Published in the July 6 – 19, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Inside the Granada Theater during the tour.
Photo by Marty Cheek
Robert Airoldi
As part of the Downtown Visioning Summit, many residents took a tour June 30 of the downtown to learn of its upcoming developments. Among the stops was the Granada Theater now being renovated into a dinner theater by owner Frank Léal.
Morgan Hill Life Publisher Marty Cheek happened to meet Welsey Kyles and learned the longtime resident had worked at the Granada during high school from 1960 to 1963. After a stint in Oakland, Kyles returned to Morgan Hill to attend Gavilan College and continued working at the Granada from 1965 to 1968. His responsibilities included ushering, working the candy counter or box office, and changing the marquee. He also remembers occasionally escorting out teenagers for misbehaving.
“A lot of them wanted to be thrown out because this was like a baby-sitting service for their parents. They’d get thrown out of the theater and then meet their friends,” Kyles said. “Then when their parents picked them up later, they’d lie and say they saw the movie.”
Popular fare were John Wayne, Elvis Presley and horror movies or 1960s summer romance flicks.
“The third Tuesday of every month we would show Japanese film night here where we would show Japanese movies,” he recalls. “It was well attended and popular with the Japanese community.”
Kyles is impressed with Léal’s plans to make the Granada a special place for the community where people can attend music concerts, stand-up comedy shows, theater performances and even watch films.
“It was a lot of fun. I had a good run here — six years,” he said. “It’s great that they were able to save it.”
Thanks for the movie theater memories, Wesley.
• • •
Our Morgan Hill Kiwanis friend Mary Lou Conragan told us the service group proudly presented 10 scholarships to local students in the class of 2016 at their May 31 meeting at Mama Mia’s Restaurant.
Club President Trina Ciraulo gave scholarship introductions. The school champions introduced the Turn Around Scholarship recipients: Itzel Coronel and David de la Cuesta of Ann Sobrato High School introduced Juan Lozano and Brian Montoya; Vera Gomes of Central High School, introduced Austin Flower and Araceli Hernandez; and Arron Thomas of Live Oak High School introduced Savannah Hernandez and Robert Kuhl. Recipients Ana Arias Montoya and Garrett Taylor were not in attendance.
Scholarships were awarded to the student who made the most significant contribution to the local Key Club, a high school service club. The Ann Sobrato Key Club scholarship was presented to Janelle Saucedo and Live Oak Key Club Scholarship to Hanh Phan. Both presidents of their clubs, they exhibited leadership skills and promoted community service.
“The Turn Around Scholarship is awarded to students who have overcome hardship and tremendous obstacles to graduate,” Conragan told us. “It is applicable to continuing education and is renewable each semester until student graduates. It is an honor to support these student.”
Follow the paths of your dreams, students.
• • •
It’s official: the Fourth of July is almost here. You can tell when the plastic lawn chairs begin to line the parade route. Pictured below are the first chairs to appear. They were spotted the afternoon of June 21, a full two weeks before Morgan Hill’s annual Independence Day Parade.
By July 4 morning, you’ll see along the parade route — north on Monterey Road, west on Main Avenue, south on Peak Avenue, then east on West Dunne Avenue — hundreds of chairs set out for spectators.
Oddly enough, the same thing is happening at the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Night Music Series, only on a much smaller scale. Starting on Friday mornings, residents begin bringing lawn chairs and blankets to reserve space at the Downtown Amphitheater at the Community Center. I guess with these two really popular events in town, people want the best seats. One good aspect of the practice: no one touches the placeholders. Now there’s a tradition I’d like to see continue unabated.
• • •
Too bad that hands-off practice didn’t hold true for the individual or individuals who stole the centerpiece of The Little Gym’s float for this year’s Fourth of July parade in downtown Morgan Hill. Carol and Kurt Kromer, the children’s gym business owners, however learned residents of our fine community can be generous in helping right a wrong.
This year’s parade theme was “America, My Home Sweet Home” so the Kromers bought a playhouse and decorated it for their float on a flatbed truck. The morning of June 20, they found the prefabricated playhouse was gone. A surveillance video camera provided an indistinct image of the culprit. When the Kromers put a notice about the theft on Facebook, they soon began to receive donations to purchase a new playhouse. They bought one at Costco.
Well done, Morgan Hill residents, for helping out.
• • •
Here’s Waldo!
Where’s Waldo? In Morgan Hill of course. The famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting 24 local businesses throughout our community this July. Those who spot him can win prizes, including stickers and book coupons. Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo Local in Morgan Hill!” passport with the names of all the participating sites at BookSmart, then get their passport stamped or signed for each Waldo they spot. The first 100 Waldo seekers to get their passports marked at ten or more sites can bring their passports back to BookSmart to collect prizes, said store owner Brad Jones.
It’s free to participate. Now go find Waldo!
