Send in the Clown, the Runners, and the Fireworks!

Pacific Palisades celebrates the Fourth of July in spectacular fashion, starting with the 8:15 a.m. 5K/10K Will Rogers Race and the 10 a.m. Youth Triathlon. At 2 p.m. the Palisades Americanism parade begins on Via de la Paz and finishes at the Palisades Recreation Center. Live music at Palisades Charter High’s football stadium starts at 7 p.m. with fireworks lighting up the sky at 9 p.m. ‘ Early Parade Chairs Nixed “The Bureau of Street Services reminds the community that no spectator chairs should be placed along the parade route prior to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 3,” said Andrea Epstein in Councilman’s Bill Rosendahl’s office. “All obstructions placed on City property prior to that time will be confiscated.” ‘ Patriotic Pups in 12th Year A parade tradition since 1995, “civic-minded” dogs march in the parade with their owners. Your dog must be comfortable in the company of horses, other dogs and large crowds. You must provide water for your own dog and keep him or her under your control at all times. The group will gather under the trees at Palisades Elementary and will march relatively early in the parade. Contact: Marilyn Haaker at 454-6430. ‘ Kids on Bikes All ages of children encouraged to decorate and ride their bikes in the parade. Helmets are necessary. Call 454-4896 or e-mail leonhause@aol.com for more information. ‘ Street Closures Starting at 7 a.m. the Huntington Palisades, including Alma Real, Corona Del Mar and Toyopa, will be closed for the Will Rogers Race. In addition, Sunset from Almalfi to Monument will be closed in both directions. The roads will re-open after the race course is cleared at approximately 11 a.m. The parade route, including parts of Via de La Paz, Sunset, Drummond, Toyopa, La Cruz and Alma Real in front of the Rec Center will be closed starting at 1:30 p.m. Those streets will re-open at approximately 4 p.m. or after the parade route is cleaned. Bowdoin Street in front of the Palisades Charter High School will close at 7 p.m. and re-open after the fireworks at approximately 9:30 p.m. People are reminded to observe the barricades and should not try to remove them. They are up for safety reasons. ‘ Ralphs Closed All Day Ralphs on Sunset, which is normally open 24 hours a day, will close at midnight on July 3 and re-open at 7 a.m. July 5. The store’s parking lot is used for a staging area for the parade’s equestrian units as well as the site for the V.I.P. grandstands. ‘ No More Hot Dogs Jim Stein, an estate agent with Prudential in the Palisades, wanted to “do something for the dogs” this Fourth of July. During last year’s parade, he noticed that the canines marching in the parade, called the “Patriotic Pups,” were burning their paws on the hot concrete. “I had to carry one of my dogs home because she couldn’t walk anymore,” says Stein, who has two lab mixes and a Dalmatian. Stein researched online and found Musher’s Secret, a dense, barrier wax developed in Canada for use with sledding dogs. Applied to the bottom of a dog’s paws, the product is supposed to protect against hot pavement. Stein ordered 100 jars, which he plans to distribute to dog owners on July 4.