Century of celebration

Dave Brooks

Happy 100 years to the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade.

Don’t feel old -- you don’t look a day over 90.

Now in its centennial year, the patriotic celebration is a

hallmark around the state, heralded as the biggest Fourth of July

parade west of the Mississippi River. Yet despite all its fanfare and

celebrity, this weekend’s festivities still center around what makes

Huntington Beach great -- the people who live here.

“This is a large city, but it’s so small town,” Huntington Beach

Mayor Cathy Green said. “I look forward to the parade every year. I

see everyone I know. I practically talk my way through the whole

route.”

Kicking off the festivities at 6 a.m. Sunday will be the Surf City

Run, a 5K race with more than 3,500 runners in five categories.

There’s even a special slot for parents who want to race with their

kids.

“Sometimes it’s a little disconcerting to see moms and dads

jockeying for positions with their strollers,” race organizer Mike

Bone said. “Still, it’s a great way to spend your Fourth of July. If

you start with a little exercise in the morning, you really earn that

beer and ribs later.”

The race also includes a mile and half-mile run for kids, and all

events end with a sports expo featuring surf-rock legends the

Slacktones and members of the Mighty Ducks hockey team.

Parade-goers who want to get an early start on their eating should

head over to Lake Park and tackle a plate of pancakes with the

Kiwanis club. Breakfast begins around 7 a.m.

Whether it’s pancakes or runners cramps you crave, make sure to

leave plenty of time to find a good spot to watch the parade. Any

place between 8th and Main streets on Pacific Coast Highway or

between the highway and Yorktown Avenue will get you a glimpse at

this year’s 335 entrants -- just plan to arrive early. In previous

years, anxious spectators have taken to staking out any plot of land

within eye site of the main route, using duct tape, rope, flags, even

police ribbon as early as the day before.

“People get pretty creative when it comes to saving their space,”

parade organizer Connie Young said.

This year’s parade guests include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the

Budweiser Clydesdales and the 110-member United South Central High

School Marching Band from Wells, Minn. Leading the parade will be

Grand Marshal Jerry Mathers, best known for his role as Beaver, on

the 1950s sitcom “Leave it to Beaver.”

And you can feel at ease knowing that the United States military

will be there. General Thomas Eres, commander of the state’s National

Guard, will be in this year’s parade along with Major General Jeffrey

Gidley, commander of the California National Guard’s Los Alamitos

base. Spectators will also be treated to a flyover by several F-16s.

“This is the perfect time for parents to begin explaining

patriotism to their children,” parade board member Karen Pedersen

said. “What always does it for me is seeing the Pearl Harbor

survivors. You know they’re coming because they are greeted with so

much applause.”

After the parade, Downtown will close the first two blocks of Main

Street to traffic for activities for children. Wear your best red-

white-and-blue for the Mr. and Mrs. Patriotic Dress contest at 4 p.m.

at the Pier Plaza, or come an hour earlier and dress up your mutt or

critter for the Patriotic Animal Contest.

The Goldenwest Pops concert will begin at 7 p.m., followed by a 9

p.m. fireworks show, the largest over-the-water fireworks show on the

West Coast. More than one ton of pyrotechnics will be shot from an

ex-Navy barge creating more than 600 exploding visual effects.

“We’re really happy to bring the fireworks back this year,” after

a 20-year hiatus, Young said. “You should be able to see the

fireworks any where on the beach. It will be a great way to ring in

the holiday.”

* DAVE BROOKS covers City Hall. He can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at [email protected].