When Brad Morris signed up to help out with Coronado’s Independence Day celebration, he figured he might play a minor role. Instead, Jamie Hartnett, the president of the Coronado Fourth of July festivities, asked him to be the volunteer manager.
“I told her, you know, I’m willing to do anything, maybe other than … shovel [poop] behind the horse,” Morris said. “And I said, just put me where you think you need me. And then we met, talked a couple of times, and next thing I know, I have to do it all.”
For this year’s 75th anniversary of the parade, fireworks and other festivities, organizers anticipate there will be 100,000-150,000 attendees. To accommodate the mass amounts of people coming to the island and successfully pull off the all-day event, Morris said the goal is to get 100 volunteers. The board is currently 20% of the way to that finish line, and time is ticking, Morris said.
Morris was brought on as the volunteers manager in March, and since then, has been busy signing up helpers and placing them in different roles that range from ushering the grandstand scene to monitoring the horses — and about 20 different job titles in between.
“Our volunteers are just like our events — they’re family-friendly; they’re all-inclusive, and there is a position for everyone,” Morris said.
‘Opportunity to give back’
Hartnett said the iconic day is a collaborative effort of the non-profit board of directors, the city, and the over 100 volunteers who make the day possible, many of whom return year after year.
“It’s a person’s opportunity to give back,” Hartnett said. “We’re celebrating our nation’s independence on the Fourth of July, and part of that celebration is honoring the sacrifices that came before us … We’re lucky that people feel the same joy and sense of community to donate some time.”
For Morris, a Coronado local since 1984, the decision to step into a volunteer leadership position for the first time this year comes after his own decades-long enjoyment of the parade. The event holds nostalgic value for him.
He said he remembers the days when people could camp out on the median of Orange Avenue the night before the parade. He recalled waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. to bring his son and his buddies donuts as they staked out a spot for the night.
The parade chairman and CFOJ board member Dave Szymanski, on the other hand, doesn’t remember watching the pageantry as an audience member. He’s always either been in the parade, or helped organize it. Szymanski has been on a volunteer committee since he was 20 years old.
He said CFOJ has some fun things in the works for the 75th anniversary, including collaborating with the Coronado Historical Association to create a documentary commemorating the history of the parade. The documentary will be produced by longtime Coronado resident Jane Mitchell, 28-time Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and author.
Hartnett said CFOJ, with the assistance of the city, executes the entirety of the day’s events from logistics for the parade first thing in the morning to the fireworks show in the evening. And it wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.
“I would say most people, most residents, have gone and seen it over the years,” Morris said about the parade. “Maybe the 75th anniversary is the time to really come and help with the event and kind of have that first full circle experience.”
To learn more and sign up to volunteer, visit the Coronado Fourth of July website.
