HUNTINGTON BEACH, California—There was plenty of sun, sand, and smiles at the Huntington Beach July 4th Parade in Southern California. This year was particularly special as it marked the Centennial for Huntington Beach as well as its 105th Annual Fourth of July Celebration.
Thirty-three long-time residents of Huntington Beach were named collectively as the Fourth of July Celebration’s Community Grand Marshals. Some claim residence in the city dating back as far as 100 years.
Legendary surfer and surfboard-maker, Robert August was the Parade’s Sports Grand Marshal. He is most famous for his part in the 1966 documentary The Endless Summer.
Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, was the parade’s Grand Marshal. She led the 300-entry parade briefly down Pacific Coast Highway and then through Main Street past the surf shops, restaurants, and other local businesses.
Tens of thousands of spectators lined the sidewalks six, even seven people deep at times, cheering as parade participants marched, waved, and played their instruments. Fathers were holding their newborns. Children watched and played. The elderly were wheeled to the curbsides so they could watch from just a few feet away. The community was gathered together like a family to celebrate their country’s independence.
Parade participants included Falun Dafa practitioners whose entry included yellow-clad waist drummers, graceful fan dancers, and a float with a colorful, larger-than-life lotus flower. The drummers, dancers, and people on the float all wore traditional Chinese clothing.
Spectators smiled and clapped to the drummers’ rhythmic beat, watched intently the dancers as soft music played, and waved to the float as Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated their exercises. The side of the float read “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.”
Another eye-catching entrant was the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum. Members and honored guests rode on the float, which included a wave and a lifeguard tower, while the legendary surf band The Chantays played their famous instrumental “Pipeline” among other songs.
Other parade entrants included members of the Navy’s Mobile Mine Assembly, Huntington Beach Firefighters, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, and the Santa Ana Falcons flag team.
