I love 4th of July. I love what it stands for. I love that I live in a Democracy. I love that I live in a country where the founders felt it important to include all view points, not just their own. I love that the founders came to a balance of power rather than one part of the government dominating. I think our constitution is an elegant document, even if it needed amendments, but hey, that’s what the amendment process is for!
Genro, Grace and Sonya at the Sausalito 4th of July Parade
To celebrate the 4th, we usually have a BBQ at my mom’s and then we find a good spot to watch the fireworks. In some years, we make the effort to get up early and leave the house by 7 am to march in the Sausalito parade with a bunch of Cal Band alums (and thankfully some real Cal Bandsmen that can make us sound just a little bit better:) This year we decided to try it again (because we weren’t traveling anywhere across the country…) and we even tried to talk our kids into playing in the band, but they wouldn’t have any of it. They did find something productive to occupy their time though – Jasper took pictures; McKinley twirled a telescoping baton at the front of the band, and Bryce helped carry the banner.
Bryce, Milagro, Kitomi, Kioshi & McKinley in the back
It’s such a great hometown parade complete with every group in town participating. Every one throws candy out to the kids – the garden group even gave out seed packets! We even marched through the fire house – how often do you get to do that? What I like best is that people love our band and serve us drinks (water and adult beverages) all along the parade route and take pictures with us. Plus – It’s a ton of fun to see our Cal Band friends.
After we are done playing, we get to eat and hang out at Dunphy Park by the water. The Lion’s Club or Rotary Club usually feeds us and gives us drink tickets and this year was no exception! We participated in the tug-o-war and egg toss. McKinley and I were one of 5 teams left until he threw a football pass at me (we were a long ways apart by then) and I wasn’t able to do a soft catch, leaving the egg crushed in my hand, and a huge mess! The Giant’s fans beat all of the other baseball fans in tug-o-war! We even made cheerleading pyramids with the kids!
This year, we had a unique opportunity to hang out with National Park Service friends at the Maritime Museum and then watch fireworks from there that evening. It was an amazingly clear day in San Francisco (no fog or smog) and you could see for miles. We hung out around Ghiradelli Square (and had fantastic shakes and sundaes) and then at 7 pm headed to the Maritime Museum for our event. They had face painting and tattoos for the kids as well as a craft area and hair tinsel station. I had to get red, blue and silver tinsel put in my hair. It’s kinda cool! By the end of the evening all of the boys had made their way back to the tinsel table for their own. We could see the fireworks in Marin (or Sausalito), which is where we would have seen them had we stayed for the evening after the parade. Finally at 9:30 pm, when it was dark enough, the fireworks started. It was one of the most spectacular fireworks displays I have ever seen. Hopefully, the pictures we took, did it justice.
What a great way to celebrate our country’s birth! Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite Hometown Parade!
