SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Thousands of people will gather across the county on Wednesday to celebrate 242 years since the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
The World’s Shortest Parade will kick things off in Aptos with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. The Spirit of Watsonville will continue the festivities at noon, and to cap off a day full of red, white and blue, the second annual Fire in the Sky fireworks show will return to the Watsonville Municipal Airport.
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World’s Shortest Parade
This year, marchers in the World’s Shortest Parade on the Fourth of July will be honoring the hard work students and teachers accomplish day in and day out.
Leading the parade as grand marshal will be Michael Watkins, Santa Cruz County Office of Education superintendent of schools.
Kicking off the festivities is a pancake breakfast at Burger, 7941 Soquel Drive, from 7-10 a.m. The breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee.
The parade then runs from 10 a.m. to noon, traveling from the corner of Soquel and State Park drives to the Bay View Hotel.
After the parade is Party in the Park at Aptos Village Park, featuring live music by Extra Large, as well as games for children, a petting zoo, arts and crafts and more. Party in the Park runs to 4 p.m., and a $5 donation is suggested.
Karen Hibble, co-executive director of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, said the parade, which has been an Aptos tradition for nearly six decades, is a generational celebration.
“People are just so glad to be in a community where we can still celebrate and enjoy one another,” she said. “Just enjoy where we live. Just enjoy all your neighbors, and enjoy what Aptos has to offer. It’s very special.”
About 800 people march in the parade annually, with a varying number of floats rolling down Soquel Drive, including dance groups, dogs, children, antique cars, the Watsonville Community Band and more.
The parade would not be possible without the 100 or so people it takes to put it on, Hibble said.
“Without our volunteers and first responders, we couldn’t do it,” she said.
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Spirit of Watsonville
To give people enough time to head over to the Watsonville Municipal Airport for the second annual Fire in the Sky, the organizers of the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade have made some changes and set an ambitious goal.
The parade will start an hour earlier this year, kicking off at noon in front of St. Patrick’s Church.
Lead coordinator Tony Roman said the goal is to finish the parade in less than two hours, far below the more than three hours it has taken in recent years.
To accomplish this, parade organizers have limited the number of horse and car entries to 85 apiece.
Still, the parade will draw more than 200 entries and 1,500 participants, from local businesses, nonprofits, church groups, sports clubs and more, who will march their way down Main Street to First Street in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 people.
“It seems to be a perfect fit for everyone,” Roman said. “It’s a really safe, friendly and fun event for the community.”
In honor of the City of Watsonville’s 150th anniversary, the grand marshals of the parade are from local businesses also celebrating their sesquicentennial: S. Martinelli & Company CEO John Martinelli and Pajaronian Publisher Jeanie Johnson.
“As we celebrate our historic Fourth of July holiday, let us also remember our sesquicentennial beginnings and our 150-year-old business partners, the Martinelli Company and the Pajaronian, who stand with us proudly in this historic year of our mutual founding,” Mayor Lowell Hurst said.
Parks and Community Services Director Nick Calubaquib said parade participants are encouraged to theme their entry to a period in Watsonville’s history.
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Fire in the Sky
Fire in the Sky will return for its second year after a successful debut in 2017, when more than 6,000 people attended the inaugural Fourth of July event.
This year, the gates open at 5 p.m. at the airport, 100 Aviation Way in Watsonville. It will feature aircraft displays, food trucks, live music and more, capped off with a 20-minute fireworks show.
New this year, the West Coast Ravens will perform a formation flyover. A number of first responder aircraft will also be on display, including Cal Fire, CALSTAR, California Highway Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and more.
A section of Airport Boulevard will be shut down after the event to allow a smoother exit for attendees.
Airport Director Rayvon Williams said that after the debut event far exceeded expectations, preparations for this year’s event began in November.
Airport staff then met with other city departments, including the fire and police departments, Public Works and more, every two to three weeks to plan out the event.
As a result, everything is being expanded, from more food trucks, vendors, and yes, porta-potties.
“We’re basically doubling everything,” Williams said.
He invited people to attend the event to see the vital role the airport plays in the region, from agribusiness, law enforcement, emergency services and more.
“You can come here and in one afternoon, see those aviation assets up close and personal,” Williams said.
Admission is free, and parking on the runway is $10 per vehicle. Vans and RVs are $20.
For information, visit watsonvilleairport.com.
