The highlight of the afternoon was a ukulele jam session in Tarvin’s living room.

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

While most people view Leap Day as just another day, Morgan Hill resident Linda Tarvin saw Feb. 29 as the perfect excuse to host a unique celebration. She invited about 40 friends and neighbors for a Leap Day party at her home.

“It’s just a quirky idea — an extra day in the year — and I decided to have a Leap Day party,” Tarvin said.

She made name tags for her guests showing how they knew her. Her’s said “Linda: I’ve known me since birth.”

The highlight of the afternoon was a ukulele jam session in Tarvin’s living room. “It was fun. The ukulele music really got the party going,” she told guest Marty Cheek. In addition to lively musical entertainment, Tarvin also laid out her favorite junk foods for her visitors. Guests also could take home fresh “Leap Day lemons” from Tarvin’s garden.

While Leap Day occurs once every four years, Tarvin hasn’t ruled out making her celebration a new tradition. “Maybe again in four years – that will be a Tuesday,” she said when asked about planning the next one.

That would be Feb. 29, 2028. But for now, Tarvin is satisfied she could gather smiling faces for a simple, spur-of-the-moment just-for-fun celebration built around a quirk of the calendar.

“I just realized Leap Day was coming up and I thought it was a great excuse for a celebration with friends,” she said. “I got to see people I haven’t seen in a while.”

The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill announced applications for the Darren Dean Vocational Education Program are now available.

The grant offers financial support to individuals ages 17 years and older residing within the boundaries of the Morgan Hill Unified School District seeking a career in the trades. Grants can be used for education and training, as well as tools and supplies. Individual grants up to $2,000 are available to eligible applicants each year. Go to http://tinyurl.com/DarrenDeanGrant2024 to apply. The deadline is March 30.

“The program is designed to ease the financial hurdles for those looking to enter or advance in their careers in the trades,” said Mario Banuelos, club president.

The program was established in memory of Dean, a Morgan Hill resident and Rotarian. A painting contractor, Dean was an entrepreneur who ran a successful business and managed to figure out just the right work-life balance. In his far too short life, he touched so many people.

“From the traditional trades like construction, to those that equally impact others, like music, cosmetology, and culinary arts, Darren inspired many to pursue their passion,” Banuelos added.

A free piano recital will feature two young Latina women who are highly accomplished in their musical fields.  The program by Dr. Gabriela Calderon Cornejo and Astrid Morales Torres consists of piano works for four hands by women composers from Latin America, Europe and the United States. It will take place at 6 p.m. March 10 at the Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave.

“Historically, classical music by women composers has been neglected as not many women were able to overcome societal obstacles and limitations,” said Sherry Quick, operations manager at the church.

Due to the gap and lack of equality women have faced over centuries, there is a significant amount of music and genres that remain underrepresented, she told us. Among these are piano compositions for piano duet (four-hands.) They have taken the task of researching lesser-known composers, both past and present, in order to bring exposure to their work. Through this performance and commentary on these composers’ lives, they are hoping to shine light on women from all heritages and their compositions for piano duet and piano duo.

“We hope to inspire our youth in the community through music,” Quick said.

Details: www.advent-lutheran.org or call (408) 779-3551.