Parades and fireworks on tap at local celebrations for
Independence Day
Gilroy – A cold shoulder will greet thousands of bikers descending on Hollister this Fourth of July weekend, and stiff new fines await anyone using illegal fireworks in Gilroy. But despite efforts to crack down on rowdiness and trouble-making in both cities, plenty of fun is planned across the region this holiday weekend.
Depending on the mood, residents can play it low key in Gilroy with a long weekend of barbecues and fireworks, head up to Morgan Hill for a major parade, or cruise to Hollister on a hog for the unofficial version of the city’s motorcycle rally.
Gilroy
Gilroyans usually take a breather from big events in the weeks between the Memorial Day Parade and the Garlic Festival at the end of July, when the city attracts more than 100,000 visitors.
This year, the mellow weekend includes a mixed softball tournament for men and women on fields at Christmas Hill Park, Gavilan Sports Park and Las Animas Veterans Park.
To the city’s northwest, a group of Poppy Lane neighbors will continue the traditional children’s parade they have held for more than 30 years. The mini-parade will include baby donkeys, horses and kids tugging Radio Flyer carts – all marching to the rhythm of John Philip Sousa classics. Kids receive prizes for their floats before families gather at a neighborhood pond for a barbecue.
“It’s something we started doing back in the early ’70s,” resident John Cali said. “My kids bring their children here and they see their old friends that they were in the parade with. It’s a typical old Fourth of July.”
Hundreds of Gilroyans are expected to congregate around the Gilroy High School baseball field Tuesday night to watch fireworks. At the same time, officials plan to crack down on people caught with bottle rockets, Roman candles and other illegal fireworks. A new ordinance allows police to issue fines of up to $750 to people who violate the ban on dangerous fireworks. The city is allowing various nonprofit groups to sell “safe and sane” fireworks at roadside booths throughout the city.
Morgan Hill
Residents looking to amp up the excitement this weekend can head to Morgan Hill for the city’s 112th annual Fourth of July parade.
This year’s parade includes about 2,500 participants. For the first time ever, a “car show” will cruise the parade route, featuring pre-1976 autos. The parade starts at 10am Tuesday, at Monterey Road and Fourth Street and is expected to last about an hour-and-a-half. The route curls around Main, Peak and Dunne avenues and ends back downtown at Monterey Road and Fifth Street.
In addition to the parade, the group has planned the Fire Cracker Golf Classic at Coyote Creek Golf Club on June 30, and the yearly Patriotic Sing, a concert of elementary students, at Britton Middle School Monday.
Hollister’s ‘unofficial rally’
It’s not quite family fun, but for thousands of leather-clad bikers astride ear-popping Harley-Davidsons, the best way to celebrate the nation’s birth is by partying in the birthplace of the American biker.
The roots of the rally stretch back to Fourth of July in 1947, when Hollister gained national attention after a couple thousand motorcycle enthusiasts rampaged the city – driving into bars and ignoring local police. While many of the news reports from that first unofficial rally have been found to be exaggerated, it was that event that forever branded Hollister as a biker’s Mecca.
For nine years, Hollister has greeted droves of bikers from around the country by loosening parking restrictions, scheduling live music and contests, and allowing hundreds of vendors to sell their wares.
Last year, the city-sanctioned Hollister Independence Rally drew about 120,000 people over three days. But the $250,000 public safety bill that accompanied the rally convinced city leaders to cancel the event. Thousands of bikers are still expected to arrive for an unofficial rally, though this time around, streets will remain open, parking regulations will be enforced and attendees will have little to do but drink in local bars.
Tony Burchyns and Brett Rowland contributed to this story.
Fourth of July events
Gilroy
– Softball tournament: July 3 and 4; to register, call Gilroy Community Services Department at 846-0460
– Fireworks at 9:15pm; Gilroy High School baseball field, 750 W. 10th St.
Morgan Hill
– Friday, July 1
– Firecracker Golf Tournament; Registration, 12pm, Coyote Creek Golf Club
Monday, July 3
– Patriotic Sing 6pm, Britton Middle School Gym
Street Dance; 7-10:30pm, Monterey Road and Second Street, downtown.
Tuesday, July 4
– Freedom 5-K & 1-Mile Walk; 8am, Walsh School
– Fourth of July Parade; 10am, Starts at Monterey Road and Fourth Street
– Family Festival; 11:30am-2:30pm, Monterey Road and Second Street
– Fireworks Extravaganza; Nightfall, Community Park
Where to Buy Safe and Sane Fireworks:
1. Stick & Move Amateur Boxing: Corner of First Street and Kelton Drive
2. Gavilan College Football Boosters: 1230 – 1260 First St.
3. El Camino Squad Club (CHP): 971 First St.
4. Gilroy Community Services Adaptive Recreation: 777 First St.
5. Karazenpo Karate Association: 705 First St.
6. Gilroy Little League Ball Park Fund: 691 First St.
7. Victory Outreach: 435 First St.
8. American Legion Las Animas Post 669: 211 First St.
9. Gilroy Police Officers Association: 8400 Church St.
10. GHS Cheerleaders Booster Club: 7940 Monterey St.
11. Christian School Parents Club: 8220 Monterey St.
12. Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: 8850 San Ysidro Ave.
13. Apostolic Assembly Church: 7150 Camino Arroyo
14. GHS Quarterback Club: 401 E. 10th St.
15. Gilroy Pop Warner Football: 6990 Chestnut St.
16. Gilroy Youth Football Cheerleaders: Lot east of 162 W. 10th St.
Forbidden areas
– Country Estates Subdivision (starting on Mantelli Drive and west of Rancho Hills Drive)
– Eagle Ridge subdivision
– The Forest subdivision
– Rancho Real Drive (south of
intersection at Welburn Avenue)
– Hecker Pass (west of Santa Teresa)
– Carriage Hills subdivision (west of Rancho Hills Drive, includes Colony, Carriage, Cresthill, Valley Oak)
– Lands west of Santa Teresa, south from Hecker Pass (including the Mesa Ranch subdivision)
