MORGAN HILL
– Morgan Hill will become a town with a real, live community and
cultural center Dec. 7.
MORGAN HILL – Morgan Hill will become a town with a real, live community and cultural center Dec. 7.
Beginning with the Mayor’s Ball that night, followed by the grand opening Dec. 8 and continuing through the week with different groups targeted each day, the events will conclude Dec. 14 with the downtown holiday parade finishing at the grounds of the new center on the corner of East Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road.
Originally scheduled to be completed in August with a cost of $13.4 million, weather and material delays stretched the construction period to Nov. 22, when the city will take over the keys from DPR Construction.
The final cost is more than $15 million.
Carnivale comes to town
The Mayor’s Ball and dinner, with a Carnivale theme is planned to be an event to remember, said Daryl Manning, who is heading up the affair.
The $125 per person ball also will commemorate the establishment of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation.
An intriguing selection of food will be catered by CordeValle, the country and golf club in San Martin. Manning said several food stations – each with a different menu – will be arrayed around the Hiram Morgan Hill Room. The 4,030 square-foot HMH Room has a glorious ceiling of solid maple strips and Macintosh-like chandeliers. There is room for 250 diners, and Manning said she hopes to fill every seat.
Guglielmo Winery will provide the wines.
A raft of musicians, dancers, roving magicians, jugglers, palm readers and caricature artists will entertain guests. The assembled crowd can dance to the music of Groove Kings, watch Ballet San José Silicon Valley perform the Grande Pas de Deux from the “Nutcracker,” and watch flamenco with the Abhinaya Dance Co.
They will listen to Italian singer Pasquale Esposito, Irish vocalists the Kavanagh Sisters, and swoon to jazz and blues pianist Steve Wood.
Proceeds from the black-tie gala will benefit the Foundation, created by community leaders to address the needs of the Morgan Hill community with targeted grants and programs. The Mayor’s Ball is the MHCF’s first fundraiser.
To make reservations for the 6 p.m. to midnight ball, visit du*********@ea*******.net or call Marilyn Librers at 779-6504.
Grand opening ceremony
Mayor Dennis Kennedy insists Dec. 8 will be a fine day for ribbon cutting. From 1 to 5 p.m. the entire city is invited to watch as the City Council officially severs the ribbon, formally proclaiming the center open. Entertainment galore is planned for this event too, and this one is entirely free of charge.
Anyone who wishes can join a tour of the buildings: the banquet room with a stage, the Children’s Pavillion with its distinctive blue-tile roof, cleverly colored floor, enclosed play yard and interactive water feature – possibly a bit out of season for December.
Two rooms are designed for pottery and art spaces and one is a dedicated dance area, others for meetings or smaller banquets. The octagon room, closest to the Dunne/Monterey corner, is another architecturally stunning room, with the octagonal maple ceiling reflected in the flooring. The floor is mounted on rubber “bouncers” designed to make it flexible enough for aerobics and other physical activities and to be perfect for small parties.
All public rooms in the community center are available for rent.
New approach for Gavilan
Gavilan College, which has had a satellite campus hidden away in Morgan Hill for several years, will be front and center when it moves into its dedicated building on the community center campus. Starting Jan. 23, all spring semester classes in Morgan Hill will be held there.
“We are adjusting the scheduling so people can take a full course load of general education classes – all at the Morgan Hill site,” said Jan Chargin, public information officer for Gavilan College. “This will be ideal for parents with children in school or people who prefer not to drive to Gilroy.”
Schedules will be in the mail next week, Chargin said, and online at www.gavilan.edu – just click on the Morgan Hill link.
Gavilan will have its own special day during the Grand Opening Ceremony Week. Dec. 9 has been designated Gavilan College Day.
Playhouse
Renovation of the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse will not be complete in time for the December grand opening week. It will have its own grand opening in mid-January.
New center profile:
• 38,000 square foot facility
• Kitchen facility with commercial grade equipment and appliances
• 185-seat community playhouse
• 300-seat outdoor pavilion
• Eight-classroom satellite Gavilan College campus
• Four special-event/meeting rooms, one dance room, two art rooms
• Children’s Pavilion, with adjacent outdoor play area and interactive water feature
