The only unsullied event left in Sunland-Tujunga is the Rotary Club’s Annual 4th of July Parade. I find it really amazing how many people from all walks of life come out to mingle with their neighbors this one day of the year.
Sure, we’ve had the Watermelon Festival, the Easter Sunrise Service, the Petting Zoo and even the WOWjam in Sunland Park. But the 4th of July Parade is OUR EVENT. It’s not sponsored by church groups or social clubs, but by members of the elite Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills Rotary Club. Someone once said that our 4th of July Parade was like a mating of the Doo Dah Parade with Mayberry! And you know, I think whoever said that was right. This is the one time of year and the one place that everybody gets together to have fun fun-fun!
This year I think will be one of the best we’ve had in a long time. The motto this year is “Celebrating our Volunteers.” And boy, do we have a lot of them — and they do a lot of the things that get done behind the scenes. I’ve had the honor of working with the S-T Rotary Club even though I am a member of the CrescentaCanada club. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that our friends and neighbors get a chance to let their hair down and march or drive or ride down Foothill Boulevard with thousands of people watching.
This is the Rotary Club’s 33rd Annual 4th of July Parade. And that means that we’re going to have some pretty old people in it. I’m looking for a Rascal Brigade of senior citizens doing wheelies and burning doughnuts going down the road. But what the heck — it’s time for everyone to get to know each other and have fun. Towards the end of the parade, the LAFD and the volunteer fire water-truck opens their valves and spray the kids (and adults who are brave enough) to get wet.
And yes, you can officially say “It’s The Water!”