ACTON SAY HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD; JULY 4TH PARADE DELIGHTS SPECTATORS WITH CINEMATIC THEME.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer With 101 Dalmatians and the Little Rascals, Acton was transformed into Hollywood with a country accent Friday during the 1997 Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. Parade. The annual parade with this year's theme, ``Acton goes Hollywood,'' attracted more than 70 entries and 2,000 people who lined Crown Valley Road from Aliso Avenue to Smith Street. ``There was a lot of fun and creativity with this year's theme.'' said Patty Williams, co-chairwoman of Acton's Fourth of July Parade. ``I thought it was great.'' Cub Scout Pack 145 decorated a float titled ``Lights - Camera - Action,'' where cub members decorated a flat trailer into a pink Cadillac and filmed spectators as they traveled along the parade route. A local real estate business, Preferred Properties, decorated a float depicting a scene from the movie ``Home Alone'' where a boy stood with his dog outside of a house surrounded by stacks of hay. ``I haven't been to a parade like his since I was a kid,'' said Brad Bettencourt, 37, of Maryland, who is visiting his in-laws in Acton. ``It's nice to see everyone have pride in their community.'' ``I never understood parades when I was younger,'' Bettencourt added. ``Now I see how it helps knit the community together.'' Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930)[1] is an American actress with a career spanning six decades. She is best known for her role as Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds , an Acton resident and actress in a number of films, including Alfred Hitchcock's ``The Birds,'' served as this year's grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. . Hedren is president of the Roar Foundation's Shambala Preserve Shambala Preserve is wild animal preserve established in 1972 and located in Acton, California, a desert community. About Shambala is maintained by the Roar Foundation, founded by actress Tippi Hedren in 1983 as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization . , a wildlife sanctuary to more than 70 exotic animals including North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. mountain lions mountain lion: see puma. , Bengal and Siberian tigers The Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is a rare subspecies of tiger (P. tigris). Also known as the Amur, North China, Manchurian, Ussuri, or Korean Tiger, it is arguably the largest of the 5 extant tiger subspecies. and African elephants. ``We've been trying to get Tippi to be grand marshal for a number of years,'' said Williams. ``She just happened to be in town this year.'' Winning the Most Patriotic Award was Acton's Lions Club whose members dressed in red, white and blue as they walked in a formation to create the image of a flag. As an added attraction, the skies were also an entertainment venue as two jets performed a series of flyovers directly above the parade route and about five skydivers parachuted out of an airplane and slowly glided down while performing aerobatics aerobatics Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and dives with an airplane. As an organized sport, rather than as an air show attraction (“stunt flying”), aerobatics began international competition in 1960 under the auspices of the and filling the skies with colorful air paint. Activities continued at the Acton Community Center following the parade as officials presented a hay loading contest, parade awards ceremony, hog calling contest, children's games and a show by the Acton Gun Slingers. CAPTION(S): 5 Photos Photo: (1--color in AV edition only) Actress Tippi Hendren has her hands full as grand marshal of Acton's annual Fourth of July Parade. (2-3--color in AV only) Top, the color guard of Boy Scout Troop 145 keeps in step along the parade route. Right, Linda Warnekros, front, flashes a smile and a wave from atop her horse, with fellow rider Elizabeth Blake. (4--ran in AV only--color) An estimated 2,000 people turn out for Friday's annual spectacle of floats, youth and community groups, and this year's added treat - a parachute jump parachute jump n → saut m en parachute parachute jump parachute n → Fallschirmabsprung m parachute jump n by five skydivers. (5) A team of skydivers circles over the parade, leaving a colorful jet trail as they descend. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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