VOLUNTEERS HEED CALL FOR PARADE WOULD-BE GRAND MARSHALS EAGER TO HELP JULY 4 EVENT.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer VALENCIA - The horizon was brightening Monday for 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 organizers who last week lamented the fact that their grand-marshal seats were still vacant. Over the weekend, parade committee Vice President Duane Harte received several phone calls from military personnel hoping to participate in the freedom-theme parade after the Daily News reported a lack of interest. ``As of last week, we had no one for the grand-marshal vehicle,'' said Harte, a Navy veteran and this year's Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Man of the Year. ``This week, we have the grand-marshal vehicle full with reps from each of the (military) branches.'' Listed as the second-largest Independence Day parade in the nation, the 71st annual Santa Clarita event will be themed ``Let Freedom Ring,'' with representatives from every branch of the military serving as grand marshals. Friday, Harte said, commitments from the Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force were still wavering. Monday, Harte celebrated the emergence of enthusiastic volunteers from each branch. ``And we have additional people who will ride in the division-marshal vehicles, if we can find something for them to ride in,'' Harte said. Harte's committee is still looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. military vehicles to appear in the parade. Army Maj. Klaire Patterson, who spent a year at an evacuation hospital in Saudia Arabia during Operation Desert Storm Noun 1. Operation Desert Storm - the United States and its allies defeated Iraq in a ground war that lasted 100 hours (1991) Gulf War, Persian Gulf War - a war fought between Iraq and a coalition led by the United States that freed Kuwait from Iraqi invaders; and is now a reservist re·serv·ist n. A member of a military reserve. reservist Noun a member of a nation's military reserve Noun 1. , is one of those who heard that the Army's seat might be vacant and couldn't bear the thought. ``I wanted to do my part to represent the military and the community,'' Patterson said. ``I didn't want the Army to go unrepresented unrepresented adj → nicht vertreten - I didn't want that to occur. That's not right.'' The two-mile parade will begin at 9:45 a.m. Friday at San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the and Newhall Avenue. It is expected to last about two hours. Harte expects more than 20,000 spectators, 6,000 parade participants and 100 entries. |
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