During its four decades, the festival has awarded more than $1.25 million in scholarships
Volunteers prepare food during a past Mushroom Mardi Gras.
Morgan Hill Life file photo
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
Wonderful breaking news! The popular Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras may make a comeback after a two-year hiatus. Organizers are working hard to return the two-day spring event to the downtown on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29.
With plenty of food, art and music, the festival will celebrate its 41st year of raising funds for scholarships for local students and grants for education and local nonprofits. During its four decades, the festival has awarded more than $1.25 million in scholarships, $7,500 in mini grants to elementary and middle schools and about $525,000 in stipends to school groups and nonprofit organizations who work the festival.
Admission will still be free. In past years more than 80,000 visitors have come annually to the event. Organizers canceled the Mardi Gras in 2020 and 2021 when the county and state restricted gatherings to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Cross your fingers the public health threat of the pandemic will be minimal in the next several months to allow the Mardi Gras to take place.
Photo courtesy Alatini Saulala
Tongan native and South Valley resident Alatini Saulala is raising money to help the people of Tonga recover from the Jan. 15 volcano eruption and ensuing tsunami.
Morgan Hill resident, Rugby Hall of Famer and native Tongan Alatini Saulala, is raising money to help those in his home country impacted by the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai that erupted Jan. 15, covering the 170 islands of Tonga with volcanic ash and contaminating the water supply.
His good friend Elizabeth Kracht told us the tsunami generated from the eruption killed at least three and has destroyed countless homes, leaving many people to sleep under makeshift structures. Of the 110,000 people living in Tonga, 37 percent are children.
Saulala has constructed boxes to send in shipping containers. They’ll contain building supplies, water, simple foods and other essential supplies. Each box costs about $4,000 to construct, fill, and send, and he plans to continue to make, fill, and send them.
“They need water first, food second, and they only have the clothing they were wearing when the tsunami hit,” he said.
Saulala plans to send several shipping containers to Tonga but needs help with supplies. Because communication with the island(s) is still down, he is sending what he thinks is most important. As communication comes online, he will be able to fine tune what he sends.
The volcano eruption damaged an underwater fiber optic cable, making it impossible for loved ones living abroad to communicate with friends and family in Tonga. In addition, in an effort to keep COVID-19 from the islands, there are restrictions on who can enter the Kingdom of Tonga.
In the fall of 2021, Saulala was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame for his illustrious career playing rugby for both Tonga and the United States. His peers have named him “the gentle giant.”
Saulala said any money donated is going directly to helping the Tongan people, not to administration costs. This is a “direct to people” campaign.
The Friends of the Morgan Hill Senior Center was established in 2011 to raise funds to support operations of the facility at the Centennial Recreation Center. Without their assistance, many local seniors might not have a place to go during the day for friendship and a hearty lunch.
The group of more than 40 community volunteers organize and manage “Tuesday Night Bingo” at the Community and Cultural Center as its primary fundraising activity. Public Services Director Chris Ghione told us the Friends recently gave a generous donation of $50,000. The money will go directly to supporting staffing and program costs, allowing for a higher level of service than what would be provided by city funds alone.
If you can, please support this worthy group that help so many older citizens. To donate to the Friends, visit www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/267/Donate-to-the-Senior-Center. To learn more about the Friends or how you can volunteer to help raise funds, call 408-219-4136.
The Gilroy Arts Alliance will celebrate February with the 8th Annual Black History Month Art Exhibit, themed, “Celebrating Black Artists from Around the World: Past and Present.”
The African/African American Artists are trailblazers who persevered, overcame barriers, created lasting legacies and are continually making important strides in our nation’s history.
Visit the exhibit from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday-Friday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 7341 Monterey St. in downtown Gilroy.
