Fourth of July fireworks in Scotts Valley. Image Source: Richard Masoner, www.cyclelicio.us

Fourth of July is set to go off with a bang in Santa Cruz County. The “World’s Shortest Parade,” a 1950s sock-hop and a reading of the Declaration of Independence are just a few of the events planned to celebrate our country’s 233rd birthday. And yes, this year there will be fireworks. The Scotts Valley Recreation Department confirmed that the city’s annual fireworks display, the only one in Santa Cruz County, will happen as scheduled. It was cancelled in 2008 because the dry conditions created a fire hazard.

“We’re trying to get the word out that the fireworks are on,” said Carol O’Neil of the Scotts Valley Recreation Department.

For most communities, the big event of the day is the parade. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the Annual Boulder Creek Fourth of July Parade. The hometown parade starts 10 a.m. Saturday on Highway 9 between Scarborough Lumber and Railroad Avenue. Among the attractions planned, a float by the San Lorenzo Valley Museum depicting local history.

The Spirit of Watsonville shows itself at 2 p.m. when grand marshall and Pearl Harbor survivor Howard Trotno leads the calvalcade down Main Street. The parade route starts at St. Patrick’s Church, corner of Ford and Main streets, and ends at the city’s new Civic Plaza, 275 Main Street.

A much shorter experience will be had by participants in the “World’s Shortest Parade,” centerpiece to Aptos’ July Fourth celebration. Festivities in Aptos begin at 7:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Cabrillo Lions Club and the Aptos Chamber of Commerce in front of the Britannia Arms. Then at 10 a.m. the “World’s Shortest Parade” covers two blocks, starting at Soquel and State Park Drive and ending at the Bay View Hotel.

The parade traces its roots to celebrations over a duo of successful 1961 protests led by Lucille Aldrich and the Aptos Ladies’ Tuesday Evening Society. The first was against a zoning change that would have allowed a cement batching plant to be built in the center of town, and the second kept the Southern Pacific Railroad from closing a crossing in front of the Bay View.

Aldrich, who owned a local newspaper, named the parade “The World’s Shortest Parade” as a gimmick. At that time the route was about 100 yards, around the length of a football field.

“She had real flair for promotion,” said John Hibble, co-executive director of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. “It made total sense to her that it be called the ‘World’s Shortest Parade.’ We know of shorter parades in this county. but that doesn’t mean we’re going to change the name.”

This hometown spectacle tends to include nearly every Aptos resident, some in costume and some not, along with antique cars, music groups and more. “People can sign up that very day,” Hibble said.

Afterwards, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Party in the Park gets rolling at Aptos Village Park. Pony rides, a petting zoo, a climbing wall and bounce houses will be the background for all-day performances by local band Extra Large. There will also be plenty of food vendors. A $5 donation is requested to help cover expenses.

An old-fashioned Independence Day Celebration will be held at Wilder Ranch State Park. How old-fashioned is it? Rangers there say they will be partying like it’s 1909. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can travel back 100 years in living history at the former dairy ranch. The day kicks off with a parade, complete with suffragettes, at 11:45 a.m. The procession begins at the apple orchard in front of the Highway 1 tunnel and ends at the front lawn for a program of flag raising, patriotic music and the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Historic lawn games, a cake walk, ice cream cranking, crafts, and wagon rides make this an ideal place to bring the family. Food, from roast corn to watermelon and strawberry shortcake, will be for sale. The Society Orchestra and the 5 Ms Band will perform popular 1909 tunes. Will “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” make the cut? Go and hear. Parking is $8, but the event (co-sponsored by California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks) is free.

For those who want an experience rooted in living memory (for most), Roaring Camp is taking revelers back to the 1950s for the Fourth in Felton. Dance to live music in the sock hop at this train depot, home to the Santa Cruz Big Trees & Pacific Railway and the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad. Hula hoop contests, sack races and a balloon toss give those with a competitive streak a chance to show their prowess. There will also be an all-American barbecue with food for sale. The event is free, but parking is $7.

Scotts Valley’s annual Fourth of July celebration starts at 3 p.m. with a hometown parade and ends with a 20-minute fireworks show. Bands, performers and local color will march in a loop along Scotts Valley Drive, between Civic Center Drive and El Pueblo Road. Then the action moves to Skypark, where carnival booths, bounce houses, pony rides, food booths and live music (Mike Hadley and the Groove takes the stage at 6:30 p.m.) will keep revelers busy until the fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 on the day(831-438-3251 or scottsvalley.org). Officials encourage everyone to use public transportation to and from Skypark, since traffic can be a nightmare.