Community tradition goes back 35 years after Kiwanis took it over from city

Santa on his Magic Ship of Christmas waves to the crowd during the Dec. 4 parade through downtown. 
Photo by  Mark Fenichel/fenifoto

By Marty Cheek

Festive cheer filled downtown Morgan Hill as thousands of South Valley residents enjoyed the Kiwanis’s 35th Holiday Lights Parade.

Above: Members of Lana’s Dance Studio pose for a photo prior to the Dec. 4 holiday parade. Right: Musicians perform while marching in the parade. Morgan Hill Life file photo

With people bundled in sweaters and jackets lining several blocks of Monterey Road, the annual parade began at 5:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 4 with the traditional honor guard of military veterans marching through downtown. They were followed by Kiwanis lieutenant governor Rosalie Patterson riding in a classic car. A Morgan Hill Fire Department firetruck trailed the vehicle.

Children of all ages felt the excitement of  viewing floats, bands, dancers and more. The stream of parade units included baton twirlers from St. Catherine’s School, young women from Lana’s Dance Studio strutting to the tune “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and United Academy of Martial Arts students showing off their karate moves.

Kiwanis club president Dennis Bettencourt, who chaired this year’s parade, couldn’t estimate how many people viewed the parade. The event permit expected between 4,000 and 5,000 people.

The  parade is an early holiday gift to the people of Morgan Hill, he said.

Above: Members of Lana’s Dance Studio pose for a photo prior to the Dec. 4 holiday parade. Right: Musicians perform while marching in the parade. Morgan Hill Life file photo

“The focus of the Kiwanis is the children, and so long as the kids have a good time, that’s our focus. We make sure the community, especially the children, have good memories,” he said. “It’s a small town. We’re trying to preserve that atmosphere. Maybe it’s a throw-back to an older time. Let’s give families good memories.”

The festive parade is a community tradition that goes back decades. The city of Morgan Hill used to organize the event to bring people together in the spirit of Christmas camaraderie. In the mid-1980s,  the Morgan Hill Kiwanis, a service organization, took over. The city pays for safety for the parade including police officers and barricades to divert traffic.

Because of COVID-19 public safety concerns, the parade was canceled in 2020. The 2019 parade received a good soaking from a rain storm, but this year’s parade goers enjoyed clear skies, although many people bundled up in sweaters and jackets to face the chilly temperature.

Above: Members of Lana’s Dance Studio pose for a photo prior to the Dec. 4 holiday parade. Right: Musicians perform while marching in the parade. Morgan Hill Life file photo

Prior to this year’s parade, residents enjoyed a special Christmas-themed concert performed by students from Valley Christian Elementary School, a private academy in San Jose. The show took place at the Downtown Amphitheater where K-5th grade students performed sacred and secular songs of the season, said Jeff Wilson, director of music at Valley Christian.

“We always welcome new audiences to see and hear the pure energy and joy of our young performers as we celebrate Christmas in song and music,” he said. “We have traditionally done a week of concerts at California Theatre in downtown San Jose for our K-12 community. Due to COVID restrictions we are moving our K-5 students outdoors this year.”

At the end of the parade, Santa Claus arrived in his Magic Ship of Christmas, crewed by Morgan Hill Scouts USA Troops 799 and 2799. A 1962 Studebaker Lark decked out to look like a big boat, it made its maiden voyage in the 1976 parade. After Santa arrived at the Community and Cultural Center, parade goers assisted him in the count-down to lighting the city’s official Holiday Tree. The jolly elf was joined by City Councilmember John McKay, serving as mayor pro tem, in lighting the holiday tree on the corner of East Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road.