Gilroy Museum participating in statewide tour of historic sites
On Sept. 9, the Gilroy Museum will be participating in Doors Open California during its regular hours of 10am to 2pm.
Doors Open California is sponsored by the California Preservation Foundation and includes behind-the-scenes tours of 70 historic sites. Visit Californiapreservation.org/doca for information and a map of sites that are open.
There is no charge to visit the Gilroy Museum at 195 Fifth St., but donations are appreciated.
In addition, on Sept. 9 at 10am, Dave Peoples will be giving a tour of Old St. Mary Cemetery, showing the newly discovered unmarked gravesites. This is in addition to the annual tour of Old St. Mary Cemetery in November. Meet at 7950 Church St. at 10am for the tour.
Gilroy Veterans Day Parade seeks sponsors and entries
With “Our True Heroes” as the theme for the 2023 Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 at 1pm, Gilroyans will be able to celebrate family and friends who have served their country in the armed forces.
“Our first Veterans Day Parade in 2022 was a huge success,” said Genny Flores, a parade committee member. “The community went all out. We had veterans walking, riding in classic cars, on motorcycles and bicycles. The Jace Hider family even recreated the famous Iwo Jima image of solders raising the flag. We are expecting big things this year.”
Community organizations, local businesses, schools and clubs are encouraged to apply to participate in the parade. Musical units, color guards, marching units, vehicles, floats and equestrian/animal units will all need to have a patriotic flavor and pay tribute to veterans.
The entry rules and conditions, as well as the application, is available at GilroyVeteransHall.org under “community events/Veterans Day 2023.” Entry deadline is Oct. 27.
The parade will start at Seventh and Monterey streets and travel north to Fourth and Monterey. Staging will be in Gourmet Alley.
The entry fee is free, thanks to donors such as Mayor Marie Blankley, Gardner Health Services, MG Construction & Engineers, Jay Johnson & Associates and Build Site Services.
More donations are still needed. Companies and individuals interested in sponsoring the parade can contact the Parade Committee at 408.842.3838 or visit the Gilroy Veterans Hall website.
There will also be other activities throughout the month to celebrate and honor veterans including the Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11 at 11:11am in front of the new “Home of the Brave” mural at the Gilroy Veterans Hall hosted by the American Legion Post 217.
During the month of November, 6th Street Studios and Art Center will also host a Veterans Art Exhibit, with the Third Friday Art Walk opening reception. In addition, the Gilroy Elks Lodge will host its annual Veterans Dinner Celebration.
Leadership Gilroy presents art showcase
Leadership Gilroy will host an art showcase highlighting young artists on Sept. 16 from 10am to 3pm at the Gilroy Library paseo, 350 West Sixth St.
The event will feature music, art, a chalk walk, food trucks, raffles and games.
For information, email le*******************@gm***.com .
Chamber of Commerce gears up for September events
The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce has a slew of events scheduled for September, including a ribbon-cutting, a networking breakfast, two after-hours mixers and an e-waste recycling event.
The chamber hosted a ribbon-cutting to celebrate Pulmuone’s new line of pasta products on Sept. 5 at Pulmuone/Monterey Gourmet Foods in Gilroy.
A mixer is scheduled for 5:30-7pm on Sept. 14 at Pinnacle Bank, 7597 Monterey St. Attendees are encouraged to bring business cards and a raffle prize. Another mixer is scheduled for Sept. 26 from 4-7pm at Mod Movers, 8880 Forest St.
The chamber hosts its monthly networking event, “Coffee and Commerce,” at 7am on Sept. 20, at Old City Hall at 7400 Monterey St.
The next eWaste Recycling Drop-Off event is set for Sept. 30 at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce (parking lot on Eigleberry Street), at 7471 Monterey St.
The chamber and Zero Waste Silicon Valley invite businesses and residents to drop off their electronic waste from 9am to 1pm. This is a free contactless drive-thru event. The general rule of thumb is that if it has a plug, you can recycle it. Batteries, lightbulbs, refrigerators, ovens/stoves, washers/dryers and large household appliances are not accepted.
Reps announce $1M in funding for climate mitigation efforts
U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Anna Eshoo (CA-16), Ro Khanna (CA-17) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will distribute $1 million to Santa Clara and San Benito counties to develop and improve climate mitigation efforts.
“Climate change is already impacting our communities and will worsen if we do not act,” the representatives stated in a press release. “That’s why we’re so proud to have voted for the Inflation Reduction Act—legislation that made the largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis, including funding the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program which provided $1 million to Santa Clara and San Benito counties to improve climate mitigation efforts. We will continue to support robust investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to protect our communities.”
This funding comes from the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which supports state and local governments in the development and implementation of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mount Madonna School to commemorate International Day of Peace
Held each year on Sept. 21, the United Nations has declared this as a day “devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.”
“The International Day of Peace is a wonderful opportunity for our students to reflect on how they can express peace within themselves, their classroom, their school community, their local community and the global community,” Mount Madonna Head of School Ann Goewert said. “Actions of peace are powerful and a single act can make a significant and lasting difference.”
This year’s theme, “Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals,” represents a call to action that recognizes the individual and collective responsibility to foster peace.
“Peace is needed today more than ever,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization.”
All of Mount Madonna’s preschool through grade 12 students will attend the commemoration, which will be held in the school’s upper campus Assembly Room. The event will include students reading peace poems from different spiritual traditions, and songs from the high school choir and MMS elementary students.
Mount Madonna School will also welcome Buddhist teacher and activist Tenzin Chogkyi to speak on nonviolence and actions for peace.
Tenzin is based in Santa Cruz and became interested in meditation in the early 1970s. She began practicing Tibetan Buddhism in 1991 during a year-long study in India and Nepal. She worked in administrative positions in several Buddhist centers in the 1990s, and completed several long meditation retreats over a six-year period. In 2004, Tenzin took monastic ordination with the Dalai Lama and has practiced as a monastic for nearly 20 years.
