Attendees dressed in period attire, enjoyed 1920s-era cocktails and live jazz music
Published in the July 6 – 19, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Photo by Marty Cheek
Michael Brookman carries a sign that reads: “If you drink, your breath will stink,” outside the Morgan Hill Historical Society’s fundraiser.
“Come up and see me sometime.” Said in a breathy Mae West imitation, this phrase was the secret password to step through the backdoor of the Morgan Hill House and into a “speakeasy” of the 1920s.
Perhaps Jay Gatsby visited the Villa Mira Monte estate in spirit Saturday June 25 when the Morgan Hill Historical Society held its Prohibition Party. Straight out of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous “The Great Gatsby,” the novel’s anti-hero would have mixed well with the women dressed as flappers and the men dressed as Jazz Age dandies, all enjoying period “speakeasy” cocktails and cuisine.
It’s now trendy for 21st-century people to enjoy the 1920s as an era, and so the historical society came up with the idea of a period-themed fundraiser.
“Many people enjoy an outlet for escapism and fantasy,” said Nancy Reynolds, a co-chair of the Prohibition Party gala event. “In the 1920s, everything looked golden, new, young and exciting. This is a period that had very noticeable changes in fashion and glamour.”
Many of the party goers had fun dressing up in period attire and pretending that they were part of that Roaring ’20s world for one evening, she said. The fact that this party takes place in the historic home of aristocratic local pioneers Diana and Hiram Morgan Hill makes it that much more intriguing for guests and allows them to imagine what it may have really looked and felt like to visit a speakeasy.
An educational component to the party provided various signage describing the era — such as why take-out Chinese and Italian food were served to the guests, Reynolds said.
Photo by Marty Cheek
Leah De Lane, left, and Nancy Reynolds address the crowd at the Morgan Hill Historical Society’s Prohibition Party fundraiser.
“We have a responsibility to educate the public about the history of our area and its founders, so most everything we do involves exposure to our study of past events and human behavior,” she said. “The South County region is rich in wine history and we have some scandalous stories from Prohibition right here in Morgan Hill. Connecting the educational mission with the fun aspects of the party was easy and makes it meaningful for us.”
Guest Michelle McKay had fun with her husband John McKay and friends in stepping back nine decades to experience America’s Jazz Age for an evening.
“Anytime you have a gathering of fun-loving folks over classic, old-school cocktails made extremely well, in an authentic and elegant setting where you need a secret password to enter, well then what is there not to enjoy?” she said. “I believe it’s important for us to reflect on where Morgan Hill came from so that we make thoughtful decisions on where to go next and preserve its character. The historical society is our city’s memory keeper, and by attending their events we get a glimpse of what Morgan Hill life was like back then.”
Co-chair Leah De Lane said a lot of the Prohibition Party’s light-hearted spirit came from the various whimsical attractions of the party — such a “cobricken (half cobra snake/half chicken) freak show behind a curtain and her husband Scott Parker’s hilarious fortune teller shtick.
“Our very creative committee felt that Morgan Hill needed a unique party experience beyond the usual events with food, drinks and music, and we worked really hard at creating something unusual and fun for our guests while staying true to the history of the time period,” she said.
“Mysticism was all the rage in the 1920s, so our comedic twist on that with tarot card readings by world renowned medium Rare Welldoni was a great fit. Our goal was to have people feel like they really were in a speakeasy during the 1920s, so the inclusion of a ‘blind pig,’ in our case the terrifying cobricken, was a must.”
The specialty alcohol drinks were another component of the party — with various leaders of the community serving as bartenders. The bar committee, led by the historical society’s president Kathy Sullivan and her husband Brian Sullivan, helped to select popular cocktails from the time period for its menu such as Gin Rickey’s and Whiskey Sours.
“Our dedicated team of volunteers personally tasted each drink and perfected the recipes — tough assignment!” De Lane said. “We were very fortunate to have volunteers Dan McKinster, Bernie Mulligan, Jill Kirk and Jeff Burrus as our ’embalmers’ for the evening.”
This was the second year the historical society put on the Prohibition Party, and it was even “bigger and better” than the first held last year, Kathy Sullivan said. Attendance was up 40 percent.
“Word spread from last year and the event photos showed people that it was a ‘gala affair,’ she said. “Many commented on the wide age range of the attendees — it’s great to see them mixing at this fun event.”
One of the biggest draws is the Roaring ’20s theme and being able to wear clothes from the era — especially for women, she said.
“The Zinfandel Stompers is a great jazz band and they set the tone with fun music,” she said. “Dancing lessons got people on the dance floor to strut their stuff.”
Special social events such as the Prohibition Party help promote the historical society and introduce local history to a different demographics of people than who usually attend its functions, she said.
“The Morgan Hill Historical Society’s goal is to pull the community into Villa Mira Monte, our historical landmark,” she said. “In this case guests get to experience the kind of party the Hill’s (the original owners) might have hosted were they still living in the house.”
Beyond that goal, the society is also seeking visibility for those in the community who may not know much about the nonprofit organization or have visited Villa Mira Monte, she said.
“We need supporters, both financial and volunteers, to help with the preservation, maintenance and operation of the site,” she said. “As a National Registered Landmark, the site must be preserved in perpetuity to serve our community with educational and recreational experiences and events. It takes a village — our community — to do this.”
Sullivan encourages local residents to get involved in the historical society — or at least support the society by attending the fundraisers such as the Prohibition Party because the community’s history is an integral part of its spirit.
“Without volunteers, our community would not be the great place that it is to live, work and play,” she said. “We want to urge people, especially newcomers moving into the city, to get involved, to share their special talents and get to know our community better.”
