July 4th  Time to Celebrate Family, Community and Traditions

The Will Rogers Race Foundation, which organizes the 4th of July run will be run in Venice this year.

The annual July 4^th daylong festival and celebration that Pacific Palisades residents have come to expect will be different this year.

Think about the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. He took the presents, he took the trees, the stockings and all the roast beast from Whoville. Then Christmas morn at the top of a hill, he waits to hear the Whos boo-hoo. Instead, they gather and sing  joyously.

Palisadians, sing joyously.

The town was destroyed by a fire that should have been put out but wasn’t because of leadership errors. That doesn’t mean we still can’t gather and celebrate July 4—as only Palisadians can – with spirit, with enthusiasm and with the knowledge that we will return—neighbors all.

A special and giant thank you to the residents who are keeping the town’s traditions alive. They worked to put on these 4^th of July events, even as they held their regular jobs and worked on house replacement or remediation over the past five months.

WILL ROGERS RUN:

Start with the 48^th Annual Will Rogers 5K Race and Children’s Run. Race Organizers, Thomas Hathaway, Jimmy Klein and Michael Solum (and Danielle Ariola for the Children’s Run) moved the race to Venice, got the permits, ordered the shirts and took care of all the details.

Race Director Jimmy Klein wrote “We want this to be a rallying point for our beloved community and an opportunity to do something healthy and positive as we raise money for charity and fire recovery.” (Proceeds will go towards the Rec Center and Park remodel).

The race starts at 7 a.m. the Kids Run at 8:30 a.m.  Talented young performers from Theater Palisades Youth will sing the national anthem for the Kids Fun Run.

Announcers will include musician/producer Jimmy Dunne and the longtime stadium announcer for the L.A. Rams, Sam Lagana. The lovely and talented Mia Ruhman, a hometown girl, will sing the National Anthem and Palisades new honorary co-mayors Gigi Rice and Ted McGinley will be sworn in. Saint John’s Jaren Anderson starts the race.  Councilmember Traci Park’s office staff will be on hand to cheer people on. Sign up https://palisades4th.com/

4^th of JULY PARADE:

Lou Kamer, who has helped build floats for the 4th of July, is helping organize this year’s entrants, who will march in the Santa Monica parade.
Photo: Morgan Genser

A big shout out to Lou Kamer for contacting Santa Monica parade organizer Jeff Jarow, who invited Palisades residents to be in the parade. Even though this year’s parade theme is “The 150 Year Anniversary of Santa Monica Cityhood,” Jarow was asked if there was anything special people should look for and he replied, “Pacific Palisades will be joining us.”

The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. and is on Main Street in Santa Monica. The following Palisades groups are participating: Gerry Blank’s students, Palisades Malibu YMCA, members of the Methodist Church, OomPaPa Band, Resilient Palisade, Pali High Ambassadors, the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association World Series Champs, members of Pali Strong, Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 and don’t miss the Palisades Forestry Committee, who will be in the parade with a Sycamore and Oak tree. Thanks, Santa Monica! Go Pali!

EVENING GET TOGETHER AND DRONE SHOW:

Parade President Matt Rodman and his wife Rene at the start of a prior parade. Volunteers Rodman and Daphne Gronich have planned a fantastic 4th of July for the Palisades community to enjoy.
Photo: Rich Schmitt

A round of thanks to Matt Rodman and Daphne Gronich, who have led PAPA (Palisades Americanism Parade Association) for years. With Palisades High School and Temescal Canyon still closed because of the fire, they had to pivot swiftly to come up with alternate plans for the annual 4^th of July evening celebration.

They were able to secure the Paul Revere Middle School field at 1450 Allenford for the evening festivities. Gates will open at 5 p.m. to pre-issued ticket holders click here. (the tickets are free, but no tickets will be issued onsite). This Fourth of July celebration is designed exclusively for Palisades residents.

Music, entertainment and kids activities will begin at 5 p.m. Seating is available on the field, and attendees are urged to bring a blanket, cushions or folding chairs. No smoking, no coolers and no pets. PAPA loves your dogs and iguanas, remember they were even featured in the annual parade, but LAUSD has a strict rule about no pets on school grounds.

Rodman promised, “This will be an event that will really impress the community – like nothing you’ve seen before.”  There will be a giant LED board and a real concert atmosphere. Sam Lagana and Kimi Petrick will emcee the evening. There will be ample food trucks with a wide variety of options.

Music starts at 6 p.m. with local singer-songwriter, Matty Gottesman. The Pali High Band, will also entertain. Vinyl Jam will play original music and cover songs from 7 to 9 p.m.

But perhaps the most spectacular evening event will occur around 9 p.m. “There will be a huge drone show with 250 of the coolest drones sent up into the night sky by our longtime vendor, Pyro Spectacular,” Rodman said.

There is no-site parking available. Free shuttle buses will be provided to pre-ticketed guests from The Water Garden at 1620 26^th Street, Santa Monica (shuttle pickup on the north side of the building at 2450 Colorado Street). Limited $10 pre-paid parking at the Water Garden, with free shuttles on Colorado Street. Consider taking Uber/Lyft to the Water Garden and then hop on a free shuttle up 26th Street.