GilroyT
A PUBLICATION FOR AND ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OF GILROY
Published By : InfoPOWER Communications 7446 Rosanna Street / Gilroy , CA 95020
Telephone : 408.848.6540 Email : jchris @ gilroytoday . com
EDITOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR J . Chris Mickartz
COPYWRITING Larry & J . Chris Mickartz Kelly Barbazette Elizabeth Barrett Stephanie Vegh Sam Bozzo Laura Wrede Robin Shepherd
PHOTOGRAPHY Larry J . Mickartz
PROOFING Susan Patereau Kelly Barbazette
CONTRIBUTORS Aging Dorie U . Sugay Finance Jeffrey M . Orth , ChFC , CASL Insurance David Villar The Kids Corner Go Kids Inc . Real Estate Marta Dinsmore The Law Scott van Keulen Gardening Garden Accents Secondary Education Gavilan College Tourism Jane Howard Dentistry Jernell Escobar DDS
WEBSITE / SOCIAL MEDIA Susan Patereau
DISTRIBUTION Edgar Zaldana / Glenita Gordon
ADVERTISING ads @ gilroytoday . com
OD AY
COMMUNITY EVENTS & INFORMATION Submit for free inclusion , space permitting .
© Copyright 2014 . All rights reserved . No part , either editorial or display advertising , may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher and author .
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From the Editor
Spring was a very busy time here in Gilroy . As you will see in our Community Happenings section , we were pretty busy going to all the wonderful events , celebrations and community activities . I am again in awe of the amount of support provided to our youths and seniors through organizations such as the
J . Chris Mickartz
Gilroy Foundation , Gilroy Rotary and the Gilroy Assistance League . This community is so rich in volunteerism and philanthropy .
My husband , Larry , and I are particularly happy that the Farmers ’ Market is open once again . We live just a block away and enjoy walking over and getting fresh produce and flowers each Saturday morning . It ’ s a great way to start the weekend .
Now that I ’ ve mentioned weekends , isn ’ t it great that Gilroy Gardens is open on weekends and will soon be open all week ? I have four grandchildren who absolutely love Gilroy Gardens so we spend a lot of time there . I feel it a privilege to have the opportunity to share a piece of the story of how Michael Bonfante ’ s dream has turned into our community ’ s treasure . How many communities can boast of having their very own amusement park ? ( See pages 22-28 )
I attended the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce ’ s Government Review Committee meeting last month to hear a progress report by the Gilroy Unified School District . As Superintendent , Dr . Flores spoke , I felt this great sense of pride come over me . I remember when our schools were really in trouble and businesses were hesitant to locate here because test scores were so low . Well , not so today . Be sure to read how “ High Expectations ” have resulted in higher student achievement . ( See pages 56-59 )
Ted Sanchez — he has a voice that is so amazing . I ’ ve known Ted for years and have enjoyed listening to him sing at many community events . Well , I finally got him to agree to an interview . He is such a modest man — with a huge talent . He ’ s a crooner ( big band / acoustic ), but at a recent western venue , he sang a couple country songs that literally silenced the crowd . ( See page 54 )
Well , I have to say , I ’ m really thrilled with this issue of Gilroy Today . Because of the support we have experienced we have been able to not only add eight more pages to Gilroy Today but this issue is “ perfect bound .” To me , that means we have arrived . After eight years of publishing , we now have a “ real ” magazine . I just want to thank all our advertisers and especially thank those who have been with us since the first issue back in 2006 : Studio Three ; GoKids Inc .; Marta Dinsmore , Realtor ; Garden Accents ; and last but not least , Jeff Orth , IFIT Financial .
On a personal note :
LOOK FAMILIAR …
Some of the children ’ s faces throughout the magazine may look a little familiar , that ’ s because they are my grandchildren : Addison ( 6 ), Isabella ( 6 ), Lexi ( 3 ) and Maddox ( 2 ). They were happy to help us get just the right photos for the Gilroy Gardens article . You ’ ll also find little Maddox on page 55 . We tend to get their help when we need photos of children for our stories — we have our own little models .
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