‘Parade of Memories’ will be held in the MH House
Published in the May 13-26, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Independence Day parade floats make their way down a dirt Monterey Road in this old photo. The Morgan Hill Historical Society is looking for additional photos and memorabilia for an exhibit that will be open through July 4.
Photo courtesy Morgan Hill Historical Society
Morgan Hill residents have long taken pride in their annual Independence Day Parade that celebrates the story of freedom that is America. And to spotlight the city’s biggest July 4 event, the Morgan Hill Historical Society and Independence Day Celebrations, which puts on the Freedom Fest events, is putting together the special local history exhibit “Parade of Memories.”
The exhibit will include photographs, costumes and historic programs featuring the parade over the decades. The organizers are hoping the exhibit will stir personal memories in the exhibit’s viewers, said Kathy Devine, the curator for the Morgan Hill History Museum.
To capture the memories of individuals of the parade, the exhibit will have a memory wall on which visitors can share their own personal parade experiences to the exhibit.
The museum will also have a scanning station available where people can bring a few parade photos (or other Morgan Hill 4th of July celebration shots), fill out a short form and organizers will scan the photos for the Morgan Hill’s collection. These are limited to 10 photos.
“The Freedom Fest (president) Jeff Dixon and Maureen and Bob Hunt, co-chairs on the parade, wanted to do an exhibit in the hallways at Community and Cultural Center and they wanted to know if the historical society would advertise it and do a small display at the museum,” Devine said, explaining how the exhibit was conceived. “We said of course. And when it came around to checking on availability at the CCC, they were booked, so the historical society took over the exhibit.”
The Hunts are stepping down as co-chairs of the parade next year and are cleaning out memorabilia items from their closets. The Morgan Hill couple donated several items from their years of volunteering on the parade and car show to the museum so that they can be preserved.
“People enjoy or absorb more out of an exhibit when then can make a personal connection,” Devine said. “The memory wall is really nothing more than a form of notes that capture memories that viewers have from attending the parades. Mine is remembering how my children, when they were very little, covered their ears every time the fire trucks came by and how scared they were of Sparky the Fire Dog in costume. We all have different things that we remember about the parade — the fly overs, the old cars, or the bagpipe band — or maybe a special memory of the year that they or their family, neighbor, friend got to walk in the parade.”
“Parade of Memories” will be held in the Morgan Hill House, 17860 Monterey Road. Opening day for the exhibit will be Friday May 29 and will run from May 29 through Sat. July 4. The exhibit can be viewed from noon to 3 p.m. Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. The exhibit will be open July 4, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
MHHS is currently looking for additional parade memorabilia as well as volunteers to help with the construction of the exhibit. Please contact Kathy Devine, [email protected] or Freedom Fest, [email protected].
