Sky’s the Limit, Say Celebration Organizers

With the promise of sunny weather and a fairly clear night sky, Orange County residents are guaranteed great tan lines, music galore and booming fireworks shows in virtually every city in the county today.

From a gigantic parade on Main Street in Huntington Beach to rock-and-roll revivals in Fountain Valley and Santa Ana, Orange County will be immersed in red, white, and blue. And while there was plenty of last-minute hand-wringing among event organizers Wednesday, they vowed that Independence Day celebrations in the county will top past public parties.

“This will be the all-time best,” said Newport Dunes fireworks coordinator Charlie Yates, who will help blast off 850 rockets tonight. “Since Desert Storm, everyone has been proud to be an American.”

More than 300,000 people are expected to line Main Street for Huntington Beach’s blockbuster parade, the county’s largest with more than 3,000 entries, including 27 floats, 15 equestrian units and 10 marching bands. The 87th annual parade, which begins at 10 a.m., will feature Desert Storm soldiers and veterans from previous wars.

“It’s the longest running parade west of the Mississippi,” boasts David Kelly, spokesman for the city of Huntington Beach. The grand marshal will be Maj. Gen. Royal N. Moore Jr., commanding general of the Marine Air Wing Unit based in El Toro, and one of three Medal of Honor recipients featured in the parade.

In addition to the parade, Huntington Beach will host a breakfast at the Seacliff Center parking lot, where volunteers will flip pancakes on portable stoves starting at 7 a.m. Diners can then work off the carbohydrates by entering an 8-kilometer run sponsored by the March of Dimes.

The city of Orange will celebrate the holiday with its first Independence Faire, a mix of activities celebrating the Fourth of July and the return of military personnel from the Persian Gulf.

Sponsored by the Department of Community Services and local nonprofit organizations, the Welcome Home for the Troops festivities will begin with a $3 pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at American Legion Post 132, at 143 S. Lemon St., followed by a free party until 5 p.m. in the parking lot featuring oldies music, dance performances and other entertainment.

Rock fans can roll over to Fountain Valley or Santa Ana to see music legends perform. At Mile Square Park legendary deejay Wolfman Jack will host the “American Graffiti” revue at 2 p.m. in the ninth annual Fountain Valley Fiesta.

In Santa Ana, Little Anthony of “Tears on My Pillow” fame and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra, a Latin jazz band, will perform for about 7,000 residents expected to attend the city’s 10th Fourth of July celebration.

And of course, there are fireworks shows--tons of them. Since most cities in the county have banned fireworks, tens of thousands of people are expected to head to community-sponsored pyrotechnic shows.

City fire departments warn residents that patrols looking for illegal fireworks will be out in force. An eight-member team will be working in Huntington Beach to respond only to fireworks incidents, said Deputy Fire Marshal Chuck Burny. Last year, the patrol confiscated 14,477 fireworks, including bottle rockets that often land on rooftops and put homes at risk of fire. The patrol will also be prepared to hand out citations; the minimum fine is $250.

With countless thousands of people expected to head to the beaches during the day and to the shows at night, Caltrans spokesman Steve Saville advises drivers to avoid crowded routes like the Costa Mesa Freeway, where traffic jams leading to beach communities are expected to last throughout the holiday.

“If you expect to get anywhere on July 4 and the rest of the weekend, just go early,” Saville said.

Times correspondents Mary Helen Berg and John Penner contributed to this report.

FIRING UP

Pyrotechnics, baseball and music brighten Fourth. OC Live!