Celebrations, Parades, Fireworks to Mark Independence Day All Over the Southland

Before you start turning your gaze skyward over the next few days--the better to see your local Fourth of July fireworks displays and, possibly, come up with a Ben-Gay-sized crick in your neck--you might want to check out several of the earthbound festivities around the Southland.

While there will be no dearth of organized public fireworks displays, many of the shows also include pre-dusk outdoor entertainment that is sometimes lavish. In a few communities, there are even parades to mark the day.

In Huntington Beach, for instance, things get moving Tuesday at 10 a.m., when the city’s 85th annual Fourth of July Parade steps off near the corner of 6th and Main streets and continues north on Main to the civic center at Yorktown Avenue. Ronnie Lomas, owner of Pageantry Productions, the company producing the parade, said it will be “the largest musical parade they’ve ever had there,” with 18 marching bands from as far afield as Canada, and recorded music playing from 32 floats.

The grand marshals of the parade are the Creel sisters, triplets who star in the film “The Parent Trap III.”

Fireworks at Dusk

The fireworks begin at Huntington Beach High School stadium (at Yorktown and Main) that night at dusk, after a show in the stadium that includes bands, a motorcycle act and clowns. Gates open at 7 p.m.; tickets are priced at $3 per person. Children 2 and under are admitted free.

The traditional yearly parade in Pacific Palisades begins Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the corner of Via de la Paz and Bowdoin Street and continues north on Via de la Paz for about a mile. The parade this year is particularly focused on community participation, with neighborhood residents marching in the parade and working on one of the more than 10 floats. Sixteen bands will be featured.

The fireworks show begins at dusk at the Pacific Palisades High School stadium, at Temescal Canyon Road and Bowdoin Street, and is free. Gates open at 7 p.m. The show will be preceded by band music.

In El Sereno, a parade is scheduled today at 11 a.m. near the corner of Huntington Drive and Pueblo Avenue. It will continue north on Huntington to Eastern Avenue, where it will turn south and end at El Sereno Park.

Carmen Zapata Grand Marshal

Featured will be 12 bands, five floats and marching units from the community. The grand marshal will be actress and community activist Carmen Zapata.

A slightly unorthodox parade will step off in Ventura at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday from Cemetery Park at Hemlock and Main streets. Called the “Pushem-Pullem Youth Parade,” it will feature youngsters 18 and under dressed as storybook characters, pushing or pulling floats made from wagons and wheelbarrows.

An eight-block street fair in the downtown district will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with live music, arts and crafts and food booths.

The free fireworks come early in Ventura--at 5 a.m. Tuesday--on the beach next to the pier.

Disneyland’s summertime Electrical Parade will be presented at 9 p.m. on the Fourth of July, about half an hour before the fireworks show, and again at 11 p.m. Tuesday’s fireworks presentation, titled “A Celebration of America,” will last about 10 minutes--twice as long as the usual nightly summer show--and feature about 400 shells. Admission is $23.50 for those age 12 and older, $18.50 for children ages 3-11. Children under 3 are admitted free.

Not far away, at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park (Beach Boulevard south of California 91), the fireworks show gets under way at 9:45 p.m. Admission to the park is $19.95 for adults, $15.95 for children 3-11 and $14.95 for seniors.

At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, the fireworks and laser show begins at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday over the park’s Mystic Lake.

Admission is $21 for adults, $10 for seniors and for children under 48 inches. Children under age 3 will be admitted free.

Raging Waters (Raging Waters exit off Interstate 210 near Interstate 10 interchange) in San Dimas will present its first Fourth of July music-and-fireworks show at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Admission to the show is $5 after 7 p.m. Earlier admission to the park--tickets begin at $14.50 for adults, $8.50 for children--entitles ticket holders to remain for the show.

Long Beach’s largest fireworks show will be shot above the Queen Mary beginning Tuesday at 9 p.m. The 25-minute show, which will feature 2,000 shells (about half of which will be used in the finale) and a musical accompaniment, will be visible from Seal Beach to San Pedro.

The most lavish show in Southern California will be at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where a celebration titled AmericaFest will begin at 7:30 p.m. (gates open at 6). Included in the pre-fireworks show will be surf rock singers Jan and Dean, marching bands, mariachis, thrill acts and a fly-by of Air National Guard aircraft.

The fireworks show, which will salute the 20th anniversary of the landing of the Apollo 11 mission on the moon, will begin at 9 p.m. and will incorporate lasers and a simulated lunar landing and will use 68,000 pounds of explosives.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster outlets and at the Rose Bowl and are priced at $13 for adults, $8 for seniors and children under 12. Children under 3 will be admitted free.

There are other large stadium shows around the Southland. One will be presented at Anaheim Stadium, 2000 State College Blvd. in Anaheim, following the July 4 baseball game between the California Angels and the Texas Rangers. The game begins at 6 p.m., and a game ticket is also good for the fireworks show. Tickets are priced from $3 to $9.

