The Chamber of Commerce reminds you that outside alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
By Cheri Brown
Cheri Brown
Morgan Hill’s Friday Night Music Series is a long-standing local tradition that began in the 1990s on Second Street. Local bands played on the street, without a stage, and people sat in lawn chairs eating ice cream while others danced. Today the Morgan Hill Friday Night Music Series takes place at the local amphitheater on a beautiful stage, with professional sound and lights. Many of these changes occurred under the leadership of Rich Firato, Robert Airoldi and John Horner. This year’s 10-week series starts June 16 with the Houserockers and closes Aug 18 with Soul Kiss.
The event is hosted by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, who with local sponsors are solely responsible for the organization, management, and funding of this event. Board member Poonam Chabra organizes multicultural performances from local groups, while Chamber Director of Events and Membership, Brooke Hoekstra (as one of her many roles) books the musical acts. What makes this free, family-friendly, all-inclusive event unique is the focus on community building.
“Music and musicians have the ability to bring people together from all walks of life, it gathers people to the same location who in most cases would never meet,” Hoekstra said. “Music is one the most powerful mediums on this planet and it’s magical at its core. This is why we value bringing the Friday Night Music Series to Morgan Hill year after year. For four hours our diversity shines while our community gathers to dance, sing, and have a glass of cheers with each other. It’s a beautiful sight.”
“Audiences … have really started taking a liking to the diverse cultural acts the Chamber has been fortunate enough to showcase,” said Chabra, vice chair of the Morgan Hill Chamber. “Bringing other cultures and their diversities to the forefront each week, allows us to begin to bridge the gap of understanding between the various cultures and get to know our neighbors in new ways.” Each week a unique cultural group will perform. This year, there will be Hawaiian, Irish, Mexican, Indian Bollywood, Hip-Hop, and Latin-American performances.
Many people picnic or purchase food from the Morgan Hill Kiwanis and local vendors. A large part of the funding for this event comes from wine and beer sales onsite. The Chamber of Commerce reminds you that outside alcohol is not permitted. Bringing in alcoholic beverages is also in violation of our ABC licensing, putting the event in jeopardy.
It truly takes a village to make this event happen, please join us as a volunteer at 9 a.m. Fridays to set up or at 9:30 p.m. to tear down and clean up. Businesses and nonprofits may sign up to work in the beer and wine tent. For more information email [email protected] or call (408) 779-9444.
The Chamber looks forward to seeing you Friday nights at the Community and Cultural Center. Parking is limited, so please use the 4th Street garage. Only service animals are permitted. The wine and beer tent opens at 5:30 p.m. The opening band begins at 6 p.m., followed by the cultural performance at 7:15 p.m. and the headlining band begins at 7:30 p.m. Join the Chamber and enjoy this unique community event.
Cheri Brown is a board member for the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, she writes articles on behalf of the Chamber highlighting a few of the hundreds of Chamber members. She owns her own independent insurance brokerage, selling Medicare insurance policies. She can be reached at [email protected].
