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I would like to make a rebuttal to some of the comments made the Gilroy city street engineer regarding the projects along Santa Teresa and Luchessa. He says the city doesn't have control over the schedule for the projects being executed by developers. I ask, why not? The developers have to file a building permit with a completion date. I think that was a non-legitimate answer.

The other day I actually found an upside to parenting a teenager. I know, I know. It took a lot of time and research, but I think I've found it. They do their homework themselves. Even the projects. Oh, please. Don't start telling me that your child was perfect and always did his own projects, even when he was 2 years old and in preschool. Seriously. Perhaps he did his own coloring in preschool, but I have been to third grade classrooms. I have seen Flat Stanley dioramas and I can tell you that in the entire history of third grade projects, no 8-year-old ever made a gorgeous Flat Stanley diorama complete with puffy paint, hot glue and perfect coloring with markers that were not washable without a great deal of parental … guidance. I swear to you, this is true. Look, I know it for one reason. The non-washable markers always give you away. No parent in their right mind, or at least with a decent couch, allows a child to make a Flat Stanley diorama without using washable markers. It's a parenting law. Seriously. And then there is the hot glue. Hello? First of all, 8-year-olds and hot glue are a lethal combination. It's like giving candy to a 2-year-old. Nobody does that because they know the outcome is going to be very, very bad – and possibly well outside the scope of your insurance, which in case you don't know, doesn't cover Acts of God and Acts of Parenting Idiocy. Just FYI. And even assuming you have the most mature 8-year-old on the planet and you do allow that child to use the hot glue gun, you are right there supervising. And every parent knows that “supervising” is super-secret parent code for “I did some of it for her, but just the really scary parts. Like all of the gluing. And painting. And cutting Flat Stanley out because she kept running around the house trying to cut her sister's bangs and her sister has never had bangs.” Also? Teachers can tell when a parent provided guidance. Those strings of glue from the glue gun are all cleaned up. And then there is the fourth grade, where all parents get the giant thrill of constructing a California Mission. (Side note: when my father was a boy, his parents took him on a thrilling family vacation to every single mission in California, using his aunt, a nun, as the tour guide. This explains why I, a person raised Catholic and educated in Catholic schools, had never seen a mission until I got lost in San Luis Obispo looking for a lingerie store.) Anyway, the Mission project is huge. And you cannot tell me that a 9-year-old sits around the family table every single night hot gluing faux clay shingles to a faux mission roof. And if your child, like mine when he was in fourth grade, insists that his project must be made of wood, no parent on the planet says “Sure, here's a saw and some plywood. Have fun.” Yeah. That's because it's always fun to play with the saw until somebody loses a foot. But for years now, I have not been gluing, sawing, coloring or painting. Yes, I have done some sewing - but mainly that was because I like my sewing machine and I want to keep it. But the distinct lack of projects in my parenting life is a huge upside for me - and not just because I shouldn't be using a saw.   Now, don't get me wrong - getting a teenager to actually start the project is another issue - but once they get started, they do it themselves. Just them and Mr. Google. And every once in a while, a desperate Skype with a friend to help. Totally an upside.

Gilroy is a crossroads where travelers from many other walks of

Each year, more than 1 million Americans develop skin cancer,

Limelight Actors’ Theatre brings in “The 39 Steps” for its 23rd production in its fifth season to entertain the folks in the South Valley.Director JoAnna Evans lets loose four kooky, talented characters to play over 100 roles in this Hitchcock murder-spy spoof.Kevin Heath, Roberta Vinkhuyzen, Jason Harris and Bruce Pember with Michael Perry and Brennan Perry as the ever energetic stage hands that keep the show glued together. Everyone’s hysterical timing and delivery is almost flawless.Evans uses a broad brush, painting the four characters and their images of over 100 characters with more than 50 costume changes that transform their persona with a flick of a hat, jacket or wig before your eyes. The timing is intricate and tricky but this nutty group use minimum props and is at times ingenious and adds to the hilarity of the production. Example: Four large trunks double as seats on a train and also act as the roof of the train that the characters use to do a typical Hitchcock chase scene, flapping their coats with flashing lights to give the effect of wind and rain. A bunch of mismatched chairs and a podium create a getaway car, a moveable door, a mock-up window and picture frames become ingenious props that tickle the funny-bone and create a mental picture of what could be next in this off-the-wall adventure that is done completely tongue-in-cheek with a homage to Hitchcock.Evans directs this whacked-out talented group like a conductor performing Fantasia’s "Sorcerer’s Apprentice" in triple time. The energy expended by this entire goofy group is seductive and over the top and leaves the audience pleasantly exhausted.For anyone who is a Hitchcock fan this might be the ticket to lighten up a bit. To those who aren’t familiar with his genius, time to get acquainted. Go and rent the movie then see this show. You will definitely have an interesting experience.Come early around 7 pm, bring your dinner and wine if you like, for an enjoyable evening of fun and tons of laughs.Camille Bounds is the theatre and arts columnist for the Morgan Hill Times, Gilroy Dispatch and the Hollister Freelance. She can be reached at [email protected] “The 39 Steps”Where: The Gilroy Center For The ArtsThrough: May 2Runs: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermissionTickets: $20Reservations and information call (408) 472-3292 or visitwww.LimeLightActors’Theater.com