Santa Cruz County is a great place to spend Independence Day! You can fill your morning with parades and pancake breakfasts at locations around the county and finish the day with a world-class fireworks show at Skypark. Have a fun and safe Santa Cruz 4th of July!
WORLD'S SHORTEST PARADE
Celebrate the 4th of July in Aptos with a Pancake Breakfast (in front of Brittania Arms), Parade (Soquel Drive from State Park to Trout Gulch), and Party in the Park (Aptos Village Park). Start your morning off with a delicious pancake breakfast from 7:30-9:00am in front of Brittania Arms. Join Grand Marshalls Adele Talmadge and Maurel Noel for the parade, which follows the pancake breakfast from 10:00am-12ish. After the parade, walk down to the Aptos Village Park for our Party in the Park from 12:00pm-4:00pm! There will be food, vendors, music, and much more.
When: 7:30-10 a.m. pancake breakfast, 10 a.m. parade begins, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. party in the park Where: Parade starts at Soquel Drive and State Park Drive and ends at Bayview Hotel (about .6 miles away) Details: 688-1467, info@aptoschamber.com SCOTTS VALLEY 4TH OF JULY
Scotts Valley is hosting its annual 4th of July celebration. The celebration opens at 3 p.m. with a parade along Scotts Valley Drive. Festivities continue at Skypark starting at 5 p.m. with live game booths, climbing walls, and classic Fourth of July grub -- hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream and pie. There will also be live music starting at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m. It is the only fireworks show in the county.
Tickets for the Skypark events are $6 in advance or $8 at the gate. For more information, call Scotts Valley Parks and Recreation at 831-438-3251. Details: http://scottsvalley.org/images/July4thFireworksFlyer.jpg
OLD-FASHIONED INDEPENDENCE DAY Have a grand time enjoying the 4th with a family parade at noon, old-fashioned games, live Big-Band music, and delicious food from 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. We'll be stepping back in time 101 years ago to an 1911-style Independence Day celebration including a noon family parade, games, children’s crafts area, live big-band music, living history demonstrations, historic speeches and flag-raising. To join in the 1911-style parade, dress up, bring an instrument or decorate a wagon, and join us by the chicken coop at 11:45a.m. The Suffragettes are sure to be there! Food and drink available for sale, or bring a picnic lunch. Where: Wilder Ranch State Park, 1401 Coast Road, off Highway 1 in Santa Cruz FIRECRACKER 10K Since 1985 the Firecracker 10K has been a Santa Cruz Independence Day tradition offering a thrilling start to a day of family holiday fun. This challenging course begins at Harvey West Park, winds its way up the trail into the majestic hills of Pogonip park and descends back down through Santa Cruz's beautiful upper west side neighborhoods. Each runner receives a free pass to the Pop Warner Pancake Breakfast after an awards ceremony that features medals to the top five in five-year age groups!
Now in its third year, there is a flat 5K criterium style run that makes three passes through the finish line area - great for runners and walkers of all ages and even better for spectators!
As always, the kids can participate in an easy going 1K fun run starting 30 minutes prior to the main event. For more information, please visit http://www.santacruzfirecracker10k.org/
Where: Harvey West Park When: July 4th, 7:00am BOULDER CREEK FOURTH OF JULY PARADE
The annual Boulder Creek parade attracts more than 10,000 attendees every year.
When: Parade starts at 10 a.m. on Hwy 9 Between Scarborough Lumber & Railroad Ave ROARING CAMP'S FOURTH OF JULY
Bop on over to Roaring Camp Railroad for a 1950s-style Fourth of July with a sock hop, hula-hoop contests, games, music and an all-American barbecue.
When: 11 a.m. Where: Roaring Camp Railroad, Graham Hill Road, Scotts Valley Details: $15.50-$26.50, 335-4484, http://www.roaringcamp.com/events#fourth_July
SPIRIT OF WATSONVILLE JULY FOURTH PARADE
Community hero, Bill Neighbors, is the grand marshal for the city's annual Hometown Parade. The 4th of July Parade begins at 2 p.m. in Downtown Watsonville. When: 2 p.m. Where: Main Street, Watsonville Details: http://cityofwatsonville.org/visitors/spirit-of-watsonville
Fireworks Safety There are so-called "safe and sane" fireworks, which are sold legally in Santa Cruz County in Watsonville. Then, there are the other ones: fireworks that can blow off your hand or your head, with fuses that are too short or explosives too large. They are unregulated, illegal in Santa Cruz County, and dangerous. Look on the package and see the state fire marshall's seal. If it's not there, they aren't safe and sane. There's also a penalty for using, possessing and shooting off unsafe fireworks: Under California Health & Safety Code section 12677, it is unlawful for any person to possess dangerous fireworks without holding a valid permit. Any person who violates this law is guilty of a misdemeanor, and may be punished by a fine ranging from $500 and $1000 and/or imprisonment in the county jail up to a year.
Pet Safety The sound of fireworks, even small ones, can terrify your pet. There are a few things you can do to help your pet get through the Independence Day festivities. Keep them home, preferably in a safe, secure, escape-proof room. Do not leave pets outside, even in a fenced yard, anytime fireworks might be set off. Set up a comfy bed, food, and water, and keep the windows and curtains closed to help muffle the noise and block bursts of light. Make sure your pet is wearing correct identification and tags just in case he or she becomes scared and runs away from home. Microchipping also is a great precaution. Keep your pet away from used and unused fireworks, as well as alcoholic beverages, human foods, and other Fourth of July treats since many of these items can be harmful.
Make this fourth of July holiday a safe one for you, your family, your friends, your pets, and all of Santa Cruz County.
Please let us know if there's another event we should include on this list.