Community

When local landscape artist Janet Vanderhoof was walking home from a Christmas family dinner in 2011, she heard an inner voice tell her: “You’re going to paint 100 paintings.”

The Gilroy Library is open less than any other branch in the Santa Clara County Library District, and while there's currently no funding to increase hours, district officials say they are open to brainstorming ideas with the City of Gilroy on how to increase the building's availability to the public.

The “Shark Tank Gilroy” competition is finally here and takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday in the Old City Hall, located at 7400 Monterey St. in Gilroy. The event is free and open to the public.

Approximately 110 furry creatures found homes last weekend, when animal lovers flocked to Maddie's Pet Adoption Days at the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter in search of canine companions and feline friends.

The Exchange Club of Gilroy hosted its 20th annual Blue and Gold Awards Luncheon last week to honor public safety officers who go above and beyond their call of duty in South County. Here are the officers who won awards:

Santa Clara County Library District kicked off their summer reading program June 1, which encourages people of all ages to read for pleasure during the lazy, hot months of June, July and August. 

South County’s very own Andy Mariani – a second generation stone fruit grower whose 1957 orchard thrived long enough to see the surrounding region transform from “Valley of the Heart’s Delight” to Silicon Valley – is featured in a colorful eight-page spread of this month’s Sunset Magazine.

The 24,000-square-foot Shipley Mansion, which is nestled in the San Martin foothills and came on the market mid-May, attracted 15 offers from people all around the world, and is poised to set the record for the highest home price ever in South County.