Main Street
No parking ... Morton is moving on to Bakersfield
By Mary Ann Cook
PARKING HIMSELF--IN BAKERSFIELD: Longtime business leader Rex Morton is moving to Bakersfield. His south Willow Glen house is up for sale, and he and his wife, Margaret, will be moving whenever it sells. Meanwhile, the town parking commission is bereft. Morton has been its main bulwark ever since its inception 20 years ago.
Morton is an architect and owner/developer of the building across from Old Town at Elm and University. The building today houses Romantique, Body Firm, Lightline Illumination, a jewelry shop and the Charles Schwab offices upstairs. The building, like its address, is called 51 University.
Morton, the parking guru, will continue to manage the building and will still have a hand in architecture. In particular, he'll be involved in the building of his Bakersfield house. Son David, daughter-in-law Kristine and three granddaughters, 5, 3, and 11 months, live four blocks away.
Morton was in business with Ray Cobb for 32 years at the University location. He was one of the Chamber of Commerce members who petitioned the town to form a parking commission. Frank Howe was the commission's first chairman--for five or six years.
Then Morton was named leader and has been the chairman ever since. For Los Gatos, the Morton name is synonymous with parking. Now that the town has a management plan in effect, Morton feels easier about stepping down.
Although parking isn't the problem it was a year ago, the town is still gearing back up from the recession, he feels. "I wish the town well," says one who himself has served Los Gatos long and well.
FIRMLY ROOTED: The town council recently awarded a commendation to Graham Burrows for all his volunteer work in keeping Los Gatos beau-tree-ful. Burrows has planted some 230 trees in the past few months in the downtown area.
When the commendation was handed to him, he said, "I don't know why I should be commended for doing something I enjoy doing."
Incidentally, Los Gatos again received the designation Tree City USA--the 22nd year in a row. This is no automatic title, as the town has to meet specific criteria each year. And Burrows was an integral part of meeting those conditions.
FANTASY FAIRE: Fantasy Faire, sponsored by Los Gatos Parent Nursery School, drew 6,000 people to the Los Gatos High School front lawn last year and a like number is expected this year. The faire is May 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and features games, crafts and entertainment aimed especially for children ages 2-7.
Singer/songwriter Joanie Bartels will entertain morning and afternoon on the Dragon Stage (the high school auditorium). Tickets for her show are $5, available at the Wooden Horse, at the nursery school or at the faire. There'll be a raffle and a silent auction.
Some 63 families are involved in the cooperative school, and it's been in existence since 1946. Money raised at the faire will go toward redoing kitchen and baths, and maintaining the facilities and teaching quality. The school number is 408.354.1433.
Harriet Harvey-Horn is parent/president, and Dru Barth and Heidi Bowman are the teachers. Faire chairwomen are Pam Sheridan and Karen McQuade.
MISS TEEN CHINATOWN: Monica Young of Monte Sereno was recently crowned Miss Teen Chinatown 2002 in ceremonies held at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco. The fundraising gala was a benefit sponsored by the San Francisco Chinatown Lions Club.
Young is a senior at Los Gatos High.
VEGGIE TAKES: Scenes from the weekly Farmers' Market are on display in Town Council Chambers, the work of local artists from Amy Konsterlie's watercolor class for seniors. The show is just a few steps away from the real thing, now that the market has been moved to the town hall parking lot.
The opening reception for the exhibit will be May 3, 6-8 p.m., and the exhibit will continue until June 28. While the park outside the post office is being reconstituted, the Sunday Farmers' Market is being held outside the town offices.
MONTALVO BRUNCH: Next up at Montalvo is the Mother's Day champagne brunch on May 12. The deadline for reservations is May 5, and seatings are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information, call 408.961.5823. Tickets are $42 for adults, $22 for 12 and under, and free for those 3 and under.
CONCERTS: In line for the 2002-03 LG-Saratoga Community Concerts: The Festival of Four on Oct. 6, featuring classical guitar, flamenco, and Andean folk music; the Rhythm Brothers Nov. 10, playing jazz, bluegrass and classical, with a soupçon of comedy; Yoon and Min Kwon on Feb. 2, a violin/piano sister duo playing the classics, from Brahms to Gershwin; and pianist Luba Sindler performing on April 2. Sindler taught at San Jose State University. All performances are at 2:30 p.m. at Los Gatos High. For more information, call Ray Strong at 408.377.1106 or Lea Frey at 408.356.5698.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
