As in most years, Larry Pierotti, 59, pulled out all the stops
to decorate his house on the corner of Eighth Street and Orchard
Drive for this Independence Day.
By Perry Shirley Staff Writer
Gilroy – As in most years, Larry Pierotti, 59, pulled out all the stops to decorate his house on the corner of Eighth Street and Orchard Drive for this Independence Day.
To the two prerequisite American flags he had flying in front, he added a 4-foot tall inflatable one on the lawn. In fact, the house was draped in a whole family of red, white and blue articles: lights hanging from the roof trim, bows and metallic raised stars, handrail dressings, light globes on a yard tree, star-and-stripes bunting and several bald eagles to match the one tattooed on Pierotti’s left bicep.
To the retired grocery clerk, a native of San Francisco who moved to Gilroy for the weather, Fourth of July is a chance to celebrate the “freedom” Americans enjoy, he said.
“This country may have a lot of problems, but it is the best place in the world to live in,” Pierotti said. “You thank your lucky stars you were born here.”
While few Gilroy households rivaled Pierotti’s, nine neighbors on Violet Way in the northwest part of town got together for a rousing block party.
They got a city permit to shut the street to car traffic and set up two bounce houses, a slide and a live classic rock band. Under the merciful umbrage of a canopy a spread of food was laid out – tri-tips, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, turkey dogs, salads and snacks – that occupied several tables.
Armando Garcia, 32, putting a sticky note with his name and house number on his shirt, said there was “no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than to get together with your neighbors.”
Just down the street on Chesbro Way, Art and Carol Mancera, both 38 and native Gilroyans, set up their spread of food in preparation for the 40 friends and relatives that “always” come down and “will come until I die,” Carol Mancera said.
She said she has always enjoyed the “all-American tradition” of making food, having family over and playing with fireworks – particularly the spinning flower kind.
Fireworks shacks doted the parking lots along First Street in Gilroy, the only South County city where the sale of “Safe and Sane” fireworks is allowed.
One shack sold $80 to $100 packages of sparklers, bottle rockets and firecrackers not to make personal profit out of family fun but to keep Gilroy Little League baseball in play. In four days of fund-raising leading up to the Fourth of July, volunteers usually make $10,000 in order to pay for the upkeep of the Gilroy Sports Park and bleachers, league “AA” director Bill Whitehouse said.
Of course, the Fourth of July wouldn’t be the same without the Morgan Hill Fourth of July parade.
Flags flew in the breeze, rhinestones sparkled in the sunshine, and more than 100 entries marched, glided, pedaled and drove through cheering crowds that numbered in the thousands lining Morgan Hill streets Wednesday morning for the parade – the official Independence Day parade for Santa Clara County.
The parade, which dates back to 1894 and is the largest privately organized parade in northern California, was just one of many events celebrating the nation’s birthday organized by Morgan Hill Independence Day Inc., better known as IDI.
The festivities actually begin before July, with the Fire Cracker Golf Classic, this year held June 22. Tuesday, IDI hosted the Patriotic Sing followed by the annual street dance and live concert. Wednesday morning, IDI kicked off the day with a pancake breakfast and the Freedom 5-K Run and 1 Mile Walk.
But the parade is perhaps the most glamorous of all the IDI events, drawing crowds not just from Morgan Hill but also surrounding cities. And it’s just as much fun to participate in the event as to watch it, maybe more.
Summer Brown, 8, said she thought riding on the Barrett Elementary School float was “great,” even though mid-morning temperatures were steamy. “It was really hot,” she said, as she demonstrated her waving technique for her family at a table shaded by a tent during the afternoon festival.
Her brother, JoJo, 7, said he also rode on the float, but he was more interested in the ice cream treat he was eating than in discussing his parade adventure.
Their cousin, Cami, 5, said her favorite part of the parade was the horses, and this year, there were plenty for her to enjoy, including the Santa Clara County Horsemen, the Gold Coast Arabian Horse Association the Gold Medal Clydesdales, and, for the first time this year, a “singing soprano on a dancing horse.”
Other parade-goers were fond of the horses as well.
Retired San Jose resident Joy Wallingford has been coming to the parade for five years, but this year she brought her childhood friend down from Westchester County, N.Y., right outside of Manhattan.
“This is beautiful small-town America,” said Mary Allen-McAden, Wallingford’s friend who played baritone clarinet during grade school in Ohio, where the two grew up together. Allen-McAden said that experience made her enjoy the parade’s seven marching bands. “I get a kick every time I sing along,” she said.
“My favorite part was the beautiful Andalusian stallion with that big guy on it; he’s incredible,” Wallingford said of the Gold Coast Arabian Horsemen’s Association’s leader, who commanded the lean, gray horse Wallingford admired and stole the crowd’s eyes with his flowing, multi-colored outfit.
“I got to find out where he lives,” Wallingford said.
The universal crowd-pleaser, however, was the presence of U.S. Army and Marine personnel. They compelled constant standing ovations as they snaked along the parade’s route.
“All the people really make you proud,” said Sgt. Robert Castello, who rolled by in a truck from the National Guard’s 2632d Transportation Company in San Bruno.
Morgan Hill reporter Marilyn Dubil contributed to this report.
