Columnists

Smooth – and effective. Have to hand it to the Chamber of Commerce and the city for the foresight to “re-brand” the outdoor area at the Community and Cultural Center as the Downtown Amphitheater. It’s one of those brilliant brush strokes that not only enhances the perception of local residents, but spills over into the visitor arena. “Hey, how about we head to Morgan Hill for the Kihncert – it’s at the Downtown Amphitheater?” It sounds cool, it bundles the perception of the facility with downtown – as it should be – and a key element for success is that perception, and this is just the ticket.

Like the rest of our countrymen we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The difference is that we add in a huge dose of local pride and make it a patriotic event done the Morgan Hill Way—and then we invite the world to come visit us.Back in the old days it was usually the local government that put on the big Fourth of July events. We’ve defined the Fourth with the imagery of parades and fireworks, and maybe a picnic with watermelon too.Most of those sources of funding are long gone and in most communities the parades and fireworks are gone too. But not in Morgan Hill! We now have more going on in our “little” community than ever.The grandest local events surrounding July 4 are put on by the Independence Day Celebrations (IDC) nonprofit organization. They have not only shouldered the work of organizing the parade but are also solely responsible for making sure that our nighttime sky is still filled with fireworks to complete the day of memorable patriotic images.I couldn’t go to all of the events but from all reports I can tell you that on the evening of July 3, the IDC started throwing a party!Sunday’s Patriotic Sing was punctuated by remembrances of former mayor, and dear friend, Dennis Kennedy, and local attorney William Brown. Both men are known for their giving to the community and are sorely missed.I was there for the Family Street Dance and I’m telling you that bringing it back to the downtown was the right thing to do—not easy but right. The move back downtown was for the benefit of the community, but it put a huge burden on the IDC staff. They needed to break down all of the stages and tents, and clean it all up before the next day’s parade—a huge job that doubtlessly leaves many volunteers sleepless that night.The next morning everything looked great; of course, it was a little difficult to tell since the streets were buried under tens of thousands of people (maybe 50,000 I heard?).Our 140-year-old parade is officially the epicenter of Santa Clara County on July 4. By extension I think we can claim that we are Silicon Valley’s official Fourth of July Parade.  So it was an incredibly beautiful day and the parade had over 150 entries—it was the perfect day and place to sense that small town America still means a lot to everyone.I was on the Downtown Association float and I’m telling you that we had an incredibly cheerful crowd in attendance. We had decorated our float to look like the ever popular pop-up park, which everyone seemed to recognize, so it was almost a given that we would feel nothing but love. I’ll never forget that parade it was like being in an old-time movie.We missed the fireworks since we spend every Fourth of July evening with our dogs. They fear those loud explosions and stuffing them back into their skins can be mighty tough.We might have missed the fireworks but we got an opportunity to reflect on a great day and toast our community for countless reasons. Here’s a toast to Fourth of July done right.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, interim president of the Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.