It’s 2024, and that means preparations for this year’s Coronado Fourth of July Parade are full speed ahead.
Well actually, planning for the 2024 parade started almost immediately after the 2023 parade, according to The Coronado Fourth of July (CFOJ) president Jamie Hartnett.
Hartnett, along with the CFOJ Board of Directors, is preparing for a milestone year as the Coronado Fourth of July Parade celebrates its 75th Anniversary.
Documentary in the works
As a precursor to the year-long awaited patriotic day, CFOJ and the Coronado Historical Association are creating a documentary to capture the history of the parade.
Their goal is to release it on Memorial Day weekend.
They are calling on community members to bring their pictures, film footage and other memories of the parade to the Coronado Historical Association from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 17 and 19.
If the footage is in digital format, it can be emailed to coronadoparadememories@gmail.com.
“The feelings of nostalgia were unreal.”
-CFOJ president Jamie Hartnett.
“The feelings of nostalgia were unreal,” Hartnett said about looking at old pictures of the parade at the Historical Association in preparation for the documentary.
Hartnett, along with all of the CFOJ volunteers, is asking the community to submit their own artifacts of nostalgia. The items can be donated to the museum, or will be scanned and returned to owners.
Meet the president, Jamie Hartnett
Hartnett has old ties to the parade.
She said she has watched the Coronado Fourth of July parade since she was “zero years old,” and did so every year until she moved away as an adult in 1993.
After a 20 year stretch in Hawaii, followed by a short time period in Carlsbad, Hartnett and her husband, John Magnus, returned to Coronado in 2020.
This is her second year serving on the CFOJ board. Last year, she was the marketing/communications chair, and this year as the president, in addition to her marketing and communications roles.
“I’m so excited to be the president of this board,” Hartnett said. “It’s a very active, hardworking board, with a lot of varied skill sets, tons of enthusiasm and a collaborative spirit about it.”
She is the executive director at The Hawaii Association of Broadcasters, and brings her background in communications with her into every aspect of CFOJ.
“What Jamie’s going to do, which is going to be amazing, is the communications aspect.”
-Robert Kracht, past-president and chair for the 75th Anniversary.
“What Jamie’s going to do, which is going to be amazing, is the communications aspect,” said Robert Kracht, the immediate past-president and chair for the 75th Anniversary.
In her role as the president, Hartnett also continues to build the relationship between their group of volunteers and the city. She said they work closely together on the 4th of July in Coronado.
Capturing nostalgia
Looking through old pictures sparked memories for Hartnett, she said.
The photos painted images reminiscent of the days when parade watchers sat on the top of the Village Theatre, legs dangling over the side. Or, when Kippys, a department store that’s no longer in Coronado, created their signature t-shirt each year.
“We used to camp out on the median to get a good spot,” Hartnett said. “They used to let you just go up there and spend the night, roll out sleeping bags, bring your donuts and your burritos.”
The documentary will capture snippets of these memories, and CFOJ needs the entire community in on it, she said.
To set the 75th Anniversary parade apart, CFOJ is not only asking the community to submit memories, but to also support in other ways.
‘Elevate your game’
“The idea and the call for this parade is asking everyone, if you can, if you have the means, elevate your game a little bit along with us on our celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the parade,” Hartnett said.
Kracht echoed that sentiment.
He said “elevating your game” could be creating floats or decorating a vehicle in addition to just walking.
As a community-based organization of volunteers, CFOJ is always looking for more support on their committees, specifically the 75th Anniversary special events committee, logistics committee and development committee, Hartnett said.
More information can be found at https://coronadofourthofjuly.com/
