Saratoga News
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Saratoga's July Fourth observance in Azule Park
By Stephen Baxter
When Jack Mallory thinks of the Fourth of July, patriotism isn't the only thing that comes to mind. He thinks the day also should be about unity.
And that's just what he wants people to remember as they come together for Saratoga's July Fourth observance in Azule Park that he has organized for the past five years.
"I'm sort of a patriotic guy and I believe in celebrating our nation's birthday," Mallory said. "And I think it's important to bring the people in the community together. I had a vision of what I wanted to do--have a patriotic thing for people in the morning before they went off to their barbecues."
The idea came to Mallory to organize the Saratoga celebration after the Lions Club, which had hosted Saratoga's Fourth of July celebration for years, stopped doing it seven years ago.
"I just decided I needed to do it for the community," he said. "I just go out and get people to help out. I invite people to participate and donate and somehow we get enough to make it work."
Last year's celebration brought out between 600 and 700 people, and Mallory said he is expecting at least as many this year.
"People seem to like it and keep returning year after year," he said.
This year, Mallory is focusing on unity by bringing in performers who will appeal to a broader spectrum of the community.
In addition to the U.S. Navy Color Guard from Monterey, the celebration will include the singing of patriotic songs, a hand-bell performance to Revolutionary War music and a performance by the McCartysville Band, made up of volunteers from the Saratoga Community Band, Saratoga Federated Church and Saratoga Elementary School. The Silicon Valley Chinese Chorus and the Silicon Valley Japanese Chorus will round out the performances.
"I feel a real good way to involve the whole community is by involving different groups," Mallory said. "I want to show unity, and this is the way to do it."
Mallory also wants the event to be about the men and women who have fought or are currently fighting for the freedom of this country. He plans to call out the names of all Saratoga veterans from the various wars, as well as any Saratoga residents actively serving or in the reserves.
"We want people to notify us of any veterans or current military personnel coming so that we can recognize them," Mallory said. "We also want to encourage them to come in uniform and for everyone else to come dressed patriotic."
After the performances and speeches, a family parade around the park will take place. Children, adults and even pets will be asked to join the parade, and all are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.
Prizes, ice cream and flags will be handed out to the children participating.
The event is free to the public, but Mallory and his fellow organizers are asking for a $1 donation per person, which they plan on donating to Operation Care and Comfort, a Red Cross program that sends care packages to soldiers.
"This event is a nice, old-fashioned, patriotic celebration. It's good for the family and shows we're all together in the core values we are celebrating--independence and freedom. It's really a unifying event and one that really focuses on the purpose of the day," Mallory said.
Saratoga's July Fourth observance will be held at Azule Park behind Blue Hills Elementary School from 10:15 a.m. to noon. To participate, volunteer, donate, or to notify organizers of Saratoga veterans or military personnel, contact Jack Mallory at Mallory58@aol.com.
