County Has a Real Blast on the Fourth

Replacing John Philip Sousa with Bob Marley and hot dogs with pork satay smothered in peanut sauce, the Tropical Daze celebration in Westlake Village was about as nontraditional an event as could be had on America’s 222nd birthday.

But that didn’t stop throngs of east county residents from wearing their finest reds, whites and blues and having a good time Saturday.

“This is different,” said Newbury Park resident Heidi Bukiema as she sat with her daughter, Emily, munching on malasadas--small, sugar-coated Hawaiian doughnuts minus the hole.

“But the Fourth of July is about having a good time,” she said. “So I think we’ve got that covered.”

From the looks of things, most Ventura County residents had that covered as they flocked to communities from Ojai to Simi Valley for celebrations punctuated by spectacular fireworks shows.

Although the words “Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light” had been substituted by “haka taka aha aha leiki leiki ma ma,” Tropical Daze celebrants were able to do things they wouldn’t have done at other celebrations.

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They performed hula dances and toured vendors’ stalls stocked with spiced incense and carved African fertility dolls.

Held on a lawn outside the Hyatt Hotel and organized by the Rotary Club of Westlake Village Sunrise, the event was actually more of a summer christening than an Independence Day celebration.

It was used to help raise $10,000 toward the purchase and training of a new police dog for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

“The whole intent here is to be that event in the east county that kicks off the summer,” said Randy Strong, co-chairman of the event. “It’s really exciting and even though it’s not a Fourth of July celebration, people are still having a lot of fun.”

Particularly the men, many of whom shelled out a dollar to buy leis from two bikini-clad women who circulated the grounds.

“There was absolutely no way I could say no,” said a smiling Jason Spivey, who bought one of the leis and then posed with the women for a picture. “I probably would’ve bought more if they asked.”

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Although Tropical Daze was certainly a celebration of a different stripe, there were still plenty of more traditional festivities.

For the 23rd year in a row, an estimated 45,000 people clogged Ventura’s Main Street for the traditional street fair.

“Usually we get 35,000 or 40,000 people, but this year it’s just been packed all day long,” fair director Faye Campbell said. “People just seem to fall in love with the fair. . . . I guess it’s just one of those Fourth of July things to do.”

And for the 36th year, Ojai residents came out to celebrate the country’s birthday with a parade spangled with everything from karate-chopping tots to Uncle Sam riding a 10-foot unicycle.

Ojai’s daylong Fourth of July celebration, which ended with a fireworks display at Nordhoff High School, began early Saturday in temperatures cooled by the slate gray skies.

But that wasn’t a problem, parade volunteer Valorie Hunter said. In fact, it was better.

“I’ve been out here when it’s so darn hot you can’t hardly even stand,” she said, rounding up parade floats for their mile-long trek down Ojai Avenue. “So, for me at least, this is preferable.”

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Like most parades, Ojai’s featured the standard bands and frilly floats. But there was also a cavalry of horses, a fleet of old Model T’s and hordes of bicyclists who festooned themselves and their two-wheeled rides with patriotic colors and little flags.

Dave Sibley, a self-proclaimed parade aficionado, said Ojai’s effort was the best of all the parades he had seen in his 39 years.

“This is a really great parade,” the Meiners Oaks resident said as he hoisted his 5-year-old daughter, Amber, onto his shoulders. “Everybody’s here to celebrate and have a good time.”

For students of Ojai Valley School, however, there was a little more at stake.

For the past three years, the students’ float has won Best of Show in the parade competition and they wanted to make sure that crown stayed home.

“OVS is the best, OVS is the best,” the dozen or so youngsters chanted as their float--a collection of 4-foot mock firecrackers and American flags atop the back of a flatbed truck--pulled onto the parade route.

“These kids have really worked hard on this and they really want to win,” said the school’s art teacher, Dyfed Pritchard. “But there’s a lot of competition out here today.”

A crowd favorite was the legion of pint-sized taekwondo enthusiasts who performed katas--martial arts warmup exercises--and faux battles while keeping their eyes on the lookout for the numerous horse apples that transformed portions of the route into an obstacle course.

The parade ended in Sarzotti Park, where celebrants munched on food, danced and reveled in a fun time spent with family and friends.

“I think this is Ojai’s best party because everybody’s here to have a good time, including myself,” said Roxye McNeil, who helped organize the celebration.