SANTA CRUZ — This Thursday marks America’s 248th birthday, which means Americans around the world will be firing up their barbecues, flying their flags and finding a good spot to watch the fireworks.
This includes Santa Cruz County, which will host numerous events throughout the day in nearly every corner of the county. If you’re the type of person who wants to get out of the house to celebrate Independence Day, there’s something for you. Below is a sampling. All events take place on Thursday.
For many, the Fourth of July is a calorie-laden holiday, with few opportunities to burn them off before gorging on burgers and potato salad. Luckily, as it has done since 1985, the Rotary Club of Santa Cruz Sunrise will provide that opportunity with its annual Firecracker Run. The full course is back with a flat 5K run through Harvey West Business Park, a 10K run through Pogonip Park, Spring Trail and the meadow near UC Santa Cruz and a 1K fun run for kids. The race will conclude with a party in Harvey West Park featuring live music, a gourmet hot dog park and an awards ceremony. The 1K, 10K and 5K races start at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 8:40 a.m., respectively. Harvey West Park is located at 326 Evergreen St., Santa Cruz. To register, visit Runsignup.com.
La Selva Beach will feature a full day of events, courtesy of the La Selva Beach Improvement Association. It will begin with a 5K walk/run and a 10K run at Triangle Park on Playa Boulevard at 8:30 a.m., followed by a pet show on the lawn in front of the La Selva Beach Library at 9 a.m., a horseshoe pit at Triangle Park at 10 a.m., a parade on Playa from 11:30 a.m. to noon, a flag ceremony with Grand Marshals Eric and Peggy Carter at 12:30 p.m., a sandcastle contest at 3 p.m. and a watermelon eating, egg toss and tug-of-war contest at 5 p.m. on the library lawn at 316 Estrella Ave. There will also be a bike decoration, a bouncy castle, t-shirt sales and food stalls on the lawn from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
For the Fourth of July festivities, Roaring Camp Railroad is in the mix. Those who ride the Redwood Forest Steam Train or the Santa Cruz Beach Train will head through the redwoods and stop at the historic town of Roaring Camp, where they can enjoy family activities, live music and a barbecue. Festivities run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at 5401 Graham Hill Road, Felton.
For those who love Fourth of July parades but not the many road closures that come with them, Aptos has just the ticket: a parade that has all the usual festivities of a Fourth of July parade but without the length. Billed as “The World’s Shortest Parade,” the route begins at the corner of Soquel and State Park Drive and ends at Trout Gulch Road for a total of 0.6 miles with Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend serving as grand marshal. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and then give way to the annual Party in the Park featuring games, food trucks, beer, craft vendors and live music from James Durbin and the Lost Boys, who will perform retro hits by The Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, Billy Idol and more. Party in the Park runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Aptos Village Park, 100 Aptos Creek Road.
After making its debut last year, the Boulder Creek Block Party that follows the Fourth of July parade is back. The day begins at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the fire station, 13230 Central Ave., followed by the parade at 10 a.m. on Highway 9. The parade will then give way to the block party on Forest Street with live music by Redwood Express and a sidewalk sale. The Boulder Creek Recreation and Parks District will host its own party from noon to 5 p.m. with live music by Jake Nielsen and What’s Good, food and beverage vendors and activities like gold panning at Junction Park, 13264 Middleton Ave. The parade will be broadcast live on 89.3 KBCZ.
Independence Day is a holiday that often evokes a lot of nostalgia, and as always, Wilder Ranch State Park will be taking a step back in time with its annual celebration: to the 1900s, in fact. The era of Model A haircuts and Gibson Girls will be on full display with Old-Fashioned Independence Day, featuring lawn games, machine shop and blacksmith demonstrations, a hand-cranked ice cream machine, living history performances, a “Star-Spangled Banner” sing-along and more. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Road. The event is free, but there is a $10 daily vehicle use fee.
Farmers, local businesses and everything that makes Watsonville what it is will literally parade along a route that winds down Main Street from St. Patrick’s Church to First Street. It’s a parade that has always drawn thousands of spectators, so anyone wanting to set up chairs is encouraged to do so early in the morning on parade day, but no earlier. The parade itself will run from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The parade will coincide with the City Plaza outdoor market with art and food vendors selling wares from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Finally, Scotts Valley will host its annual parade and flyover starting at noon. New this year is a kids zone sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Cruz County and Scotts Valley Recreation, with games, activities and food trucks before and after the parade. The kids zone is open from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and again from the end of the parade until 3 p.m. The parade is scheduled to begin at noon along Scotts Valley Drive.
