Community

Gilroy Senior Center participant Antonia Guerrero swings a bat at the piñata to celebrate Mexican Independence Day at the Gilroy Senior Center on Sept. 16. More than 100 seniors attended the event, which included karaoke, a taco lunch provided by the YMCA Senior Nutrition...

Put together the athletes from the powerhouse Gilroy High field hockey program and the athletes from crosstown powerhouse Christopher High. And what do you get? A club hockey team that can rock the state and shock the country. Which they just did. The Infinity club...

The fifth annual San Martin Airport Food Truck Fly-In returns Nov. 1 with a Halloween “Scareport” theme.  For the first time, Food Truck Fly-In attendees are invited to this year’s event to go trick-or-treating. The free community event will also continue to feature its usual...

California Coastal Cleanup Day will celebrate its 41st year this September with its first ever “Trashure Hunt,” offering participants the chance to win a variety of prizes by volunteering to pick up litter and garbage at hundreds of locations across the state, organizers announced...

Gilroy Gardens has offered educational programs and youth jobs to thousands of students and generated millions of dollars to the local economy over the past 25 years, according to a recent impact report released by the theme park’s directors and staff.  The inaugural 2024 Gilroy...

In reading the Sept. 5 Hollister Free Lance I was encouraged by the fact that you are allowing protests against rodeos. I have long felt they should be banned due to the horrific cruelty inflicted on helpless animals.  Years ago, a young calf died during...

In a fast-paced world often defined by digital interactions and fragmented routines, community festivals and local events serve as powerful reminders of what truly binds us together: shared experiences, cultural expression and human connection.  These gatherings, whether a neighborhood block party, a cultural celebration or...

Two candidates seeking to become Santa Clara County’s next Assessor emphasized their contrasting backgrounds and visions for modernizing the office during a Meet the Candidate forum Sept. 8 at the Morgan Hill Grange. Yan Zhao, a Saratoga city council member and two-term mayor, and Neysa...

On a normal Friday afternoon, the farmers market in downtown Watsonville—which draws vendors and customers from Hollister, Gilroy and beyond—is a bustling, joyous event, with gaggles of children playing in a bounce house and families happily in long lines to purchase fresh produce and...

A little after midnight on Friday, July 11, I was awakened by the sound of sirens from many fire engines and a call from a neighbor, saying, “You’re OK, but you need to get out of your house, now. The barn next to you...