The 15th annual Fourth of July show begins at the stadium of Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave. in Woodland Hills, at 5:30 p.m. Featured in the pre-fireworks show, titled “Salute to Broadway,” will be musical acts, bands, dancers and a sky-diving demonstration. The fireworks will begin at dusk.

Tickets, which are available in advance through most local banks and savings & loan offices, as well as at the Pierce College Farm Store, are priced at $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 12 and under. On the day of the event they each cost $1 more.

All ticket holders are requested to bring one can of food to donate to actor Dennis Weaver’s charity, Love Is Feeding Everyone.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. The parking fee is $4.

At the stadium at Mt. San Antonio College, 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut, musical entertainment, Special Olympics events and a parachuting demonstration will precede the fireworks show Tuesday. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and the fireworks will being at 9.

Tickets are available at the stadium and are priced at $7 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 14. Children under 6 admitted free.

For those who like orchestral music with their fireworks there will be three opportunities Tuesday. The first will be at the Santa Monica Pier at 5 a.m. when the Los Angeles Pops Orchestra accompanies a free early-morning fireworks show.

That night (as well as Monday night), the sulfur smoke will curl once again around the shell of the Hollywood Bowl as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by David Alan Miller, present a “Disney Symphonic Spectacular.” The concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. both nights, will feature Disney characters and the USC Trojan Marching Band. Early this week, however, the only seats left were those with obstructed views of the stage.

At the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Drive in Laguna Hills, the Pacific Symphony will accompany the fireworks. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6. Tickets are priced from $8 to $39.50 and are available through Ticketmaster.

Also in Orange County, the seventh annual Orange County Fiesta will offer activities at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley (Brookhurst Street at Heil Avenue) today through Tuesday.

Christian rock bands will be featured today; bands will play the swing music of the ‘40s on Sunday, and on Tuesday, the Platters, the Coasters, Bobby Freeman and other musical acts will be featured.

Entertainment throughout the weekend will include carnival rides, rib and chili cook-offs, arts and crafts and an international food fair.

The fireworks Tuesday will begin at 9 p.m. Tickets for daily admission to the park are $3 for adults, $1 for children 6-10. Children 5 and under be admitted free.

Also for those who don’t want to wait until the Fourth, there is the “Country Birthday Bash” at Whittier Narrows Park (Rosemead Boulevard exit off Interstate 10, south to Rush Street and follow the signs to the park), running today through Tuesday.

Today, country musical acts including Eddie Rabbitt, Merle Haggard, Lacy J. Dalton and Freddie Fender will perform on the park’s four stages. Sunday’s acts include Jerry Lee Lewis, Glen Campbell and Wolfman Jack. Rock acts will be featured Monday, and on Tuesday, bands will play primarily Latino music.

Dancing, hot-air-balloon rides and food booths also will be offered. The fireworks begin at dusk each day.

Tickets are $9.50 for adults and $5.50 for children. Advance tickets, at a $2 discount, are available through Ticketmaster.

The fireworks at Fairplex, the L.A. County Fair and Exposition complex in Pomona, will begin at dusk. A community chili cook-off, a classic car show, game booths, contests, a petting zoo, food booths and other activities will be offered throughout the day Tuesday.

Admission is $4 for people 13 and over, $2 for children 7-12. Children 6 and under will be admitted free.

There will be other, mostly smaller-scale fireworks shows throughout the Southland this year. Information about them usually is available through local fire departments, city halls and chambers of commerce.

Here are a few of the more prominent local shows on the Fourth of July:

Downey--Warren High School athletic field (Paramount Boulevard at Stewart & Gray Road), featuring pre-show with the Long Beach Junior Concert Band. Fireworks start at dusk. Adults $5, children under 12 free with a paid adult.

Laguna Niguel--Fireworks at dusk, over lake at Laguna Niguel Regional Park, free. Daytime activities include a 5- and 10-kilometer run, pancake breakfast, games and chili cook-off at Crown Valley Community Park, 29831 Crown Valley Parkway.

Huntington Park--Variety show begins at 7 p.m. at Huntington Park High School stadium at 6020 Miles Ave. Fireworks begin at dusk. Free.

Long Beach--Veterans Stadium, Clark Avenue south of Lakewood Boulevard. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Police and fire department demonstrations, music, clowns. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Adults 12 and over $6, seniors $5, children 11 and under $4. Tickets available in advance at Fire Station 19, 3559 Clark Ave. and at the stadium after 4 p.m. on July 4.

Santa Ana--Eddie West Stadium, Civic Center Drive at Flower Street. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. for ‘50s and ‘60s entertainment. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Admission: adults $6, children 6-12 pay $4, children 5 and under free.

Northridge--North campus of Cal State Northridge, Devonshire Street at Zelzah Avenue. Gates open at 3 p.m., entertainment begins at 5. Fireworks at dusk. Adults $6.50, children 5-11 pay $4.50, children under 5 free. Free parking.

El Segundo--Recreation Park, 401 Sheldon St. Admission free. Fireworks begin at dusk.