Thousands of people lined Main Street in downtown Watsonville to take in the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July parade Tuesday.
Under warm and sunny skies, 69 entries in the parade filed along the closed-off street offering live music, cheerleaders, dazzling hydraulic lifted cars, classic cars, more than 100 horses, humorous costumes, folkloric dances, cheerful waves from area politicians, fire and police agencies and local sports teams, area businesses and much more.
Several Watsonville Police officials, and Jessica Beebe, Recreation Supervisor at Watsonville Parks and Community Services, said the crowds this year appeared to exceed numbers in previous years.
The Grand Marshal for 2023 was the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.
“It was a great crowd, great parade, and I’m glad so many people came out to have a good time,” said Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway, who drove a Harley-Davidson three-wheel Servi-car in the parade, a vehicle that has been with WPD since the 1960s.
Near the close of the parade a man in his 50s was thrown from a horse during an equestrian stunt in front of the Civic Plaza Building in front of dozens of spectators. The impact with the pavement caused enough trauma that Watsonville Fire and paramedics rushed him to a waiting CALSTAR air ambulance where he was then flown to an out-of-county trauma center. An official later said he was recovering and in stable condition.
