What’s in store

Jose Paul Corona

The 98th annual Fourth of July parade and celebration will not only be

a time of celebration, but a time of healing.

As tragic events of Sept. 11 are still on the minds of many Americans,

parade organizers hope that the special guests that they have scheduled

to appear in this year’s parade will allow residents to continue with the

healing process.

New York City firefighters, Port Authority officers and the Rear

Admiral Casey W. Coane from the Pentagon will be honored guests at he

festivities. They will be on hand to discuss their experiences in dealing

with the terrorist attacks. For the first time, Huntington Beach

firefighters will lead the parade. Firefighters will also carry 343 flags

commemorating the firefighter lives lost in the attacks, said Jacques

Pellitier.

Huntington Beach’s Fourth of July parade is, by far, the largest and

oldest of its kind put on west of the Mississippi. About 65,000 people

gathered to see the fist Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade back in

1927.

Parade organizers expect a crowd of 250,000 to attend this year’s

parade and celebration. Many were already claiming spots along Main

Street’s median and boulevards as early as Monday.

Parade festivities will begin bright and early with a pancake

breakfast at Lake Park at the corner of Main and 11th streets, hosted by

the Kiwanis Club of Huntington Beach. The breakfast will begin at 6 a.m.

and last through 10 am. Tickets are $5 per person.

For those who would rather start their morning off with an

invigorating run, they can take part in the Surf City 5K run.

If you don’t feel like running, don’t worry, you can walk. Parents can

participate in the 5K stroller run while children can be a part of the

1-mile kids run.

The 5K starts at 6 a.m. and ends at noon. Participants will begin and

end their race at Huntington Beach High School on the corner of 17th and

Main streets.

Residents interested in taking part in the run can register the

morning of the race. Registration is $30. Children’s race registration is

$13.

If you like exercising, but don’t feel like doing much of it this

Fourth of July, then the Sports Expo might be just the thing for you. The

latest in exercise fashion and equipment will be on display along with

food and entertainment.

If getting up at 6 a.m. is just not something you want to do, then

relax and sleep in. The parade doesn’t start until 10 a.m.

The parade will begin at Pacific Coast Highway and 6th Street, and

will head north along the historic Main Street Parade route before ending

at noon at the intersection of Yorktown Avenue and Main Street.

Rear Admiral Casey W. Coane will be the military Grand Marshall of the

parade. He’ll be joined by New York City Firefighter of the Year Capt.

Alexander Hagan. New York City Port Authority Officers Sgt. Kevin Devlin,

Thomas Kennedy, Pete Speciale and Karl Olszewski will also be riding in

the parade.

Doris Roberts, star of the CBS comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond” will

serve as the parade’s Grand Marshall and former Anaheim Angel Bobby Grich

will serve as the parade’s sports Grand Marshall.

After the parade, residents can enjoy food and live entertainment at

the parade’s Downtown street fair.

Parade festivities will resume at 6:30 p.m. at the Huntington Beach

High School stadium at the corner of Main Street and Yorktown Avenue.

The Golden West Symphonic Band will entertain the crowd with patriotic

music, New York-themed music and Broadway show tunes. Tickets are $6 per

person.

Prior to the fireworks show Coane and New York Port Authority officers

will address spectators.

The fireworks show will begin right after the speeches. The show is

set to last 45 minutes.

* JOSE PAUL CORONA covers City Hall and education. He can be reached

at (714) 965-7173 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected]