LAKE FOREST : Parade to Highlight ‘Memorable’ July 4th

It’s their first year as a city, their first parade--and civic organizers are determined to make their first annual Fourth of July celebration a memorable event.

Parade officials say they have about 100 entries, including more than 20 floats for the Independence Day parade. Highlights will include a special float from the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and a few surprise guests from Disneyland.

Other entries will include marching bands, antique cars and several civic groups.

The parade will start at 10 a.m. at El Toro High School, 25255 Toledo Way, and head west down Toledo Way to Lake Forest Blvd., then move north to Serrano Road where it will end at Heritage Hill Park. Refreshments and commemorative T-shirts will be available at several points along the parade route.

The Lake Forest Activities Committee has also planned two events that will bookend the parade.

At 7 a.m., the El Toro High School athletics department will hold a pancake breakfast that will last until the parade begins. Guests will include Maury Wills, the first major leaguer to steal more than 100 bases in a season, and Manny Mota, who holds the major league record for career pinch hits.

After the parade, the city will hold a ceremony at Heritage Hill Park to commemorate the burial of a 50-year time capsule.