Community

Peter Gelblum sits in the darkened, empty Park Hall in Ben Lomond and reflects on his former hectic life, when he was named One of the Best Lawyers in America – a life that saw him on the worldwide stage as part of the legal team that won a $33.5 million wrongful death judgment against O.J. Simpson.But he found that it was a profession with little creativity.“I hadn’t gone to a lot of plays,” remembers Gelblum of his 30 years working as a partner at Mitchell Siberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles. “I didn’t think about it at all.”But he found that it was a profession with little creativity.“I hadn’t gone to a lot of plays,” remembers Gelblum of his 30 years working as a partner at Mitchell Siberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles. “I didn’t think about it at all.”He certainly thought about drama when he walked past Park Hall shortly after renting a house in Ben Lomond in 2008.“I poked my head in one day and then got really involved,” he says. “Now it’s a very big part of my life.”In addition to serving as vice president of the theater board, Gelblum is currently directing Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a comedy playing on weekends through May 28.Life has come full circle for Gelblum, who earned a performing arts degree at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1974. He soon moved to New York City to ply his trade as an actor, working as a waiter between auditions.After a brief stop in San Francisco to work as stage manager for Hold Me!,Gelblum followed the play as an understudy when it moved to Los Angeles in 1977. He continued to pursue acting.Viewers can see him on YouTube as Ralph Donner, a psychopathic killer, on a 1978 Kojak episode entitled “Halls of Terror.”“I thought I’d made the big time,” he says, adding that his agent fired him after his big break. “I never worked again.”For “fun” he entered Southwestern School of Law and earned a degree summa cum laude in 1982. He soon began representing high-profile clients in civil courts of law.Goldblum fought for the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, against Napster’s ability to stiff artists, and represented the family of Fred Goldman, whose son, Ron, was brutally murdered along with Nicole Simpson in 1994 in the civil suit against O.J.Although Simpson was found not guilty of murder charges after a 1995 criminal trial, the Goldman’s filed civil charges in Santa Monica Superior Court in 1997.“It wasn’t about money,” says Gelblum, referring to the Goldman’s inability to pay for the massive legal tab. “There was no doubt in our minds that he (Simpson) had done it.”Gelblum oversaw the photographic expert witnesses and all of the punitive witnesses and evidence. Of the $33.5 million award, Simpson has paid the Goldman’s about $500,000, according to Gelblum.Gelblum’s work tying the photograph of the now-famous Bruno Magli shoes to Simpson is legendary, especially considering that the former football star said he would never wear those “ugly ass” shoes during his 10-day deposition.Twenty-two witnesses disputed Simpson’s version of the events.“He (Simpson) was very charismatic and completely unethical to truthfulness,” remembers Gelblum.Currently, Gelblum, who lives in Boulder Creek with wife Michel, is essentially retired, except for an appeals case in which he represents the heirs of Walt Disney in a matter that involves “several-hundred million dollars.”The couple discovered Big Basin while exploring an old-school style paper map while visiting friends in Corralitos. “We’d never heard of San Lorenzo Valley,” he says of their initial visit. “It was magical; everyone was so nice.”Gelblum was key in resurrecting the mountain theater company after it lost the rights to publish the stage version of Miracle on 34th Street, reducing the non-profit’s budget by about $12,000 annually.Gelblum and his attorney brother Seth came to the rescue and worked and at deal with the story’s owner, 20th Century Fox to get the rights back. He played Kris Kringle in the play from 2010 – 2012.Gelblum is currently working with a group of volunteers reviewing 30 plays that have been submitted for next year’s season. That number will be reduced to four productions.One thing is constant for Gelblum, and that’s believing in O.J. Simpson’s guilt as he comes up for a parole hearing this summer for a 2008 burglary conviction.“I don’t have any sympathy for him,” he says. “He got away with murder.”The Play: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Friday through Sunday, May 29, Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., Park Hall, 9400 Mill St., Ben Lomond

The two kindergarten classes piled into big yellow buses at Brook Knoll Elementary School on Friday, May 12, and headed north to another world.

