall might be able to help in this matter of wacky Santa Teresa stoplights. It’s a “green frustration” issue, a combination of saving gasoline and sparing nerves.
Being a grandparent has far less nerves associated with it than being a parent as Richard Arioto, the expert chef and Tasting Room Man(ager) at Solis Winery, knows twice over now. Congrats to Richard on the latest family addition, a boy named Gabriel. That’s a good Biblical name, one my uncle, Fr. Dan Derry, would surely appreciate. Our grandson, Jackson, took to the waters at St. Mary’s like a champion despite a surprise dousing at his baptism. Can’t remember being at a no-wailing baptism.
Baptisms aplenty on the grill, with the aforementioned Richard doing the honors, during the annual tasty Syrah & Sausage event on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4, 5 and 6 from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Solis Winery on Hecker Pass. Seriously scrumptious … one Syrah bottle bought earns two sausage sandwiches plus a side dish. Free. Live music, too. No reservations, just show up … hungry.
Hungry are the Gilroy girls All-Star softball team which is playing in the Little League World Series in Kirkland, Washington. Big Game Friday at 5 p.m. against the defending world champs from Latin America. Watch for website updates and, if they make it all the way, the 13- and 14-year-old girls from Garlic City will play for a national TV audience on ESPN 2 Saturday evening. Cool.
Sometimes, when I think about wonderful experiences like these Gilroy girls are having, I pause and think about those who protect our lives and freedoms by serving in the military. We have not suffered a major terrorist attack on our soil since the fateful day of 9/11/2001. For that we should be forever grateful to the military men and women and their families. Let’s not forget.
