Morgan Hill residents will be treated to a continuous and extended Fourth of July celebration in 2014 as Freedom Fest organizers have added even more excitement to the schedule than local and visiting Independence Day revelers have enjoyed in years past.
The Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Complex, 16500 Condit Road, will remain as the venue for the July 4 evening fireworks display, and the gates will open at 1 p.m.—three hours earlier than last year. The OSC was the site of the fireworks for the first time in 2013.
Beer and wine will be sold on the premises during the fireworks display and preceding activities, according to volunteers with Independence Day Celebrations, the local nonprofit group that organizes the annual Independence Day events. Musical acts—among them Gilroy’s pop vocalist and former X-Factor Show contestant Austin Corini and Morgan Hill-based band Pedals and Pistols—will perform before and after the fireworks show.
Organizers also hope to create a family festival atmosphere at the OSC with fun community-involved events such as a pie-eating contest and a tug-of-war competition, according to IDC President Jeff Dixon. They have also put the word out to local craft vendors who would like to set up on the grounds to complement the return of the popular food trucks.
“We used to have a family festival before the fireworks,” said Dixon, who has volunteered with the nonprofit organization since 2003. “It was just a real fun family day. Somebody could go to the parade in the morning and then head over to the festival.”
Last year’s Fireworks on the Green display—held in previous years at Community Park—was estimated to draw 25,000 spectators, according to organizers.
Any local vendors interested in signing up should contact John Tawney at (408) 482-3064.
“Community Park started to get pretty crowded,” said Tawney, who is the Fireworks Co-Chair along with his wife, Debbie. “By moving it out (to the OSC) last year, we found that, for as many people as we had inside the complex, we had probably two or three times as many on the outskirts watching.”
More accessibility and viewing of the fireworks show was the goal, Tawney added. This year, the 20- to 30-minute display will be designed by Fireworks America.
“Our goal is to try and bring in some of the new stuff every year,” Tawney said. “We leave it up to them to design the show.”
The annual Fourth of July Parade—which has run continuously in Morgan Hill since 1876, according to the Freedom Fest website—will keep its same route through downtown Morgan Hill and west up Main Avenue. Some longtime residents reserve their spots along the parade route in the days leading up to the event that includes more than 2,500 marching participants.
“The parade is constantly evolving and improving,” Dixon said.
This year, the parade is themed “Destination America.”
The Car Cruise will drive the same route as the parade. However, in another change-up, the annual Car Show will take place at the OSC instead of the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot.
“It’s going to be a better show,” said Russ Carr, Chair for the Car Cruise and Show. “When the parade’s over, people can come on over and look at the cars and basically spend the whole day there.”
The Car Show will feature 100 classic cars from almost every decade from the teens to the 70’s, said Carr, who also likes the new venue’s more spacious layout so the vehicles can spread out rather than cram into tight quarters. Local business sponsors will once again select their favorite vehicles from the show and award a plaque to the winning owners.
“The Car Show really has grown, and we just outgrew the Wells Fargo space,” Dixon said.
Dixon added that organizers are working with local law enforcement to devise a “comprehensive traffic plan” for after the festivities. Organizers hope by scheduling a band to perform immediately following the fireworks will limit the amount of people leaving at the exact same—a dilemma faced in past years.
“We’re going to have a better plan this year for traffic,” Dixon said. “When you’re leaving an event with 25,000 to 30,000 people, it’s going to take a while….We’re hoping that more people hang out (after the fireworks) and enjoy the rest of the evening.”
According to the IDC, it takes over $145,000 and more than 500 volunteers each year to organize and produce the entire Fourth of July celebration. Donations to fund the event can be made at mhfreedomfest.com/site/donations/.
2014 Morgan Hill Freedom Fest schedule
Saturday, June 28
Bike Classic: 6 a.m. 100-mile start; 7 a.m. 100 K start; 8 a.m. 30-mile start; 9 a.m. 6-mile and 13-mile start at Morgan hill trailhead at Coyote Creek Trail
Thursday, July 3
Patriotic Sing: 6 p.m. at Britton Middle School Gym
Family Music Fest: 7 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Downtown Amphitheater, Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Rd.
Friday, July 4
1 Mile Walk/5K Walk-Run: 6:30 a.m. registration; 7:45 a.m. 1-Mile start; 8 a.m. 5K Walk start; 8:15 a.m. 5K start at P.A. Walsh Elementary School
Car Cruise & Show: 7:30 a.m. registration at Community and Cultural Center; 9:30 a.m. Car Cruise along parade route; noon Car Show at the Outdoor Sports Complex, 16500 Condit Rd.
Parade: 9 a.m. entertainment begins; 10 a.m. parade starts in downtown Morgan Hill
Fireworks On The Green: 1 p.m. entertainment begins; fireworks at dark at the Outdoor Sports Complex, 16500 Condit Road
