An All-American Parade

Pacific Palisades once again hosted one of the largest day-long Fourth of July celebrations in the United States on Saturday. Starting at 8:15 a.m., Will Rogers Park Ranger Mikal Sandoval sang the National Anthem and Will’s great-granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, sounded the horn to start the 32nd annual Palisades-Will Rogers 5/10K Run. More than 2,600 registered runners headed out along the Huntington Palisades route, with 1,050 of them continuing on a three-mile loop up to Will Rogers State Historic Park. People enjoying breakfast parties lined the race route and cheered on the runners, while several residents made hoses available for runners who needed to cool down. On mile four of the 10K, two young children gamely ran up the hilly switchbacks with their parents. ‘I’ve been in this race for as long as I can remember,’ their father said, ‘and now I’m passing the tradition on to them.’ An hour later, hundreds of children and their parents participated in the Kids Fun Run, a non-competitive half-mile in the Huntington. Shortly after the races ended, people headed home or over to Swarthmore to eat breakfast at The Pantry and Mayberry’s. Next came the traditional VIP buffet at the Methodist Church courtyard, hosted by PAPA (Palisades Americanism Parade Association) and attended by dignitaries, community leaders and donors ($150 or more). Former Notre Dame defensive end Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger, who was made famous by the autobiographical movie ‘Rudy,’ about one man’s ‘impossible’ quest to play for the Fighting Irish, was in attendance. ‘I knew my journey to Notre Dame was important to tell,’ Ruettiger said, ‘because I wasn’t a good scholar or a good athlete, but I had a dream.’ He said he had lost his self-confidence in high school, but regained it after a stint in the Navy, and started to surround himself with people who supported him, before enrolling at Notre Dame. ‘Never get in with people who tell you why you can’t do something,’ said Ruettiger, who believes that dreams can come true with ‘persistence and belief, being patient and having the right people in your life.’ He currently lives in Las Vegas and is a motivational speaker. Major General Richard Mills, commander of the First Marine Division in Camp Pendleton in charge of 25,000 Marines, served as the parade’s reviewing officer. He admitted that when was young, ‘I never thought I’d see the inside of the general’s office.’ One of the best parts of his job is ‘having people come back and tell me how the service changed their life. They say they’re more self-disciplined and more community-oriented.’ Parade Grand Marshal Katie Stam, the current Miss America from Indiana, was busy posting for pictures with various well-wishers. She has made community service and volunteerism her main platform this year, and was happy to learn that volunteers organize the parade and fireworks show every year. ‘Volunteering increases the sense of community,’ said Stam, a senior at the University of Indianapolis. ‘Words only mean so much; it’s actions that speak louder.’ Eight-year-old Chloe Donovan and Emily Masser were selected to ride in the parade with Stam. ‘It’s going to be fun,’ said Donovan, a third grader at Canyon School, who had watched the Miss America pageant on television in January. ‘I wanted her to win.’ Donovan admitted that, like Stam, she is also a singer and her favorite song to sing is ‘America the Beautiful.’ More than 300 guests at the VIP luncheon were treated to pizza, sandwiches, salads, desserts and drinks donated by Beech Street Caf’, Caf’ Vida, Cathay Palisades, Coffee Bean, CVS Pharmacy, Festa State Farm Insurance, Fiesta Feast, Gladstone’s, Mayberry, Modo Mio, Noah’s Bagels, Palisades Garden Cafe, Palisades Pizza, Paolo Ristorante, Party Pizzazz, Pearl Dragon, Robeks, Ronny’s Market, Sandwiches by Cheryel, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell, Viktor Benes Bakery, Village Pantry, Vittorio Ristorante, Vons, Aldersgate Retreat and Veggies by Bobbie. Palisades High graduate Michael Lis, a student of jazz guitarist John Passano and grandson of longtime residents Don and Carolyn Haselkorn, provided background music. He will be attending UC Santa Cruz in September. Promptly at 2 p.m., four members of Carey Peck’s skydiving team sailed their way down to the intersection of Swarthmore Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Fifteen-year parade veteran Scott Smith landed first, followed by former Palisadian Tom Falzone, Rich Piccirilli (in his fourth year) and Peck, who carried the American flag. Parade spectators enjoyed a variety of music from 19 marching groups, ranging from the town’s OomPaPa Band and the First Marine Division Band to the New Orleans Traditional Dixieland Band and three top-flight drum and bugle corps. Kids on Bikes, returning as an organized contingent, was a crowd-pleaser. One of the 30 participants, four-year-old Jacquie, lost a training wheel before the parade started. Her mom, helping her balance as she rode, said, ‘The good thing is by the end of the parade, I think she’ll be able to ride without the training wheels.’ Chocolate and Cinnamon, two miniature dachshunds, were dressed in tutus and joined 70 fellow canines for the Patriotic Pups brigade. In front of the VIP grandstand at Ralphs, nine-year-old Benjie Jacobs carried his Boston terrier, Otis, who was only four months old and looked like he needed a puppy nap. ‘I’m getting tired of walking,’ Jacobs said. By contrast, Leo Fercoli’s dog Pepita, a year-old cockapoo, yapped happily down the parade route. Nearby, Bootsie marched in her 15th parade, accompanied by her owners, Carolyn and Bill Highberger. Long-time resident Ted Mackie commented as he watched the Optimist Club’s drill team go through their semi-precise movements: ‘Everything happens in the Palisades on the Fourth. The rest of the year is just waiting.’ The parade was barely over before a third round of parties got under way. While the BBQ’s were firing up and block parties were getting underway (number 19 for folks on the 1100 block of Fiske Street), a dozen employees of Pyro Spectaculars by Souza finalized their seven-hour set-up for the fireworks that would be shot from the Palisades High quad. At 6:30 p.m., a family-oriented musical concert, featuring the Palisades High Concert Band, singer Mimi Vitale, and three Palisades-connected rock bands (The House Band, The Mayberry’s and the Elevaters) performed for a crowd that eventually grew to an estimated 4,000, filling the stadium grandstands and covering the football/soccer field. ‘PAPA’s first ‘Palisades Rocks the Fourth’ was a big success,’ said Rich Wilken, the volunteer fireworks show coordinator and longtime resident. The concert was followed by a 20-minute ‘Let Freedom Ring’ fireworks display that included 385 aerial explosives and 24 multi-shot effects. During the show, patriotic tunes like ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ and the country-western song ‘I’m Proud to Be an American’ played in the background. ‘ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY BILL BRUNS