Kaboom, KABOOM! I have to say it
– Morgan Hill owns the Fourth of July.
Kaboom, KABOOM! I have to say it – Morgan Hill owns the Fourth of July. Anyone with an ounce of fun in their body was partying in downtown Morgan Hill July 3, the night before the anniversary of our country’s birth, and those who weren’t wished they had.
Forget New Orleans’ Bourbon Street – we have the corner of Monterey and Second, where the Usual Suspects rocked us with ’70s and ’80s covers. The show included percussion-heavy Santana songs that drove all the wannabe drummers in the audience crazy.
The Usual Suspects drummer, John Castignani, played with inspired chops surrounded by waving flags backlit with streetlights. Connie Ludewig, fresh from her European holiday, enjoyed the sights and moves of percussionist/conga player Eddie Jimenez from behind his battery of instruments.
Members of the group Juz Cuz were out on the dance floor working the rhythms in the audience and spreading their enthusiasm to a receptive crowd. Brian Conrey of the Math Institute and his wife, Jan, made their way to the dance area but were seen in deep conversation with a friend. (Perhaps they were discussing theorems? Hey, one step at a time for the math types – I’m sure Brian will be leading the conga line next time.) What a block party!
Noticeably absent from the street dance were John and Justin Lyle of Morgan Hill , who have been training for an upcoming ride of their lives. After watching Lance Armstrong’s amazing victory last year in the Tour de France, Justin Lyle, a fourth-grader at the Charter school in Morgan Hill, began researching Armstrong’s battle and victory over cancer and learned of his charitable foundation for cancer research.
John Lyle, a native of Iowa, for years had toyed with the idea of riding in the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (known as the Ragbrai). Justin Lyle, the deep thinker of the Lyle family, came up with a plan to help charity and join his dad in the ride. As a member of Cub Scout Pack 700, Justin wants to raise money through per-mile donations as both a good-scout-thing-to-do and as an incentive for finishing the 444-mile route from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, to Muscatine, Iowa.
“It’s basically one big party,” says John. “You eat your way across the state. Hundreds of restaurants make donations.”
The father/son pair have been training since March and finished a 55-mile ride last weekend. They have totaled around 300 miles since the start of their training but hope to get in an extra 200 miles before leaving for the July 23 start date in Iowa.
I hope all of you socialites are planning to purchase tickets to an Afternoon in Tuscany July 16 at the elegant lakeside home of Mike and Mary Cox. The event benefits the new Morgan Hill Library. Tickets are available at BookSmart.
Ciao for now.
