MH Kiwanis Club hosts the one-hour parade Dec. 5
Published in the November 25 – December 8, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Morgan Hill Life file photo
Supporters of the Edward Boss Prado Foundation ride in a float during last year’s Holiday Parade through downtown Morgan Hill.
Put on a warm coat and come downtown to enjoy Morgan Hill’s 30th Annual Holiday Lights Parade, the annual tradition that delights families and children of all ages as the community welcomes in the winter holiday season. Organized by volunteers with the Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club, the hour-long parade will be held 5:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 5.
“We are hoping the citizens will turn out to enjoy this hometown event,” said Mary Lou Conragan, the Kiwanis member who coordinates the parade. “We expect about 40 units this year, with three bands, fire engines, youth groups, dancers, floats and ending with Santa and his Magic Ship. This is a chance to cheer your neighbors, civic and youth groups and heroes and boo the Grinch.”
The city of Morgan Hill started doing the parade 30 years ago and found after a decade the logistics were pretty time consuming for the staff, Conragan said.
The parade was so popular that no one wanted to see the tradition come to an end. So the Kiwanis stepped in to organize the kickoff to the holidays about 20 years ago and have been keeping up the festive fun ever since.
“It’s the introduction to the holidays,” Conragan said. “I think it’s a lovely tradition to have for the youth of the community. It’s a place for them to participate and not only as viewers but in the parade itself. It’s just sort of a cheerful, wonderful thing.”
As the parade comes to a close, the fun continues as everyone attending follows Santa’s Magic Ship of Christmas down Monterey Road.
The colorfully decorated vessel carries the waving Mr. Claus to the delight of children. The ship ends its yuletide “voyage” at the Community and Cultural Center where the jolly old elf assists Mayor Steve Tate in a countdown to light Morgan Hill’s Holiday Tree, which is being donated this year by the Morgan Hill Downtown Association.
Morgan Hill Life file photo
This year’s Holiday Parade hosted by the Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club takes place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5 in downtown Morgan Hill.
Run by Boy Scout Troop 799, the Magic Ship of Christmas is a fun four-decade-long community tradition for local residents, appearing at shopping centers, schools, retirement homes and private functions. Born as a 1963 Studebaker Lark, the vehicle made its transition into a 35-foot boat for a parade in Fremont in the 1970s. The body was cut off and a pseudo-Spanish galleon was placed on the chassis frame.
After Santa and Mayor Steve Tate light the Holiday Tree, Tate will light a Menorah from Congregation Emeth.
The Bay Belles will ring in the holidays with traditional music as Santa and Boy Scouts Troop 799 get ready to visit with the children of Morgan Hill in the center’s front courtyard.
At 7 p.m. there will be free stage performances in The Community Playhouse on the northwest corner of the Community and Cultural Center plaza. Lana’s Dance Studio students will do excerpts of “The Nutcracker,” and The Music in Motion children’s choir will sing holiday favorites followed by a community sing of traditional songs.
The parade and events following it could not happen without great community support, said Trina Ciraulo, president of the local club. The entertainment and set up is all done by volunteers. The Music Tree store will help set up a sound system for a parade announcer to describe for viewers the various units as they pass, she said.
“The Kiwanis and participants hope the community comes out to view this family-friendly event,” she said. “It will be a chance to enjoy being part of the traditional town of Morgan Hill. The city has assured us the construction should be finished or at least not impair the parade. It will be an opportunity to view the new street tree lighting which will contribute to feeling of festivity.”
The Kiwanis Club has continued the tradition of the holiday parade because it is a fun activity for families and unites local businesses, the city and “lots and lots of youth organizations” together to bring Yuletide season merriment to the community, Conragan said. The local civic group meets at Mama Mia’s at 7 p.m. Tuesdays for its weekly meeting where its 30 or so members plan the club’s various activities for public benefit. It is involved with the Key Clubs at Live Oak and Sobrato high schools and puts on barbecues at Central High School for the students and teachers to celebrate their academic successes.
“We’re interested in the youth and the community of Morgan Hill,” she said. “Our activities are around Morgan Hill and the youth therein. We do a lot of scholarships. We do the banners downtown. The parade. And we have a big senior breakfast … I like to say we’re the ‘doers of Morgan Hill.’ If you need something, give us a call and we’ll give you a helping hand.”
Conragan has lived in Morgan Hill for 12 years and joined the Kiwanis Club of Morgan Hill when she moved here in order to meet the community and make new friends.
This is the eighth year she has served as the parade coordinator. She encourages fellow residents of Morgan Hill to consider joining the club if they want to join other people actively working to make the community a better place for everyone to live.
“It’s very easy to commute up to Silicon Valley and work God knows how many hours a day and come home and not participate,” she said. “But by participating in the Kiwanis and all their activities, I feel a part of Morgan Hill. And to me being part of the community is important. I grew up in a small town and the sprawling of San Jose is not to my personal taste. I like small towns.”
The Kiwanis Club is looking for people who want to volunteer to serve as parade marshals (basically serving as “crowd control”) for the Holiday of Lights Parade, she said.
Anyone who might be interested in helping out can contact Mary Lou Conragan at (408) 779-1473.
