A Sunday July Fourth has always caused problems for Independence
Day, Inc. (IDI) because the 10 a.m. parade route passes by three
churches, busy on a Sunday morning. Because of Leap Year, this is
the third time in a decade that the fourth and Sunday collide.
A Sunday July Fourth has always caused problems for Independence Day, Inc. (IDI) because the 10 a.m. parade route passes by three churches, busy on a Sunday morning. Because of Leap Year, this is the third time in a decade that the fourth and Sunday collide.
This year, however, a compromise was found and all sides profess satisfaction.
Instead of moving the parade to July 3 or July 5, or moving the start time to afternoon or evening – all failures in the past – the great 2004 compromise has St. Catherine’s Catholic Church compressing its morning Masses and the parade stepping off at 11:30 a.m.
“I am very happy that we reached a compromise,” said Daryl Manning, this year’s IDI president. “We not only were able to find a working solution for 2004, but to set a precedent for community collaboration and develop a model for the future.”
IDI is the nonprofit, all-volunteer group that puts on two days of Independence Day celebrations, starting the night before.
“I don’t think that anyone in our community should feel pressed to choose between attending religious services and patriotic celebrations,” Manning said, “or feel that their choice is not important. This is about respect, communication and community relations.”
Manning and parade organizers Bob and Maureen Hunt and 5K Run organizer Charles Weston worked since October 2003 trying to solve what has, in the past, seemed unsolvable.
Bob Hunt, who has been involved with the parade since the mid-1970s, was pleased too.
“We are mightily relieved,” Hunt said.
Organizing the oldest and largest Fourth of July parade in Santa Clara County – the official county parade – is stressful enough and worries that St. Catherine’s would not bend had caused the Hunts some sleepless nights.
Changing the parade route is always considered but discarded because technical difficulties are just too complicated. Train tracks running through downtown cause a major barrier; otherwise the parade could march down Butterfield Boulevard.
The parade typically draws 30,000 visitors, many from Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Manning said that, while she is delighted about the compromise, she too worried.
“I sent a letter to all the churches last October and didn’t hear back from a single one,” Manning said. “But, when we called to try to arrange a meeting, everyone cooperated and we were able to find a solution.”
Besides meeting with Father Gene O’Donnell of St. Catherine’s Parish, IDI met with Rev. Ted Pecot of the United Methodist Church at Monterey Road and West Fourth Street, Father Philip Cooke of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church located on Peak Avenue and others. Manning praised St. Catherine’s parishioner Phil Flowers who facilitated the meetings.
“Phil could easily be a professional facilitator,” Manning said.
The parade will start at 11:30 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. It takes about two hours for every unit to traverse the route starting at Monterey Road and Fifth Street, turning west on West Main Avenue, south on Peak Avenue and finishing by turning east on West Dunne Avenue.
Hunt said the problem with trying to have an afternoon parade in July is that temperatures frequently are so hot they are dangerous to humans and horses. The year of the July 5 Fourth of July parade – two July 4 Sundays ago – was a bit of a disaster. Interest in the parade was down as were numbers, translating into lower revenues for IDI, which counts on a previous year’s income to pay for the following year’s festivities.
The entire two-day multi-event celebration costs IDI more than $80,000 and donations are most welcome.
One other event is even more directly affected by a Sunday Fourth. The 5K Run has traditionally started at P.A. Walsh school on West Main Avenue and follows the parade route, with the starting gun going off at 8 a.m. Charles Weston, who is in his second year as Run leader, said he will find another route.
“We’ll still start at P.A. Walsh – because that’s where the pancake breakfast is – but will go east towards Monterey, then wind through East First, Second, Third and maybe Fourth streets,” Weston said. “It will be a lot of work moving the race but it’s been set. Marking a new course is like reinventing the wheel,” he said.
Weston said he will notify residents and business owners along the new route so they won’t be surprised when several hundred people trot by, some dressed in fanciful costumes. He is also considering adding a 2K run designed for children under 12.
“The race will probably be less speedy than normal,” Weston said, “because of all the turns, but it will still be fun.”
Manning said she will be sending a letter to local organizations including event schedule and routing information as well as street closure details. This information will enable everyone to inform their congregations of schedules, routing and parking options ahead of time. She said several affected churches were considering including a map in their church bulletins.
Details on events, to volunteering, sponsor or donate, go to www.mhidi.com or call 779-3387.
