Published in the June 11-24, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Cheri Devlin
Cheri Devlin
Monterey Road was lined with supportive spectators and dedicated parade viewers who claimed their seats extra early as I ran the final lap of the Freedom Run 5K race during last year’s Freedom Fest celebration. As I was about to round the corner of Monterey Road and Main Street, I looked up to see my then 3-½ year old son waiting anxiously with his dad, who was ready to finish the race with me. I can still picture his huge smile as he saw mommy running his way. And when I finally reached him, we locked hands and jogged to the balloon-arched finish line.
What a great way to kick off a day full of patriotic festivities. That will certainly be a memory I’ll savor forever — especially this July because my near third trimester baby bump and current bum knee are preventing my participation. I might have to settle for the walk. The upside is I might be able to get the rest of my family to join me. And then we’ll definitely be able to secure our secret gem seating area for the parade that starts just a short while after the race run wraps up.
Morgan Hill’s Independence Day parade has been a community event since the late 1800s. Today it draws more than 50,000 spectators eager to cheer upwards of 2,500 parade participants, including talented marching groups, unique floats, and an array of performers who stroll the route in two hours. It’s family-friendly entertainment everyone can enjoy and then have plenty of time to get home to start their block parties and neighborhood barbecues.
Morgan Hill’s Freedom Fest officially kicks off June 28 with the Bike Classic ride offering routes that range from 6 and 13 miles for the casual riders to 100 miles for the competitive and experienced riders. A few days later at 6 p.m. July 3, residents will stream into Britton Middle School Gym to enjoy the popular Patriotic Sing of children belting out songs of American pride. Later that evening starting at 7 p.m., thousands will make their way to the Morgan Hill Downtown Amphitheater to enjoy the Family Music Fest.
On July 4, registration for the 1-Mile Walk/5K Run/Walk starts at 6:30 a.m. at P.A. Walsh School. The one-mile walkers get going at 7:45 a.m., followed by the 5K walkers at 8 a.m. and 5K runners at 8:15 a.m. If you’re more interested in the spectator activities, show up early to cheer finishers passing through a balloon arch and grab your seat for the Liberty Car Cruise of antique autos and hot rods that starts at 9:30 a.m. The parade begins downtown at 10 a.m. This year’s Fireworks on the Green entertainment and family fun activities begins 1 p.m. at the Outdoor Sports Center, a perfect place for you and family and friends to hang out all afternoon until the fireworks show grand finale sets ablaze the summer night sky.
Cheri Devlin is a Morgan Hill resident and president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association Board of Directors. She is an associate director at KPMG, LLP who loves writing about life as a working mom. Find her blog at www.talesofcorporate-mommyhood.blogspot.com.