Felton resident Dr. Ann Lopez dedicates her life to the struggling dilemma of farmworkers on both sides of the border. To celebrate this work she will receive the Democratic Ideals Award this weekend.

 On a hot, dry late spring morning more than 30 years ago, the man known as SLV Steve – now capturing San Lorenzo Valley life through stunning photography –began his life’s journey.

KBCZ, Boulder Creek’s homegrown radio station, continues to amaze by offering eclectic programming and an intimate glimpse into small-town life.Broadcasting at 90.1 FM, the station got its start in 2013 when the Federal Communications Commission made available non-commercial, low-power licenses. KBCZ beams at 100 watts.“We said, ‘We’d like to have a radio station,’ not knowing what that meant,” said station manager Tina Davey, remembering when the Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District first purchased the license.Led by director Hallie Greene and board member George Galt, the BoulderCreek Recreation Center drove the project through a series of community meetings.“People think of the Rec Center as being just for kids,” said Green. “This has brought a whole new demographic.”Green originally handed over the volunteer work of daily operations to interim director Tim Welch, and associate directors Davey (the station’s only paid employee at 10 hours a week) and Sam Peacock. Nitty-gritty technical work was taken on by Paul Nanna.A relatively small investment – slightly more than $12,000 including paid legal and technical assistance – propelled the station into what can arguably be called a worldwide presence.Global listeners from the Netherlands to United Kingdom can tune in at kbcz.org online, while locals from Ben Lomond to Boulder Creek can spin the dial to 90.1 FM for a variety of radio programming.About 25 local DJs entertain listeners, touching a vast range of topics from the garden report and reggae music to heavy metal and Brookdale bluegrass.“The radio station provides a unique recreational outlet for a portion of the residents that was previously underserved,” said Davey. He is currently in search of as many as 30 additional DJs to create programs on just about any subject, from cars and health to cooking and hobbies. Experience is nice, but the station will train those who have never had a radio show.About 50 percent of the station’s shows are prerecorded, but that is slowly changing to live broadcasts. Current live shows include a live drive-time show 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Celtic music with Julie O, noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, and Metal from the Mountains 10-11 p.m. on Friday.Though an actual listener count is not available, about 1,500 people have subscribed to the station’s Facebook page, where there is a link to live radio.Davey said the FM reach will soon expand south to Felton, after their antenna is relocated from the Rec Center to a donated space near one of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District’s tanks.Though the Rec Center continues to make donations, along with other businesses and residents, the station is barely meeting its operating expenses.Davey said the station’s fund-raising goal is $10,000 this year to help with equipment and software. Most of the money to run the station comes from fundraiser dances and summer outdoor movies.The fourth annual all-ages spring fundraiser is scheduled from 7-10 p.m., Saturday, April 22. The dance will take place at the Bear Creek Country Club, 15685 Forest Hill Dr. in Boulder Creek.All ages are welcome and donation is $10 adults and $5 for kids.KBCZ DJs will be spinning 60s platters and there will be a silent auction. Beer and wine will be served. The theme for this year’s dance party will be: “Time Machine Dance Party, 1960s Edition.”  60s attire and costumes are encouraged.“Flicks in the Sticks” Outdoor Movie Night, presented by KBCZ at Junction Park, begins again in June.

Plucked from a certain death in tragic kill lots of the Midwest, the eight horses corralled at Pregnant Mare Rescue off Glenwood Drive north of Scotts Valley owe their lives to the struggling non-profit organization.

Two high school scientists are tackling the honeybee crisis and won the grand prize at Santa Cruz County Science Fair.

During the recent five-year drought — when the San Lorenzo River moved at scarcely a trickle — the Ben Lomond Fire District’s swift water rescue team continued to train, and ready themselves for the inevitable swift water rescue action.

Goodbye, James Dean.

In grocery stores and markets today, consumers are faced with choosing between a huge variety of food products. When you walk into a grocery store you are likely to find many different brands and variations for just one food product.