Who doesn’t love a parade? And that’s just part of Orinda’s Fourth

   It’s a day when Americans consume around 150 million hot dogs, spend $4 billion on beer and wine and $2.7 billion on fireworks.
   Which begs the question “and how much do they spend in the ER?,” because, according to WalletHub, 73% of annual firework injuries occur within one month of July 4.
   President John Adams knew what he was talking about when he told his wife on July 3, 1776, that “from this time forward and forevermore, Independence Day will be celebrated, by succeeding generations with pomp and parade, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.”
   It took Orinda more than 200 years to ensure that Adams’ prophecy came true, but undoubtedly America’s second president would be allowed a little complacency if he could witness how much Orinda’s 4th of July parade has blossomed in the last 41 years.
   The idea for a local communal salute to America’s most important date on the calendar was first mooted in early 1984 with a brainstorming session between mayors-to-be Dick Heggie and Bobbie Landers and longtime resident, Bill Gross.
   As strong advocates for city incorporation, these three sought a surefire way to trigger an indestructible sense of unity within the local community. The plan obviously worked because just one year later, Orinda embarked on self-governance.
   And it is these four decades of self-governance that will be particularly highlighted this year, when Mayor Latika Malkani, along with a dozen or so council members and legislators, past and present, all eager to celebrate the city’s 40th anniversary, will rumble along the parade route in a beautifully decorated cable car, specially hired for the occasion. 
   Something else that’s new this year is a “good old-fashioned community carnival,” which 4th of July chairperson Lisa Burlini has been working on for the last two years.
   Her decision to revive the carnival was inspired by memories of her young son, now grown, who always found the carnival “so special.” It’s important to Burlini that a whole new generation can enjoy what she calls “free fun.”
   “Nothing mechanized or commercial,” she said. “Just old-fashioned games that hark back to our youth.”
   Carnival-goers can look forward to a juggler, a tall unicyclist and a bagpipe with drummer amongst the day’s offerings. There’s even going to be a cake walk.
   “Or in this case,” she said, “a cupcake walk,” since space is limited in the Community Park where the carnival takes place.
   For the first time, team members working to make the parade a success will be easily noticeable in their royal blue Orinda Association vests, which carry the slogan, “Connecting Our Community since 1946.”
   (Brace yourselves, as it looks like we’re going to be celebrating the Orinda Association’s 80th birthday next year).
   Steve Harwood, recognized by one and all for his rich chocolatey voice, will again be situated outside the Community Center, with co-announcer Scott Butler, while on the theater side, Bill Cosden will be kicking things off before guiding the parade towards the Village District.
   With so many floats to choose from, Harwood finds it hard to pinpoint his favorite, but does claim that Orinda’s 4th of July Volunteer Marching Band – which he considers to be “the absolute highlight of the day” – is “the one and only volunteer marching band in the whole of the United States.”
   “Of course,” he admitted a moment later, “I’ve not actually checked my facts on that.”
   Harwood probably arrived at the decision to stick with announcing after his ignominious debut, dressed as Elvis, during Orinda’s inaugural parade.
   Everything was going pretty well for this Elvis look-alike, as he stood in the back of a glitzy convertible, belting out another hit for his adoring fans. And then, suddenly, there was nothing but profound silence: the sound system had given up the ghost just as his vehicle approached the judges’ platform, and all anyone could see was their erstwhile hero, facing the wrong way, bent double over the back of the car, as he desperately tried to fix a defunct generator in the trunk.
   Harwood cites many memorable moments from 41 years of Orinda Parades – some of them even “bordering on X-rated.”
   With this in mind, he recalls being mesmerized by a stilt-walker in a bikini “with flesh pouring out in all directions.” Asked whether anyone objected to the spectacle, he said that yes, some people did perhaps think there was “too much flesh and too little bikini.”
   Another memory that still makes him guffaw with delight was the Precision Lawn Chair Brigade where half a dozen men wowed the audience with their lawn chair performance – a routine that involved stopping to open up their chairs, sit on them, pick them up, walk around in circles and then put them down again. Obviously such an exhausting procedure that it has never been repeated.
   Malkani has enjoyed countless parades in Orinda with her husband and three children, but this year’s 4th of July will be especially meaningful to a first-time mayor in a city celebrating its 40th birthday.
   “At this moment in history,” she said, “as we celebrate America’s 249th birth-day, I am grateful to serve in a community that values civility, kindness and inclusivity. Together, this is the secret sauce that makes both Orinda and America shine bright.”