Parades to mark Independence Day in Southern California

FILE PHOTO: Participants carry an American flag during the 4th of July parade in Santa Monica, Calif.  (AP Photo/Richard Vogel/FILE)

LOS ANGELES – As the United States celebrates its 248th birthday on Thursday, there will be parades, fireworks shows and celebrations of all (stars and) stripes taking place throughout Southern California.

Here’s a look:

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

— A 5K and 1-mile Fun Run-UC Celebration will start at 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. at Standley Recreation Center, 3585 Governor Drive in University City, and also feature a pancake breakfast, a bike and pet parade, Troop 11 color guard and the national anthem, live music, a fun zone for kids and food.

— Coronado’s Independence Day festivities will begin at 7 a.m. with the 51st Crown City Classic 12K run, followed by a parade at 10 a.m., beginning at First Street at Orange Avenue. At 2 p.m., the U.S. Navy Leap Frog demonstration will begin in the skies above the city. There will also be a kids concert at Spreckels Park at 2:30 p.m., a patriotic concert at Spreckels at 4 p.m. and fireworks over the Coronado Golf Course at 9 p.m.

— The Fallbrook July 4 celebration will kick off with a pancake breakfast from 8-11 a.m. at the Fallbrook Community Center, 341 Heald Lane, while a dog show is set from 11 a.m. to noon, and there will be live music, entertainment, a fire and police vehicle display, and food vendors from noon to 3 p.m.

— The Scripps Ranch Civic Association will host its Fourth of July Parade, beginning at 10 a.m. at Red Cedar Drive and Ironwood Road, with parade festivities at 11 a.m. at Hoyt Park.

— The Scripps Ranch Old Pro 4th of July Run and Ride will feature a 10K race, two-mile Fun Run and 12-mile and 35-mile bike rides; more details here.

— Old Town State Park, at San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street, will hold July 4 festivities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a flag-raising ceremony, live music, games, wheelbarrow and sack races.

— The community of Julian will host a “Soar Like an Eagle” parade starting at noon on Main Street, following a vintage aircraft flyover, with other activities starting at 9:30 a.m., including a Western reenactment, musical performances and pie-eating contests, a deep-pit barbecue, live music and dancing at the American Legion, and the Julian Woman’s Club Quilt Show at the Town Hall.

— Camp Pendleton will celebrate Independence Day at Del Mar Beach for authorized military and their families, with a family fun zone from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., live DJ entertainment from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and fireworks at 9 p.m.

— Rancho Bernardo will host the 55th annual “Spirit of the 4th” starting at 9 a.m., with a community fair and “sky concert” fireworks show at Webb Park, Avena Place on Bernardo Center Drive.

— Poway will host an all-day “Old Fashioned Fourth of July & Fireworks” show starting at 10 a.m., with patriotic entertainment, western reenactors, free children’s crafts, train displays, games and a fireworks show after dark at Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road.

— The Lake Murray Music Fest and Fireworks, starting at 11 a.m., will feature live music throughout the day and fireworks at 9 p.m. at Lake Murray Playground, 7001 Murray Park Drive.

— Rancho Santa Fe will host a barbecue lunch at 11 a.m. on the Village Green, followed by an Independence Day parade starting at 1 p.m. along Paseo Delicias and other downtown streets.

— The San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., will continue, starting at 11 a.m. It will also feature a 2 p.m. parade on the Avenue of the Palms, a Fireworks Spectacular at the Corona Grandstand Stage at 9 p.m. and The Village People performing in the Chevrolet Paddock at 8 p.m.

— The city of El Cajon will celebrate July 4 starting at 2 p.m. with children’s train rides, games, food vendors, live music and other activities, including a fireworks show at Kennedy Park, 1675 E. Madison Ave.

— The Santee Salutes 4th of July Celebration will begin at 2 p.m. with live music, a patriotic ceremony, a food garden, a kids fun zone, and fireworks at 9 p.m. at Town Center Community Park, 550 Park Center Drive.

— Naval Base Point Loma, Harbor Drive Annex, will host “Freedom Fest,” from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring numerous activities, prize contests, food, entertainment and views of the Big Bay Boom that will be launched from four barges.

— Ramona’s July 4 Family Picnic & Fireworks Show will start at 4 p.m. at Olive Peirce Middle School, 1521 Hansen Lane.

— The California Center for the Arts in Escondido will host the 59th annual Independence Day Festival beginning at 4 p.m. at Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway, featuring a beer garden, artisan market, music, games and activities and a fireworks display.

— The National City Lions Club will host its annual Fourth of July Carnival through Sunday at Kimball Park, 12th and D streets, with food, rides and games from 5 to 11 p.m.

— San Marcos’ Independence Day festivities begin at 6 p.m. with carnival games, live entertainment, food for sale and a fireworks show at 9 p.m. Bradley Park, 1587 Linda Vista Drive.

— The Maritime Museum will host a barbecue dinner and fireworks show, starting at 7 p.m. 1492 N. Harbor Drive.

— Big Bay Boom, a free fireworks show, will be displayed simultaneously from four barges on San Diego Bay, starting at 9 p.m.

— the Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, will host a fireworks viewing moored by the North Embarcadero starting at 9 p.m., and offer a barbecue at 7 p.m.

— SeaWorld San Diego, 500 Sea World Drive, will put on an 18-minute fireworks salute the country’s service members starting at 9 p.m.

— The historic Belmont Park beachfront amusement park, which turns 99 years old on Thursday, will be open.

