Nine local students who wrote about dreamers, believers and doers will lead this year’s Morgan Hill Freedom Fest parade as Grand Marshals, escorted on a hayride through downtown in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.
The designation marks a departure from the event’s traditional approach to the Grand Marshal honor. Rather than recognizing a single prominent individual, Freedom Fest President Matthew Stein said organizers wanted the role to represent the next generation.
“This is a dedication of all children and future dreamers, believers and doers,” Stein said. “For the next 250 years, we’re going to face a lot of challenges, and how we address them will not be done by us. It will be done by the next generation.”
The nine Grand Marshals were selected as winners and runners-up in the event’s annual student essay contest, which drew hundreds of submissions from first graders through eighth graders this year. The contest is organized each year by longtime Freedom Fest coordinator Karen Crane, who reads every submission individually and sorts them by age category.
This year’s prompt asked students to identify someone they know who is a dreamer, doer or believer, or to describe a dream of their own.
Stein highlighted one entry that particularly moved him: an essay by Namiko Parra, a home-schooled student who won the primary grades grand prize, about her father’s service in the U.S. Coast Guard.
“She really tied the two together, saying that when he is out doing things, it makes her a believer in what is possible,” Stein said. “That’s what we’re hoping everyone takes away from this entire event.”
In her essay, Parra wrote that her father rescued people in 20-foot waves and once saved seven people from a sinking boat.
“He has made me a ‘believer’ that he will always come back,” she wrote.
Other winners include Paisley Dougherty, 10, of Jackson Academy of Math and Music, who took the intermediate grades grand prize for an essay about her grandparents’ efforts to build an all-inclusive playground in Morgan Hill. Dougherty said earning the Grand Marshal role has been overwhelming in the best way.
“Winning this essay contest was such an honor, but riding on the float for America’s 250th birthday makes my heart proud,” she said.
Aiden Shirani of the Charter School of Morgan Hill won the middle school grand prize for an essay about Abraham Lincoln. For Shirani, the honor carries personal meaning after years spent watching the parade from the curb.
“After years of watching the floats go by from the sidewalks, being in the actual parade as a Grand Marshal will feel unreal,” Shirani said.
Sawyer Stein from Oakwood School won 2nd place in the gradeschool-level contest for his essay on the benefits of planting trees, in which he argues that stewarding our nation’s natural environment brings people together and makes America a better place for everyone. He looks forward to seeing his community together from atop the hayride.
“Seeing my community together makes me feel happy and grateful that my community is all together as a group,” Stein said. “Waving, seeing peoples’ flags, it just makes me happy.”
Karl Shreve from the Jackson Academy of Math and Music, whose essay on the dreamers who built America earned him 2nd place in the middle school division, said he “is honored to be given the ability to represent children dreamers, doers and believers.”
“To show that even kids can make a difference in a world that can make it feel like kids have less power to make a difference,” Shreve said.
Also among the essay contest winners are Ai-An T. from Stratford School, who won third place in the primary grade category; Catherine M. from Oakwood School and Grace J. from Stratford School, second and third place for Intermediate Grade; and Sierra J. from the Charter School of Morgan Hill, who won third place in the Middle School Grades category.
All nine Grand Marshals will ride together on a hayride provided by Pumpkin Patch Farms of Dunne Avenue, accompanied by their parents and siblings. They will follow immediately behind the color guard at the head of the parade.
The parade itself will be among the largest in Freedom Fest history. Stein said this year’s event features 124 entries encompassing 2,600 participants, including more than 60 equestrian entries, more than 37 floats and six bands.
A new entry this year is a patriotic veterans motorcycle group made up of retired military members who escort funerals for fallen law enforcement, emergency services personnel and military members.
“We hope everyone knows they are welcome, regardless of immigration status, ethnicity, age or economic status,” Stein said. “This is about zero politics. It’s about celebrating the birthday of this country, and it’s open to everyone.”
The Freedom Fest parade steps off July 4 in downtown Morgan Hill. Admission to all events, including the parade and fireworks, is free.
“One of our core commitments is that this event must be freely available to everyone in this community,” Stein said. “We never charge for the jump houses, face painting or activities, because we never want a child to look up at their parents and ask to do something and hear ‘we can’t afford it.’ We take that very seriously.”
The event, which costs roughly $400,000 to put on, is funded primarily through sponsorships from local businesses and revenue from the event itself, Stein said. On-site revenue includes fees from parade and car show entries and proceeds from beer and wine sales. Individual donations also make up about 15% of funding.
For a full schedule of events, which include the parade, car show, “Patriotic Sing” music event, 5k and 1 mile races, fireworks, and to read the winning essays written by the Grand Marshals, visit morganhillfreedomfest.com.
