I Love a Parade
I love a parade ; The tramping of feet , I love ever beat I hear of a drum . I love a parade ; When I hear a band I just wanna stand And cheer as they come ! by Craig Lore
Who doesn ’ t love a parade , and a patriotic sing , cruise and car show , 5K run , family music fest , and fireworks display ? This year ’ s Freedom Fest marked its 146th continuous running in Morgan Hill , including the virtual celebration in 2020 due to the pandemic . The Festival is an all-volunteer enterprise without any tax-payer funding , run by Independence Day Celebrations ( IDC ). The non-profit organization is “ committed to reinforcing and sustaining the principles of American freedom . . . through the Independence Day events of the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest ” according to the IDC Mission Statement . It takes months of planning , hundreds of volunteers , and thousands of hours .
Matthew Stein , 42 , president of IDC and parade chair since 2020 , exudes a calm intensity . He leans in for emphasis : “ The Fourth of July is the holiday that celebrates what is good about this country ,” he said . “ It really is a celebration of the experiment this country is .” In 2017 , he just wanted to help with the parade . “ It feels good to give back , to be a part of something bigger than yourself ,” he said .
“ First , there are many , many people who assist me and the festival to come about . But as president I focus on three things : finances , so we don ’ t overspend , evangelism to get the word out , and chief enabler for all the chairs ; they know what to do — I work for them ,” he said . “ I ’ m the connective tissue . We are incredibly privileged that so many city officials , the police and fire departments , sponsors , organizations , citizens , and companies continue to support the festival .”
This year ’ s theme was “ Honoring Our Heroes ,” Stein said , “ and by heroes we mean the unsung who haven ’ t gotten the recognition they deserve : including health care workers in nursing homes , essential workers like grocery clerks , and farm workers .”
For the music side of the Festival , raising funds starts in February and kicks into high gear in April , according to Dennis Dal Poggetto , chair of the Family Music Fest for twenty-five years . “ I grew up on
RIGHT : 2021 Morgan Hill Freedom Fest Committee : Woody Salyer , Jane Thuirer , John Tawney , Debbie Tawney , Kim Moyano , Bob Hunt , Maureen Hunt , Matthew Stein , Jeff Dixon , Cheri Brown , Dennis Dal Poggetto , Bev Vanderweide , Marie Steinbach , Alex Kennett , Alicia Carson , Charles Weston , Karen Crane . INSET : Matthew Stein , 2021 Freedom Fest President . Photos by IDC and InfoPower Communications . “ I Love a Parade ,” ( Music : Harold Arlen / Lyrics : Ted Koehler )
12 SUMMER 2021 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com