Laying the cornerstone
GILROY
– Ascencion Solorsano Middle School will hold its
”
Corner-stone Cere-mony
”
on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. For more infor-mation about the
event or how to get involved in the new school, contact Principal
Sal Tomasello at st********@*********ca.us or call 848-4121.
Laying the cornerstone
GILROY – Ascencion Solorsano Middle School will hold its “Corner-stone Cere-mony” on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. For more infor-mation about the event or how to get involved in the new school, contact Principal Sal Tomasello at st********@*********ca.us or call 848-4121.
Charges likely in fatality
MORGAN HILL – A driver already facing DUI charges in an early morning accident on Sept. 6 could be facing additional charges, depending on the coroner’s report. Maria Suastegui, 62, of San Jose died at the scene.
The accident occurred at 12:35 a.m. when a 1990 Toyota Corolla driven by Terry Jean Ralston, 53, of Freedom drifted into the northbound lane of Watsonville Road south of Sycamore Drive. She had been driving south. Her auto collided with a 1998 Honda Accord driven by Jose Hernandez, 28, of San Jose.
Suastegui, who was a passenger in Hernandez’s car, went into cardiac arrest following the accident, the CHP said. Emergency personnel were able to revive her at the scene. She was air lifted to Saint Louise Regional Hospital where she died.
The accident is also thought to have caused Suastegui’s daughter, Loivertha, 33, who was eight months pregnant, to go into labor. She was transported to Stanford hospital for an emergency Caesarean section. Thursday, Loivertha and the baby were in the intensive care unit.
Dazzle ’em with small talk
GILROY – Gavilan College will offer a workshop called “How to Become a Dazzling Conversationalist” on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Gilroy campus. The first unit will cover how to overcome shyness, how to meet and greet with flair and how to be tactful and gracious. The second unit will concentrate on body language etiquette. The class is worth 2.5 units. Tuition costs $35 plus $20 for the textbook. There’s still space available, so call 847-2514 to register.
Pitch in for Little League
GILROY – There are openings to be on the board for little league, including positions as player agent, coaching coordinator, director for boy or girls and fund-raising positions.
There will be a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Las Animas Rec Room on Mantelli Drive between Church Street and Wren Avenue. Details: Christine at 848-8584 or Nancy at 847-4220.
Business workshops
GILROY – The Gavilan College Small Business Development will offer two workshops on Thursday, Sept. 18. Instructor Mary Gibson, financial problem solver coach, will present strategies for debt reduction and credit card repair. The workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dry Creek Village Center, 8351 Church St., building E. There will also be a class on basic bookkeeping for the small business owner from noon to 3 p.m. at the same location. All workshops cost $20 per person. To pre-register, call (800) 847-0373.
Take the girl scout pledge
GILROY – The Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County will hold a registration drive on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Anyone interested in becoming a girl scout or a scout volunteer is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at the Gilroy Senior Center, 7371 Hanna St. Details: 847-4375.
CMAP seeks nominations
GILROY – Community Media Access Partnership, the community TV station for Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista, is currently looking for board members to fill three elected positions.
CMAP’s board of directors is comprised of city and school representatives, as well as interested residents, who make crucial decisions as to how CMAP is run. CMAP’s board meets the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. in Hollister, Gilroy and San Juan Bautista.
Interested candidates must be CMAP members in good standing and must submit a nomination by petition form (available at the CMAP office and online at www.mycmap.org), obtaining 10 signatures of current CMAP members. This form, as well as a candidate statement (200 words maximum) must be delivered to CMAP by Thursday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m.
Details: Executive Director Suzanne St. John at 846-4983, ext. 6.
Pasta, win and music
GILROY – What do you get when you combine tasty wine, fun music, fabulous pasta and the charm of historic downtown Gilroy? Join your friends and community members at the annual Pasta Extravaganza on Saturday, Sept. 20. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with entertainment continuing until 9:30 p.m. Individual tickets can be purchased for $15 for adults and $10 for children or reserve a table of eight and enter the decorating contest. The event is held on Monterey Street, between Fourth and Sixth streets. Details: www.gilroyvisitor.org or call Dave Peoples at 842-6501.
