Published in the April 1-14, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Morgan Hill residents celebrate at the 2014 Independence Day Parade
Photo by Marty Cheek
Although America’s Fourth of July birthday party is three months away, a small but dedicated team of volunteers with Morgan Hill’s Independence Day Celebration nonprofit group has been working hard to prepare a red, white and blue celebration which will be enjoyed by about 50,000 people in Morgan Hill. Why are we writing about our annual Freedom Fest event so early? Because we want to encourage Morgan Hill residents to step up and do what Americans do best — volunteer their time and talent.
This year’s Freedom Fest promises to be as fun and family-friendly as in previous years. The Freedom Fest will get started July 3 with the annual Patriotic Sing where young people in local schools show their love of our country through songs that celebrate America. Retired teacher Karen Crane works with them to put on an entertaining and often emotionally moving hour where songs from “God Bless America” to “This Land is Your Land” tug at every heart. The children also pay tribute to members of the American Armed Forces with a medley of songs that celebrate the men and women who served in the military.
Immediately following the Patriotic Sing will be the Third of July Street Dance Party which will return to Monterey Road downtown after being held in at the Community Center amphitheater for the past three years. IDC Street Dance Chair Dennis Dal Poggetto has worked hard putting this fun event together to kick off America’s birthday bash in downtown Morgan Hill.
The central Freedom Fest event is the Independence Day parade put on by volunteers Bob and Maureen Hunt and hundreds of volunteers for many years. Morgan Hill is blessed with this wonderful couple who dedicate much of their year to organizing a spectacle of American pride that is the official Independence Day parade for Santa Clara County — and ranked one of the best small-town Fourth of July parades in California.
Preceding the parade is the annual Freedom Run organized by Charles Weston. Since its start in 1998, hundreds of 5K runners and more than 100 kids in the one-mile run begin their July 4 by crossing a finish line. This is followed by the Classic Car Cruise and Show organized by Chair Russ Carr to show-off more than 100 of the South Valley’s classy chassis.
The evening of July 4 ends with a blast as bursts of awe-inducing colors light the sky over Morgan Hill’s Outdoor Sports Center with the Fireworks on the Green. IDC President Jeff Dixon heads the team that puts this grand show on which brings the annual celebration of our American heritage to a close.
If you love America and want to share that love, consider helping IDC by serving as a volunteer (for the day of event or a leadership position) or as a sponsor. The enjoyment so many people get can’t happen without people helping out with this family-friendly event. Give it a try this year and see why the community of Morgan Hill has such a proud tradition of celebrating America’s birthday.
