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Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade

Saluting Our Local Heroes

Monday July 4, 2011 // 9am-5pm (parade begins at 10am)

download parade application HERE

Sonoma’s most beloved community event is produced by Sonoma Community Center, with wine sponsor Larson Family Winery.

Schedule of events:

1. •9:00am - food and game booths open
   

2. •10:00am - parade begins
   

3. •11:45am - patriotic ceremony in the SE quadrant
   

4. •1:00pm - live music by The Joe Chaplain Band
   

5. •3:00pm - live music by Bautista Band
   

6. •5:00pm - cleanup begins
   

Parade Theme: Our Local Heroes

Parade participants are encouraged to create entries and floats that honor Sonomans, past and present, who have inspired, lead, or moved them in some way.  Parade applications are due by July 1. Entries will be accepted on the day of the parade, but late-comers’ floats are not announced as they pass the reviewing stand.

Grand Marshals:

Several local veterans who fought in the liberation of France during the Second World War will march as our Grand Marshals in the parade.

The veterans will pay tribute to all local World War II veterans, a group whose ranks are quickly thinning. The Travis Air Force Base Color Guard will make a special trip to Sonoma to lead the parade, and during the first ten minutes of the parade, the 301 Airlift Squadron will fly a C-17 directly over the Sonoma Plaza. Piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Adam Willis, Major Troy Ogle, and Major Caleb Provencio and Major Phil Dillingham, the airplane was built in 2006 and has over 3,000 hours on it. 

Sonoma Community Center’s Float:

SCC Special Projects Manager Margaret Hatcher has created two 15’ tall street puppets, to be manned by over a dozen volunteers. The puppets represent the spirit of the 4th of July, and our local heroes.

See a list of Non-Profit vendors, parade announcers, and parade judges participating in the 4th of July Plaza celebration HERE.

Press Release HERE

4th of July Artist:

Stacia Brady, native Californian, Sonoma Community Center supporter, and active participant in the Sonoma Valley art community for the past 30 years. Stacia began working in ceramics before turning to painting acrylic on wood panels. She divides her time between painting in her studio located at the historic LaHaye Art Center and working on a ranch. This schedule allows Stacia to bring her love of animals and landscapes to her paintings. Her work has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally. T-shirts with Stacia’s 4th of July art will be for sale on the Plaza on July 4. All proceeds benefit SCC.