— The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and LJ STEAM Foundation will host a free show featuring 200 drones displaying patriotic imagery, launching at 9 p.m., with the main viewing of the show at the south end of Kellogg Park (at 8277 Camino Del Oro), La Jolla Shores Hotel = and La Jolla Cove.

— A fireworks show will start at 9 p.m. off the Imperial Beach Pier. Live music by the Marine Band San Diego will be featured from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with parking available at the South Bay Union School District, Mar Vista High School and IB Charter Elementary.

— Vista’s fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. at Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, with food, refreshments and live music by the Cassie B Project starting at 7:35 p.m. and after the fireworks.

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY

In Los Angeles, actors Steve Guttenberg and Danny Trejo and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna will be among the participants in parades in Los Angeles County Thursday marking Independence Day.

Guttenberg will be the grand marshal of the 76th Pacific Palisades 4th of July Parade, which will begin at 2:05 p.m. on Via de la Paz at Bowdoin Street, preceded at 2 p.m. by skydivers landing on Sunset Boulevard near Swathmore Avenue.

The theme will be “Happy Days in the Palisades.”

Army Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland will ride in the parade. Gilland is superintendent of the United States Military Academy, a position once held by Douglas MacArthur.

Guttenberg was Pacific Palisades’ honorary mayor from 2002-06. He is best remembered for his roles in four “Police Academy” movies, “Three Men and a Baby,” “Cocoon” and “Diner.”

Trejo will be among the participants in the Sunland-Tujunga Independence Day Parade. It is set to begin at 10 a.m., heading west on Foothill Boulevard from Mt. Gleason Avenue to Sunland Boulevard. Its theme is “The Magic of Sunland-Tujunga.”

Trejo is best known for his role as gadget inventor Isador “Machete” Cortez in four “Spy Kids” films and a different version of the character in “Machete” and “Machete Kills.” He is the owner of eight restaurants, including Trejo’s Tacos and Trejo’s Cantina.

Luna will be riding in the Santa Clarita Valley Fourth of July Parade. It will begin at 9 a.m. at the Newhall Roundabout in front of Hart Park and end at Orchard Village Road at Dalbey Drive. The approximately 2-mile parade’s theme is “The Freedom to Play,” celebrating “our parks, trails and open spaces.”

The Santa Clarita City Council adopted an ordinance in 1996 banning the “propulsion” of Silly String and other substances on the parade route.

The Acton 4th of July Parade has the theme “ 100 Years of Community History.” It will begin at 9 a.m. at Banson Street and Crown Valley Road.

Claremont’s Fourth of July Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at 10th Street and Indian Hill Boulevard.

The Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association 4th of July Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Warner Avenue School.

La Verne’s Fourth of July Parade will have the theme “50 Years of Hometown Heroes.” It will begin at 10 a.m. at  the corner of 10th and D street, travel south to Bonita Avenue, west on Bonita Avenue to Magnolia Avenue, south on Magnolia Avenue to Third Street, east on Third Street to G Street, north on G Street to Bonita Avenue, west on Bonita Avenue to F Street, north on F Street to 8th Street, west on 8th Street to D Street and north on D Street.

Retired La Verne Police Department Chief Colleen Flores will be the community grand marshal.

The Great American Kids’ Bike Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at 1 Granada Ave. on the beach bike path in Long Beach. Participants are asked to bring tuna, pasta noodles, breakfast cereal or peanut butter that will be donated to agencies serving homeless men and women in the area.

The theme of Rosemead’s parade is “Celebrating The Olympic Spirit.” The parade will begin at 10 a.m at Valley Boulevard and Muscatel Avenue, travel east to Loma Avenue and north to Rosemead Park.

Santa Monica’s parade will celebrate arts and culture. The approximately 1.3-mile parade will begin at Pico Boulevard and Main Street at 9:30 a.m., travel south on Main Street, turn right onto Marine Street, ending at Barnard Way. The grandstand announcement location will be in front of Ocean Park Library.

Sierra Madre’s 4th of July Parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Sunnyside Avenue, ending at Rancho Road.

The grand marshal will be Helen Reece, a 100-year-old who often plays the accordion outside the Baldwin Avenue Gallery on special occasions.

The grand marshal is traditionally a person or persons whose efforts over a long period have been beneficial to Sierra Madre.

The parade will be streamed at villagevine.weebly.com.

The Valley Village Homeowners Association Fourth of July Parade will begin at Colfax Elementary School at 10 a.m. and end at Valley Village Park, where the association will provide corn dogs, watermelon, cold drinks and cupcakes.

South Pasadena’s Fourth of July Festival of Balloons parade will begin at 11 a.m. at Mission Street and Diamond Avenue, ending in Garfield Park.

The opening ceremony will be at the South Pasadena Library at 10:30 a.m. The theme is “Hometown Heroes: Celebrating the Spirit of Community.”

Westchester’s 24th annual Fourth of July Parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the corner of Manchester Avenue and Loyola Boulevard, head north on Loyola Boulevard and conclude at 80th Street, the entrance to Loyola Marymount University.

The parade is Westchester’s largest event, according to the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade.

Avalon’s golf cart parade will begin at 1 p.m. on Casino Way. The USC Trojan Marching Band will be among the participants.

San Marino’s approximately 1.5-mile “4th of July Independence Day Parade-Palooza,” will begin at 4:45 p.m. on Monterey Road, head to Virginia Road and go through Lacy Park. (CNS)