Community

Uesugi Farms’ pumpkin patch in San Martin has grown like one of its prize-winning pumpkins.

The Gilroy Dispatch is celebrating its move downtown with a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration with food and drink Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

There’s nothing quite like a stage full of kids dressed as starfish, sea anemones and seagulls singing and dancing their little hearts out to lift one’s spirits these days. And the cast and crew of South Valley Civic Theatre do a charming job of it in their current children’s musical production of The Little Mermaid Jr. in Morgan Hill through Oct. 22.The story, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Danish fairy tale and adapted into a Disney movie and then a musical, involves a young mermaid, Ariel (Emily Pember) who falls in love with a human prince (Gannon Janisch) and is tricked into giving up her lovely singing voice to an evil sea witch (Jenna Hernandez) in exchange for legs so she can walk on land. She is surrounded by a cast of hilarious characters including the woebegone crab Sebastian (Tegan Leong) charged by Ariel’s father (Paul Maack) with keeping her safe.As the little mermaid of the title, Pember does fine work singing while managing the tricky aspects of swimming gracefully through the air (with flight direction by Jason Chamberlain). Unfortunately, her voice is sometimes overwhelmed by the recorded soundtrack on “Part of Your World.”As Ursula, the sea witch—in a wonderful costume of purple velvet and satin with sequined octopus’s tentacles—Hernandez has no such problems. She’s got a big voice and knows how to use it to best effect on “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”Stealing the show every which way is the spark plug Tegan Leong as the crab Sebastian, who knocks everyone out with a fish ensemble in “Under the Sea” and really tears things up in the sassy calypso “Kiss the Girl,” well supported by an undersea cast of seemingly thousands.Among the numerous other characters, well directed by Colleen Blanchard, Catherine Drayton stands out as the lead seagull, Scuttle (in a terrific costume, designed by Alice Gracey). Set designers Blanchard, Larry Tom and Jason Leong have created a wondrous undersea world, all wavering watercolors studded with bubbles and seaweed.The Little Mermaid Jr. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright. Directed by Colleen Blanchard at South Valley Civic Theatre, Morgan Hill. Final performance is Oct. 22. For tickets call (408) 842-SHOW or visit www.svct.org. 

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Two-year-old Wyatt Catalano, better known as Wyatt the Warrior, is already a celebrity in his hometown and on social media.

The idea of having lived a past life may seem unbelievable, but for local resident Ann C. Barham, it’s a reality, and a career.

On one side of the Gilroy Garlic Farm Travel Center, hundreds of truckers from all over the country fill 150-gallon tanks with diesel at $2.63 a gallon, while locals and travelers pay a bargain $2.53 for regular gas.

In the tradition of the excessive parties thrown by Jay Gatsby—the character from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby—The Gilroy Foundation named its 27th annual dinner and auction, held on Oct 1, after that famous book and encouraged guests to indulge and give generously. The foundation has been raising funds for local charities and providing scholarships for local students since 1980.

The year was 1971 when two young college freshmen at San Jose State University would meet. Evelia Morales and Pedro “Jaime” Rosso didn’t yet know it, but they had found their hearts’ desire, unmistakable partners in life and business.The two young lovers, each with a different story and background—together would make an immeasurable mark in their community. They own the biggest local premium furniture retailer in the South Valley, with locations in Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

They make the most money upon graduating from college and retain that edge over the course of their careers, so if you are a parent or teacher of college-bound students, take another look at engineering.Last week, Gilroy middle school and high school teachers got the inside scoop on STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) pathways and how they can utilize available resources to inspire students to pursue careers in these lucrative and in-demand fields.“There’s no better area in the whole world to pursue a STEM career than in Silicon Valley,” said Jeff Sosa, head of product at a stealth mode startup and speaker at the free Bite of Science session by the Center for Excellence in Education on Sept. 27 at Hilton Garden Inn in Gilroy.Sosa, a Gilroy High School alum, shared his experience with nearly two dozen middle and high school teachers from Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister and Salinas.The successful software engineer turned product manager and entrepreneur got his start at Gavilan College where he studied for two years before transferring to Sonoma State University to pursue a degree in mathematics.It was a computer programming class during his junior year at college that turned him on to software engineering.Tracy Serros, who teaches biology and biotechnology at Gilroy High School, said the session was interesting as it gave teachers an insight into what Silicon Valley jobs are all about. She added that she’d like to see more partnerships between the school and local companies for student internships.“It’s great, especially in the biotech context to get real world experience,” she said.Promoting STEM is not just for high schoolers. Getting younger students to “light up” while trying to solve a particular problem is a highlight for Barbara Kalman, who teaches 7th and 8th grade science at Brownell Middle School.“Getting them exposed to how we use technology in the world, researching online, building models, having them work in a team is huge,” she said. “It’s always exciting and interesting to see them light up when they solve a problem.”The session also introduced the various resources available to teachers who want to push the envelope.Both teachers cited the opportunities for instructors at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing. The nonprofit oceanographic research center promotes a peer relationship between engineers and scientists and offers training workshops for teachers, as well as classroom kits that address real-world issues like ocean acidification and the role plankton plays in our ocean ecosystem.“Teachers always like resources,” said Kalman.