Young attendees show their patriotic spirit at last year’s 4th of July parade.
Early one morning in the winter of 1984, Dick Heggie, Bill Gross and Bobbie Landers were sitting in The Orinda Association’s cramped office behind the Community Center trying to think of a way to get local residents excited about Orinda becoming a city. They collectively decided on throwing a 4th of July parade residents would never forget. Not only did Orinda become a city the following year, but the parade has continued to this day.
Now, the annual 4th of July parade brings thousands of residents from Orinda and surrounding Bay Area communities together to celebrate America’s independence. Known as the “Best Hometown Parade,” the event features a plethora of entries from professional musical groups to local school children to farm animals and, of course, the All-Volunteer Orinda Pick-Up Marching Band.
The day begins with Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary’s pancake breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Library Plaza. The flag raising ceremony is 7:45 a.m. in front of the Community Center with the July Run for A Reason at 8 a.m. The Friends of the Orinda Library book sale starts at 9 a.m. and the parade at 10 a.m. followed by activities and entertainment in the Community Center Park. This year, The Orinda Association (OA) has partnered with the city, which will organize the many park activities.
“Bringing all the moving parts together requires a group of dedicated volunteers,” says 4th of July Co-Chair Bill Waterman. “We have lots of fun and many of the same people return year after year, often several generations of the same family, to help make the parade successful.”
According to Waterman and his Co-Chair Diane Lautz, volunteers are needed for a variety of opportunities including setting up the parade route with decorations and parade route cones, helping the various parade entries line-up, handing out bottles of water and much more. To find out more about how to volunteer, go to www.orindaparade.com or contact the OA office at 925-254-0800 or email oa@orindaassociation.org.
