SOLEDAD — Vehicles cruised through Soledad on June 21 for a family parade to celebrate Father’s Day, which was part of a larger celebration at Eden Valley Care Center.
The most recognizable portion was the afternoon parade, where family members drove their fathers from Eden Valley around the city with the help of two Soledad Police Department cars leading the way.
“Every resident that went outside to watch the parade had so much fun and enjoyed watching the families drive by,” said Pamela Hernandez, activity director at Eden Valley. “Residents where waving, smiling, calling out their family’s name and having a great time all within practicing the more than the 6 feet distancing.”
In addition to the parade, the center also hosted festivities for the dads on site. The fathers received baseball caps and a card that read “Happy Father’s Day Papa Bear.”
“Right now, with all the things that are going on, it is utmost important that the residents have some kind of normalcy,” Hernandez said. “It helps the residents and families stay connected with each other in more ways than one. It also helps with the morale of all the residents to be able to see their loved ones.”
Eden Valley hosts annual Father’s Day celebrations, but this year staff had to reconfigure plans to be “outside the box.” Other holiday celebrations go on at the center, with an Independence Day observance planned.
“We will be encouraging all residents and staff to wear red, white and blue,” Hernandez said. “We will have flags posted all over the facility where residents can enjoy and the dietary department will be making some really good refreshments for all residents.”
Hernandez added that the center plans to celebrate Patriot Day on Sept. 11 and Halloween, as well as a few other holidays throughout the year.
