“As my three years on the MHDA board come to a close in December, I will take a break to fulfill upcoming volunteering responsibilities, and a promise to be back.”

Photo courtesy Suman Ganapathy

By Suman Ganapathy

Suman Ganapathy

The successful second iteration of the Morgan Hill Downtown Car Cruise which debuted last year, took place Oct. 17.

The starting point was at Hobby Lobby, where hundreds of cars from across the Bay Area congregated. We thank John Bautista of On the Road Again Classics and Rachel Hill of Cars and Coffee, Morgan Hill, for mustering up the participants, as well as donations to support the maintenance of the downtown twinkle lights. Hill commandeered the pilot car in her stunning orange rust MGB roadster. More than 100 classic cars of varying makes and vintages followed and made their way downtown. Participants had a blast and appreciated the opportunity to drive through our beautiful downtown rather than just showcasing their parked car. They and enthusiastic spectators then partook of downtown’s lunch offerings after the cruise.

Once again, the line-up of chic BMWs, Corvettes, Jaguars, MGBs, Mustangs, Porsches, and many other beauties dazzled and delighted, not just gearheads, but also this new convert, and erstwhile “non-car enthusiast” and many like me.

We knew from the start that reaching out to the community to raise the spirits of our residents and visitors was the de facto raison d’etre of the car cruise. We hope to bring you round three of the cruise next year.

As my three years on the MHDA board come to a close in December, I will take a break to fulfill upcoming volunteering responsibilities, and a promise to be back. Bittersweet though it is to say goodbye, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to give back to our fabulous town. I could have never imagined that two of those years would be in the midst of a global pandemic. I am so proud of MHDA and our town’s ability to continue to weather it so courageously. Through all the uncertainty, I never ceased to be amazed at the indefatigable hard work, passion, and optimism I am privy to behind the scenes from our hardworking board, supportive city staff and chamber cohorts. I will certainly miss writing for this ‘Lowdown on Downtown’ column.

Please consider joining the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and the board. You will not regret it. Thank you and goodbye for now.

Suman Ganapathy is a Leadership Morgan Hill Class of 2018 alum, AAUW President-elect, docent and Chair, Morgan Hill Library, Culture and Arts Commission.