Downtown Farmers Market begins Thursday

Published in the April 16-29, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

You know spring is here when the Farmers Market begins, and the downtown market opens from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday beginning April 17, on Third Street. There will be live entertainment, fun for the kids, and a space to bring your tables and chairs to enjoy the afternoon of fun in downtown. Also, check out their ad on page 18 for a chance to win a $100 gift basket each and every week. See you at the market!
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Phyllis Coates Farris, the daughter of Leonard Coates, died April 5. She was 95.

Phyllis Coates Farris

Phyllis Coates Farris

Coates Farris was born in Morgan Hill and lived her entire life on El Toro Avenue. Her father was the founder of the Leonard Coates Nursery; her mother, Anne Coates, was a math and science teacher at Live Oak High School. A 1936 Live Oak High School graduate, she attended San Jose State, then worked for Judge Harold Holden and Dr. Alison Cary.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. April 16 at the Morgan Hill United Methodist Church.
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Want to be part of a worthy project? If so, come to the kick-off meeting for the Morgan Hill Peace Project at 7 p.m. April 22 at BookSmart, 80 E. Second St.

The goal of the project is to promote peace in our community. Groups, churches, families and individuals can sign on to a Peace Pledge to encourage tolerance and non-violence. Another aspect will be to create a peace monument (peace pole) near the Morgan Hill Library in the grass area of the library near the Sister City benches. The location has already been approved.
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Congratulations to Mark Derry, the former executive editor of the Gilroy Dispatch and Morgan Hill Times, who will be honored by the Gilroy City Council April 21. Derry spent 30 years at the Dispatch and was suddenly let go when Metro purchased MainStreet Media, the owners of the Dispatch. He was my editor for five years, and his knowledge of the community, tenacity in getting the stories, and love of his profession will be greatly missed. Good job, Mark!
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All Gavilan College students now have student emails that went live April 1, and no it’s not a joke. Students do not have to sign up — the accounts were automatically assigned and are hosted through Google’s gmail, and use the format FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME#@my.gavilan.edu.
The student email addresses will ensure every student has an email address for communication with the college, its departments and instructors. The email accounts, ending in “.edu” may also make students eligible for discounts on software, technology and books at some retailers.
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Wine Week, a fun wine-themed week-long series of events for your enjoyment, begins April 20. There will be events from wine education, wine pairing dinners, ticket holder specials and, of course, ending the week with the popular Wine Stroll April 26. Wine Stroll tickets are required and on sale now at participating businesses. For more information, visit www.morganhilldowntown.org.
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Shannon O'Keefe

Shannon O’Keefe

San Martin resident Shannon O’Keefe was 57 years old when his life was cut short in a south San Jose motorcycle accident March 16. Millicent Kellogg sent us a poem she wrote about her friend who worked in construction and was a “splendid artist” who created black and white portraits and built furniture from weathered barn siding. Kellogg said O’Keefe’s “untethered laughter hid a keen sadness.” Read her poem by going to www.morganhilllife.com/in-celebration-of-the-life-of-shannon-okeefe-motorcycle-down.
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The 3rd Annual Building Futures event for the Lori Escobar El Toro Youth Center of Morgan Hill promises to be an evening of food, fun and fabulous raffles, which includes autographed memorabilia from the San Francisco 49ers. A silent auction of children’s art from the center will also be displayed.

Celebrate the promising future of the Lori Escobar El Toro Youth Center from 6 to 9 p.m., April 25, at Mama Mia’s. Tickets are $15 and are available at BookSmart, 80 E. Second St., and at the door. For more information, contact (408) 779-3833 or at [email protected]; (408) 429-3083 or at [email protected]; or (408) 779-8956 or at [email protected].