The 45th annual Independence Day parade in Bird Rock put on a festive show full of community spirit.
Featuring floats, families in matching red, white and blue and heroes imagined and real, the beloved tradition of the Beaumont Avenue Fourth of July Parade rolled past crowds of thousands.
Celebrating “Super Heroes and Everyday Heroes” this year, many of the participants were costumed like superheroes, first responders and more, throwing candy to attendees and passing out miniature American flags.
Boy Scout Troop 4 launched the parade as it has every year, followed by entrants who danced, bicycled, tricycled, skateboarded, strolled, scooted, walked or floated behind them.
The Beaumont Avenue parade is a community event produced entirely by donations and Bird Rock neighbors, who banded together even when one of the most intricate floats, made to look like an 18th-century ship carrying George Washington and other early American heroes, collapsed on its maiden voyage down the street.
Residents pulled the ship to the side, crawled underneath and several minutes later, had the boat once again floating down Beaumont to cheers and applause from parade viewers, who watched the entire show from lawns of patriotically-decorated houses or stood on the sidewalk to wave.
At the parade route’s end towards the rear of the La Jolla United Methodist Church, large crowds enjoyed an after-party with live music, food and other entertainment, along with prizes awarded for entrants with the biggest impact, most creative interpretation of the theme and more.
