Strike up the band, get out the sparklers and prepare to sing
along as South County sings
”
Happy Birthday, America,
”
celebrating with an array of activities, beginning Tuesday in
Morgan Hill with the Patriotic Sing.
Morgan Hill – Strike up the band, get out the sparklers and prepare to sing along as South County sings “Happy Birthday, America,” celebrating with an array of activities, beginning Tuesday in Morgan Hill with the Patriotic Sing.
The action continues Tuesday night when the crowd moves downtown for the annual street dance and concert at 7pm.
“This is the one holiday that means the same thing to everybody,” Morgan Hill Independence Day Inc. President Alex Kennett said Wednesday. “It means only one thing, no matter who you are or who you like or dislike. That’s why we work so hard to keep it nonpartisan, nonsectarian. We just want everyone in the community to come out and enjoy.”
And the action starts bright and early Wednesday morning, with the pancake breakfast at P.A. Walsh Elementary School at 7am.
Runners hit the streets, shortly after, at 8am, for the Freedom 5-K run and one-mile walk.
Celebrants will be treated to a warm-up to the parade, a pre-parade car cruise and entertainment, beginning at 9am in downtown Morgan Hill and following the parade route.
The parade, which kicks off at 10am, dates back to 1894 and is the largest privately organized parade in Northern California. It’s also the official Independence Day parade for Santa Clara County.
More than 100 entries will march north through downtown, beginning at Monterey Road and East Fourth Street, up West Main Avenue, south on Peak Avenue and east down West Dunne Avenue. This year there are 10 bands, including seven high school bands, plus various floats and groups. Some of the highlights include a “singing soprano on a horse, and a special float created by a Pasadena floatmaker for Pinnacle Bank.
The float, which will rotate 360 degrees while going down the parade route, is being named “America … where you reach the Pinnacle of your Dreams.”
Horses, dancers, cheerleaders, martial arts masters, plus Knights of Columbus and Blue Star Moms are scheduled to march along the sure-to-be-crowded route. A historic plane fly-over from the Freedom Squadron and a live radio broadcast from the parade route by KBAY are also planned.
Once the final entry has completed the route, volunteers will swarm into downtown to transform the area in to a family festival and car show. Fourth of July revelers can dance to live music from School of Blues and Scion Jazz Band and enjoy food and drinks, kids games and rides and other entertainment.
The event continues until 2:30pm, followed by a short break, before people begin to gather again at Community Park. At 6pm, there will be food and non-alcoholic drinks available while the Usual Suspects provide entertainment.
Meanwhile, “Safe and Sane” fireworks go on sale at 9am Sunday in Gilroy, the only city in the county that sells the legal fireworks. Sales conclude at 10pm Wednesday. The annual fireworks show will begin at 9:15pm on the Gilroy High School baseball field.
Kennett said there will be some parking available at the Centennial Recreation Center, for $10 per vehicle. Free parking can be found 1/4 mile down West Edmundson Avenue.
For more information about the Independence Day events, visit IDI’s Web site at www.mhidi.com.
