Published in the May 24 – June 6, 2017 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Kathy Sullivan

Kathy Sullivan

It is with much relief and pleasure that I can report the partnership of our businesses and our wineries resulted in one of our best Wine Strolls in recent memory. There are multiple blessings to having these and other organizations help the Morgan Hill Downtown Association achieve mutual and individual goals.

MHDA has other partnerships which are beneficial to our mission. One is the Morgan Hill Historical Society. Their mission is to preserve and share the history of Morgan Hill, and its environs, to inspire a sense of community. Besides operating and maintaining the 2.5-acre site known as Villa Mira Monte, they have a Historic Conversations lecture series the first Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. They also provide downtown Morgan Hill walking tours the second Saturday of every month. It is easy to see how our organizations can complement each other.

MHDA will be holding our quarterly mixer from 6 to 8 p.m. June 5 at Sinaloa Cafe. We have chosen to invite MHHS to be our first partnership group to be recognized at our next mixer.

This mixer is open to everyone — members and non-members alike. Nancy Reynolds, a board member from both groups, has many exciting ideas for the night. Part of the evening will be a fun event for networking and she recommends bringing plenty of business cards. Our invited partner MHHS will also be there also to promote their third annual Prohibition Party which will take place June 24 at Villa Mira Monte.

Another trusted partner with MHDA is the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. They are about to start their 2017 Friday Night Music Series. The Chamber has asked for various community groups to assist them in adult beverage distribution for the music series. MHDA was honored to have been chosen to help pour beer for the first of the 14 music nights. This will be at June 2 and will feature the music of Entourage.

Our booth will feature our MHDA volunteers including the lovely ladies from Dezign Salon, who were so helpful last year during the 2016 Music Series.

Both organizations have representation to each other’s board meetings and promote each other’s events. Sharing information and working together has helped strengthen our groups in our work.

The last partnership I would like to talk about is one of our strongest. It is the one we have with the city. They have representatives who attend our board meetings and keep us informed about common issues. MHDA reciprocates by attending city workshops and city council meetings to help with discussions and the flow of information. Recent construction changes coming downtown, parking information as well as our three new parks are recent examples of shared concerns.

The city staff works very hard with MHDA to help us bring added enjoyment to our community, such as our holiday decorations and Moveable Feast. The food trucks will start up June 7 and will be ongoing every Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Kathy Sullivan is a board member of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. She wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.