50,000 Ring In Fourth of July With a Bang : Ventura: Gun Club offers booming tribute to holiday at 18th annual Street Fair. Visitors check out 450 craft and food booths and reflect on their freedom.

Two-year-old Kevin Probasco of Ventura sat cross-legged Sunday in Mission Park, squeezed his eyes shut and wedged his index fingers tightly into his ears.

Moments later, the Ojai Valley Gun Club Muzzle Loaders rattled off dozens of rounds from their replica muskets and an antique cannon boomed, sending a foggy plume of smoke swirling into the sky.

“It’s too loud!” screamed his sister, Kelly, 6, while Kevin squirmed as the tissue-and-gunpowder pellets rang out like live ammunition.

The young Probascos, supervised by their parents, Phil and Karen, were four among an estimated 50,000 or more people who meandered through downtown Ventura to celebrate Independence Day with a bang and a smile.

Although the once-perennial Ventura pre-dawn fireworks extravaganza has fallen victim to city budget cuts, Fourth of July revelers had plenty to take in Sunday.

Hundreds of children streamed down Main Street in a Pushem-Pullem Parade with the theme “Fantasy Under the Sea.” One enterprising youngster negotiated the route in a handcrafted replica of a yellow submarine.

More than 450 arts-and-crafts booths lined eight blocks along a closed-off Main Street between Fir Street and Ventura Avenue, with volunteers at dozens of food booths raising funds for various causes and representatives of nonprofit agencies hawking free brochures and information.

“I’m kind of a history buff, and this is my period,” boasted Charles Bates, chairman of the Ojai Valley Gun Club, who was dressed as a Revolutionary War soldier. “Fighting for independence, the struggle to be able to have a voice in your destiny. It fascinates me.”

For an overworked Art Willison of Ventura, the traditional holiday meant more time to spend with his family. His 3-year-old daughter, Whitney, rested nearby, listening to the tunes of Maricopa, a local band.

“We’ve been working a whole bunch, so we’ve been looking forward to Fourth of July to unite with each other,” said Willison, who owns a construction company. “And the Street Fair’s always fun.”

Organizers estimated that this year’s turnout was even larger than in 1992.

“We’re promoting the downtown and it’s an avenue for the nonprofit organizations to bring in revenues,” said Kathy Stoutz, assistant director of special events for the city of Ventura, which sponsored the daylong fair.

“We’re bringing people in from all over,” she said. “What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than to eat a bunch of food and shop till you drop?”

Among the nonprofit groups at the event were the Coalition to Stop Weldon Dump, the National Organization for Women and the Ventura Downtown Lions Club.

Things turned heated for a short time when a NOW volunteer registering voters was confronted by an opponent of abortion. “Register to kill babies, register to kill babies,” shouted the protester, who declined to give her name.

Meanwhile, merchants stood outside storefronts, taking advantage of the largest downtown crowd of the year. Karen Hoh of Karen’s Bakery & Deli said business was four times that of a usual Sunday.

“Can’t talk now,” she uttered between customers. “Too busy.”

For most, the 18th annual Ventura Street Fair was a chance to stroll by craft booths and reflect on their freedom.

“To me, the Fourth of July stands for spectacular victories and winning a major battle for independence,” said Norm Hoffman, an attorney from Calabasas sporting an American flag across his T-shirt.

“The festivals remind me of Hometown, U.S.A.,” the former Marine said. “The parade was great and it’s a great place to people-watch.”

U.S. Army Reserve field medic Michael Neelon, monitoring head- and stomachaches in the first-aid booth at the corner of Oak and Main streets, said Independence Day is more than a chance to display patriotism.

“There are certain things we’re able to do as Americans, like voting,” he said. “More people complain, but they’re not out there voting.”

* RELATED STORY: B9

* Regional Celebrations: While the meaning of the spirit of 1776 may have eluded some, Southern Californians did not let the pleasure of the holiday escape them. Page 9.