Bob and Maureen Hunt have volunteered hundreds of hours year after year to make the downtown Fourth of July parade a success.
Almost 300 volunteers spend up to seven months preparing for the Fourth of July parade, when more than 300 groups ranging from Elvis impersonators to firefighters descend upon Morgan Hill's downtown to entertain about 40,000 celebrants.
At the center of the swirl of activity leading up to the event are Bob and Maureen Hunt, the parade chairs. The two have served as chairs for the past 14 years, volunteering about 1,600 combined hours to the parade. Bob Hunt began volunteering in 1979, and Maureen Hunt joined him in 1985.
In other words, the Hunts have had a hand in almost a quarter of the 114 Fourth of July parades Morgan Hill has had since 1894. They literally wrote the book on the parade, a six-inch tome detailing the month-to-month planning process.
In the book, a loose-leaf binder, details vary from the obvious, like not putting two bands next to each other, to the strategic, like when to start calling volunteers.
The parade, Morgan Hill's largest event, is put on through the non-profit group Independence Day, Inc. and costs about $100,000, which is paid for through sponsorships and donations.
The Hunts said they've loved parades their whole lives.
Maureen Hunt remembers living in Biloxi, Miss. as a child and visiting the Mardi Gras parades as well as all of the Fourth of July parades.
"And then I was a majorette in high school, so I marched in the parades," she said.
Bob Hunt said he remembers standing on the street corner of his hometown of Stockton, Calif., as a boy, watching the Fourth of July parade go by.
"It was basically all the same things we have today, kids' groups, veterans, horses," he said. "I was pretty darn smitten and it stuck with me. It was exciting."
The Hunts said they're patriotic, and like to help reminding the community that on July 4, 1776, "our country did something that no other countries had done at the time."
Donna Cowan, an eight-year volunteer for the parade, said the Hunts are the most professional, caring and wonderful people she's ever worked with.
"They are so concerned about the welfare of the community, the safety of the parade and the celebration of the Morgan Hill community," she said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Cowan said the Hunts were supportive of her when she became announcing chair and decided to include students of her broadcasting class.
"I have grown in my capacity because Maureen and Bob have been very good leaders," she said.
Cowan especially appreciates that the Hunts organize volunteers not as a hierarchy, but as a team.
"As busy as they are, they'll always take a minute to help out and to thank their volunteers," Cowan said.
And the Hunts did - they named the many safety marshals who follow the parade, the announcers and all the volunteers in general who help them make the parade a reality.
The patriotic pair is driven by a love for their country, which is still the focal point of the tradition.
"If you go on the parade route and you ask people what they're feeling, I bet you'll get a lot of people saying they're proud of their country," Bob Hunt said. "People are proud to be a part of something so much bigger than themselves."
This passion for the United States shows in everything from the float decorations to the Grand Marshal. This year, George Washington himself will lead the parade.
"We're honoring him a few years late," Bob Hunt said with a laugh.
Other highlights are Richard Kaiser on his high-wheeled bicycle, Santa Clara County Model Air Parts, the South Valley Civic Theater and Chinese lion dancers.
Although Morgan Hill has over the years had a Chinese population as high as 30 percent, the parade has never featured Chinese lion dancers, the Hunts said.
The two-day event will kick off at 6 p.m. on the eve of Independence Day, July 3, with the usual Patriotic Sing-Along coordinated by local music enthusiast Karen Crane, at the Britton Middle School Gymnasium followed by a Family Street Dance at 7 p.m. on Monterey Road between Dunne and Main avenues.
Independence Day activities will begin with the Patriotic Pancake Breakfast at P.A. Walsh Elementary School from 7 to 10 a.m. While some devour pancakes, others will participate in the Firecracker 5K race/walk, which will begin at P.A. Walsh at 7:45 a.m. A one-mile Kids Race will also take place there.
At 9 a.m., the Liberty Pre-Parade Car Cruise will serve as the prelude to the main event.
From 10 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m., more than 300 participants will take over downtown Morgan Hill. Starting at Depot Street and Fourth Street, the parade will make its way to Monterey Road, head north to Main Avenue, head west to Peak Avenue, head down Dunne Avenue and then swing through Monterey to Fifth Street to exit.
As soon as the last unit of the parade turns onto Main, the Downtown After the Parade Street Party will begin, with live music including classic rock band The Usual Suspects, rock and roll band The Dadz and the Morgan Hill Starlight Lounge Band.
At 6 p.m., pre-fireworks entertainment will begin at Morgan Hill Community Park, where the party continues and concludes with fireworks after the sun sets.
The 2008 parade theme is "Celebrating the Many Faces of America." The Hunts said they were standing on a street corner in town, admiring Morgan Hill's diversity, when the theme idea came to them.
Schedule of events
July 3
6 p.m.: Patriotic Sing-Along at the gymnasium at Britton Middle School, 80 W. Central Ave.
7 p.m.: Family Street Dance on Monterey Road between Dunne and Main avenues
July 4
7 a.m.: Patriotic Pancake Breakfast at P.A. Walsh Elementary School, 353 W. Main Ave.
7:45 a.m.: Firecracker 5K race/walk, One Mile Kids Race, starting at P.A. Walsh, 353 W. Main Ave.
9 a.m.: Liberty Parade Cruise, downtown Morgan Hill
10 a.m.: Parade, downtown Morgan Hill
11:30 a.m.: Liberty Car Show, vintage farm engines and equipment display and downtown after the parade street party, in downtown Morgan Hill
5:30 p.m.: Pre-fireworks entertainment, Morgan Hill Community Park, W. Edmundson Ave.
Dark: Fireworks, Morgan Hill Community Park, W. Edmundson Ave.
Natalie Everett Natalie Everett covers education and city issues for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106, ext. 201, or neverett@morganhilltimes.com.
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