News

HackJammers play what they like to refer to as party rock. Their repertoire is geared toward being upbeat and danceable. They do classics like “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones alongside contemporary tunes like “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

Saccullo’s Glass and Discount Surplus in downtown Gilroy was recently the site of a Hollywood film shoot. Producer Jordan Foley and his 50-person crew filmed scenes for Desolate, a dystopian tale about life after a severe drought. Owner Mary Saccullo said that Foley and his crew were nice and polite, but she was surprised to see how they transformed the store.

Not content with just “leaning in,” a new program launched in Gilroy this summer aims to close the success gap and equip young women and girls with critical leadership skills long before they send out their first resume.

A California Conservation Corps crew clearing hiking trails along the Uvas Creek Tuesday stumbled on evidence that kids who had built an illegal labyrinth of dirt bicycle jumps in the protected creek a few years ago preserve are at it again.

Downtown Gilroy was packed with people on July 8, all hungry to sample from 10 food trucks at the inaugural Moveable Feast event at Fifth Street Live.Moveable Feast is a food truck collective based in San Jose. Making the trip to Gilroy last Friday were Akita Sushi, BBQ Kalbi, Brothers Gow Chow, H. Butler’s BBQ, Ketch It Seafood, Los Jarochos Grill, Siam Loco Wraps, Treatbot, Waffle Amore, and Grilled Cheese Bandits.“We were in line for a long time for the Korean barbecue,” said Yvonne Isles, who came with her family all the way from Los Banos. She said she’d heard of the collective because she works in San Jose, and got wind of the event through Facebook.“The Facebook Event page said that about 2,500 people were interested,” said Gilroy Downtown Business Association event coordinator Melanie Corona. “I think we ended up getting about 4,000.”The long lines didn’t deter attendees from enjoying the Fifth Street Live festivities.“It was like a massive block party,” said Moveable Feast founder Ryan Sebastian. “Families brought their chairs out, enjoyed great food, great music. A real sense of community. It was the best block party I’ve ever been to.”Food trucks were parked in Gourmet Alley and on Fifth Street between Monterey Road and Eigleberry Avenue. Morgan Hill-based band the Emphatics performed live while the crowd ate, drank and danced.According to Sebastian, Gilroy is the furthest south Moveable Feast has been in Santa Clara County.“It was the perfect storm for downtown Gilroy,” Corona said. “Amaretto had their annual fashion show, which is always a well-attended event. The District had a great band playing that night, and something was going on at Old City Hall. There were lots of complementary events happening.”Sebastian met some of the local restaurateurs and business owners downtown and said everyone was excited about the event.Corona said that the GDBA is always concerned with how the downtown businesses are doing.“We don’t want to take away from their success or their Friday night, but I don’t think that was a problem at all,” she said.Moveable Feast wasn’t the only business to turn a crowd. Restaurants like Old City Hall, the Milias Restaurant, and Garlic City Cafe were full houses—maybe too full?“I think it’s a good thing for Gilroy, but it’s on the wrong day,” said The Milias restaurant owner Adam Sanchez.Sanchez said that every Friday is busy downtown, and that parking is packed as it is. The long wait times at his restaurant caused frustration for all parties.The event could have significant economic potential for downtown Gilroy. And while there’s talk of continuing Fifth Street Live and Moveable Feast after the summer, nothing has been finalized yet.“We just had our first one so, we’re going to look at the first one or two to see, ‘Is this making sense? Is this making the live music series more successful?’” Sebastian said. “The answer is absolutely yes.”Corona is happy with how the inaugural event turned out. She said that two City Council members came out to help.“Roland Velasco was pouring beer and wine for us at our beverage booth, and Dan Harney brought his family down.”Corona is also grateful for how the community embraced the event.“People want downtown Gilroy to thrive,” she said. “That means we have a thriving and successful community.”If you missed it, you have another chance. The Feast returns Friday, July 15, starting at 5 p.m.

Windows to nowhere, fireplaces without flues and pullout bookcases that reveal deep wall cavities are among the intriguing features of one of this year’s winners of the Gilroy Historical Society’s Architectural Awards. But the Gilroy Historical Society is not the only admirer of this building. Barbara and Jeffrey Orth admired the Holloway House for years, its charm and striking beauty hidden beneath a dilapidated exterior.

Roxanne Vinciguerra says she never thought she’d start her own artisanal biscotti business.

Maintaining a healthy weight isn’t easy, but it’s certainly possible. It comes down to focus, discipline, patience and making smart decisions. Simply put, there are no shortcuts. Unless you’re establishing healthy eating and exercise habits, it will be impossible to stay at a healthy weight, let alone lose some unwanted pounds.

When I’m out and about going to events and meetings I tend to get a lot of useful information. This column will be dedicated to report back to the community on what’s up in our area. This past weekend I attended “Lend me a Tenor” at Limelight Actors Theater with my brother, sister-in-law and my friends Jaime & Evelia Rosso. It was a wonderful show with much laughter from the audience. They hold a raffle every show to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox,TEAM FOX which raises money for Parkinson’s research. This year is their 6th show with Steve Spencer & Kae Jenny-Spencer. If you go what not to miss: Rocky Road Ahead candy, which you can only purchase at the theater, made in Gilroy by Rosalind Ferrotte. On Monday July 4, I volunteered doing security for my friend and fellow Rotarian Chief Denise Turner at the, 71st U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle in San Martin. I was stationed for nine hours on the path next to a bridge where the players were dropped off from the 6th hole to walk to the 7th hole. Each player that practiced that day walked by me with their caddy and entourage. At the beginning of my shift I worked with Cynthia Iwanaga who was also a volunteer and works for the city of Morgan Hill. It was exciting but the most nerve-racking part of my duty was to watch out for a resident feral momma kitty and her four kittens. Didn’t want one of those kittens run over by the golf carts whizzing by! It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect in the mid 80’s. There were players from all over the world and a really big deal for our area. Every year Gilroy Rotary sends students to leadership camp and they come back with life-changing experiences. This year’s campers were Estaban Rubio CHS, Kassandra Avery CHS, Collet Howard CHS, Michael Vu CHS, Andres Stebbins GECCA, Emily Boykin GHS. The theme was Be a Gift to the World. Besides leadership activities they assembled care packages for the homeless for the Sunrise Homeless Shelter and wrote letters hoping to brighten their days. They also assembled care packages and letters for a class of first grade students at Longfellow Elementary School in San Francisco. The packages contained pens, pencils, notebooks and other basic school supplies along with individualized cards for each of the students.