Fourth Festivities to Have Special Flavor : Independence Day: Fireworks, parades and other events will salute the veterans of Operation Desert Storm.

Fourth of July celebrations throughout Ventura County today are shaping up as a star-spangled rerun of salutes to Operation Desert Storm.

U. S. veterans of the war against Iraq will be special guests at fireworks shows and parades from Thousand Oaks to Ventura.

And officials countywide say the military touch to this year’s celebrations will make them even more patriotic than usual.

“It just seems that people are more excited, they have a higher sense of patriotism, more people are looking forward to listening to the message of freedom,” said Carol Green, spokeswoman for the city of Ventura.

“It is going to be our best Fourth of July ever,” said Green, referring to city celebrations ranging from a pre-dawn fireworks show to a 9 a.m. street parade featuring a kazoo and pot handle marching band.

Festivities are planned in every city in the county--from a homecoming parade in Oxnard featuring captured Iraqi weapons to a celebrity softball game in Camarillo.

One of the most extravagant of the celebrations will be in Thousand Oaks, where the mood of holiday patriotism has been backed up by contributions from some of the city’s major employers.

In the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, city officials decided to put together a citizens committee to organize this year’s holiday celebration, and the Thousand Oaks City Council pledged $25,000 to get the ball rolling--to be fully refunded if enough donations came in.

By all accounts, the results have surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. When the city asked for $2 donations in sewer bills mailed to residents, more than 5,000 people responded--a success rate of more than 40%.

With strong support from the business community, more than $40,000 has been raised for the city’s fireworks extravaganza, more than enough to offset the city’s initial contribution. Amgen Inc., a pharmaceutical company that made a $6,000 donation to the festival, was the largest contributor.

In Oxnard, near the county’s two military bases, a 12:30 p.m. celebration of the Persian Gulf victory at Oxnard Airport will include a barbecue and display of captured Iraqi weapons “to look at and crawl around on,” according to organizer Ross Olney.

A 9 p.m. fireworks show featuring live music will be held at Oxnard High School.

The show, sponsored partly by Charmin toilet paper, in past years has featured Mr. Whipple, the toilet paper squeezer of the television commercials, but he said he was too busy to attend this year.

“Mr. Whipple’s got a pretty busy schedule,” Oxnard Community Services Director James Faulconer said. “He goes all around the country making public appearances. We were lucky to get him for a couple of years.”

Other events in the county include a softball game in Camarillo, pitting Hollywood celebrities against city officials, and a fireworks show at Camarillo Airport starting at 9 p.m. Officials said celebrities in past years have included actor Adrian Zmed from “T. J. Hooker.”

“The celebrities like to come here every year,” said Assistant City Manager Larry Davis, predicting that this year’s celebration will be better than ever because “the patriotic spirit is back.”

Carol Green is equally enthusiastic about the events planned in Ventura. She thinks that the Great Ventura All Star Marching Band will attract more kazoo blowers and pot bangers than ever.

“Here’s a chance for people to march alongside military veterans and their families, and talent is definitely not required. It should be a blast,” she said.

Such is the patriotic fervor in the rest of the county that Ojai had to cancel its annual fireworks show because its Independence Day Committee was unable to book a licensed pyrotechnician to conduct the show.

The committee had secured funds and purchased insurance for the show, but could not find anyone qualified to fire the rockets.

“I guess all the pyrotechnics firms were booked early this year,” said Elaine Willman, administrative assistant to the city manager. “We’ll have to make do with our little hometown parade.”