Before lighting up a festive barbecue or taking a dip in the
pool, thousands of Bay Area residents kicked off their Independence
Day celebration by taking in the patriotic sights and sounds of
Morgan Hill’s 117th parade marking the holiday.
Before lighting up a festive barbecue or taking a dip in the pool, thousands of Bay Area residents kicked off their Independence Day celebration by taking in the patriotic sights and sounds of Morgan Hill’s 117th parade marking the holiday.
Crowds were down slightly from last year’s parade, probably because the holiday was on Monday this year, according to Bob Hunt, chair of Independence Day Celebrations’ parade committee. Still, organizers think about 48,000 people attended.
Those spectators represented all ages and most were decked out in red, white and blue clothing, jewelry and head pieces.
More than 140 floats, bands, dignitaries and classic cars proceeded along the parade route which encircled downtown Morgan Hill.
Among the attendees was Evan Esau, who just moved to Morgan Hill from Oregon with his two children. His daughter Marisa, 7, was a big fan of the marching bands.
“I wanted my kids to have a good experience,” Evan Esau said. Later, the family planned to “take a swim” and watch the fireworks display at the Community Park.
Attending the parade for the first time as a spectator was Michelle Hazlitt of San Jose, who has participated in previous IDC parades riding a miniature donkey with the Jury Ranch out of Gilroy, which is owned by a family member. Hazlitt watched the parade Monday with her husband Dan, and daughter Ashley, 10.
Hazlitt’s aunt and uncle, Richard and Valjean Jury, were in town from Madera to celebrate for a few days. Richard’s sister-in-law, Anita Jury, is the owner of the ranch.
This is the Jurys’ second time attending the local parade.
“I like the cars and the floats,” Richard Jury said. “And there’s a lot of friendly people.”
Not all the audience members were new to the annual parade, which has won awards in previous years. Geno and Sharon Acevedo moved to Morgan Hill in 1971, and have attended the parade almost every year since then. “It’s great to see all the old timers here,” Geno Acevedo said Monday.
Shortly after the hour-long parade was over, feedback was already flowing in and volunteers were pleased with the glitch-free procession. In his 41 years helping organize the Morgan Hill parade, Hunt said this year’s was “the best we have seen.” Over the years, he said the crowd has grown increasingly enthusiastic and the volunteers have become more honed in.
“We have built a cadre of volunteers that really know their job, and really get into the spirit of things, and they want to make sure all goes well,” Hunt said.
Entries in the parade included marching bands from Live Oak and Sobrato high schools, a variety of student organizations such as the Future Farmers of America, horseback riders from the Santa Clara County Horsemen’s Association, local churches and a host of organizations representing people serving in the U.S. military.
Leading off the parade was Live Oak’s Emerald Regime Alumni band, which also won the event’s “grand sweepstakes” award. The reunited alumni, celebrating Emerald Regime’s 40th anniversary, warmed up for a lively crowd Sunday night as well, when they took the stage at IDC’s annual July 3 Street Dance.
That event also went off smoothly, with about 8,000 attendees and two stages of live music, according to Street Dance committee chair Dennis Dal Poggetto. In particular, the Third Street youth stage was a “tremendous success,” and the crowd seemed to have fun dancing, eating and drinking, Dal Poggetto said.
The South Bay Blue Star Moms, a group of parents whose children are serving overseas, received a standing ovation as they marched along the parade route, each one carrying a blue cardboard star with 8-by-10-inch photos of their respective children. The moms were followed by a military Humvee, one of many throughout the parade.
The St. Catherine Catholic Church Knights of Columbus recreated the iconic Iwo Jima Memorial statue depicting a group of soldiers planting an American flag atop Mount Suribachi. The float used props provided by U-Save Rockery and a trailer provided by Bill Chiala.
Other floats emphasized the leisurely aspect of Independence Day, such as the Pacific Coast Recycling float which featured a backyard barbecue scene with picnic tables and a classic Chevrolet Bel Air.
Some of the participants noted the enthusiasm of the audience as they proceeded through town. That’s what stood out to Mayor Steve Tate and city councilman Larry Carr as they rode on a flat-bed float with other local officials, including councilwoman Marilyn Librers.
“It’s great that people realize they’re coming to the greatest community in the world to celebrate Independence Day,” Tate said.
Carr added that the excitement of the audience was consistent.
“We had great crowds all the way around,” he said.
Remaining securely in the holiday spirit after driving his 1964 Rambler was west Morgan Hill resident Tom Fleissner, who was dressed up as Uncle Sam while showing off his vehicle at the post-parade classic car show at the corner of Monterey Road and Main Avenue. Fleissner gave a list of simple reasons why he was celebrating.
“I have a Rambler, I’m an American and it’s fun to see the kids have fun,” he said.
View more photos of the Freedom Fest at our