Carnival in the park
GILROY – “Safe Night: Carnival in the Park,” a free community event which focuses on people coming together in the spirit of peace and goodwill, will be Saturday, Sept. 20, from 4 to 7 p.m. at San Ysidro Park. In addition to children’s activities including face painting, a rock climbing wall and Mad Science, there will be performances by Izcalli Aztec Dancers, Gavilan Ballet Folklorico, Gilroy’s Elvis, Youth Leadership Program’s “Stompin” and more. The Police and Fire Departments will attend with the D.A.R.E. car, mounted unit and K-9 units. Everything is free.
T-shirts are $1. Details:
846-5056.
Give blood, save a life
GILROY – Give blood at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church Blood Drive on Monday, Sept. 15 and save a life. The drive will be held from 12:30 to 6 p.m. in the fellowship hall on 6000 Miller Ave. To make an appointment, call Laverne Mathison at 842-2782.
There is a constant need to replenish the supply as blood has a shelf life of just 42 days. The Bay Area is currently operating with about one day’s supply of blood.
A recent study from the American Red Cross reveals the American public doesn’t fully understand the important of donating blood. According to the survey, nearly 18 million American adults do not feel their blood donation would make a different and 13 million say they would donate, but they lack an understanding of the process.
Donors must be 17 years of age or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health.
For more information visit givelife.org or call
(800) GIVE-LIFE.
Rub elbows with democrats
GILROY – South County Democratic Club is hosting a fund-raising barbecue party Saturday, Sept. 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at 3225 Dryden Ave., Gilroy. There will be chance to meet mayoral and city council candidates for the November election and hear last-minute updates on the October recall election. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door for club members; $25 in advance/$30 at the door for nonmembers; ages 11 to 21 are $10; ages 5 to 10 are $5; and children under age 5 are free. Admission includes dinner and refreshments. Details: Susan McKuhen at 847-6866 or su***@*****en.com.
Lifestyles event at Bonfante
GILROY – Enjoy a fabulous fall day at the Home, Garden and Lifestyle Event held inside Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20 and 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to Bonfante’s beautiful gardens, waterfalls and rides, visitors will find hundreds of products and services for their home and garden.
Meet local businesses, find unique gifts and take advantage of stage presentations on everything from herbs to waterfalls in your own garden.
Bonfante Gardens is located at 3055 Hecker Pass (Hwy 152), just west of Gilroy. Details: www.bonfantegardens.com or 682-4700.
Downtown flea market
GILROY – There will be a flea market in downtown Gilroy on Saturday, Sept. 20 The event will take place at the Lewis Street parking lot, at the corner of Monterey and Lewis streets. Spaces are 9 feet wide by 20 feet deep. Set up is from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and the market continues until 3 p.m. The fee is $20 per space. Vendors must supply their own tables, chairs, umbrellas, etc. and are responsible for trash cleanup in their own space. Details: Collective Past,
842-0180.
Get arrested for good cause
GILROY – The Gilroy community will join to raise “bail” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, over 100 “jailbirds” will be escorted by “law enforcement officials” to a mock jail site at Chevy’s Fresh Mex. They will have their mugs shots taken and serve one hour of “hard time” to raise $1,575 for the 450 families in the South Bay affected by muscular dystrophy. Details: Christine Omata at 244-1210.
Nominations accepted for Hispanic Chamber awards
GILROY – Nominations for the Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce awards must be submitted by Tuesday, Sept. 30. Awards for business, educator, community service volunteer and special recognition of the year will be announced at the 22nd Annual Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce installation dinner and awards on Friday, Oct. 24 at the Strand Theater at 6:30 p.m. Email nomination form request to gh********@***oo.com. .
Don’t be a grinch
GILROY – Rebekah Children’s Services is recruiting Christmas Tree Decorators for Hometown Holidays Festival of Trees. The event will be held Dec. 5 to 7 at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. Decorators are invited to the home of Frank Fabing in Gilroy for a decorators’ orientation luncheon in early October. Details: 846-2142.
News Items: Please fax local news items to City Editor Jodi Engle at 842-2206, e-mail to ed****@****ic.com or mail to 6400 Monterey St. Gilroy.
