SALINAS VALLEY — The beginning of July has kicked off with plenty of outdoor celebrations in the Salinas Valley, starting with Fourth of July events held throughout the region, followed by last Saturday’s car show that included nearly 400 vehicles filling most of Front Street in Soledad.
In Gonzales on July 4, the day began with the Ninth Annual Gonzales RX Pharmacy Orange and Black 5K that started and ended at Central Park. The event drew nearly 200 runners and walkers, along with parents that pushed their young children in strollers.
At noon, a parade that included the Gonzales High School band, low riders, service groups, Little League All-Star teams and plenty of horses traveled along a route into downtown Gonzales.
Paul Guzman was the parade’s grand marshal. He was honored for his work as a veteran and involvement in the Gonzales American Legion Post 81.
Gonzales’ Fourth of July celebration was sponsored by the Gonzales Rotary, the City of Gonzales and Silva Farms.
A large crowd then gathered at Central Park to enjoy the Rotary’s famous ribs barbecue, enchiladas, cotton candy and snow cones, along with an assortment of sweet treats. Music was provided during the afternoon by Los Survivors, the Chicano All-Stars and Los Reyes De La Banda, with sound provided by DJ Sonido Bravo.
In Soledad, the Star Spangled Children’s Parade kicked off the city’s Fourth of July event at noon, with many participants dressed in patriotic attire. Four-legged companions also trekked from Main Street Middle School to the Soledad Little League Park for the free party.
The community celebration was centered at the park with food booths, pie-eating contests, best patriotic pets and their owners, family games, watermelon-eating contests and many other fun games. Music was provided by the Patty Kistner Band, Banda Zyryz and La Brillante De Michoacan.
The City of Soledad sponsored the July 4 activities, along with Soledad Parks and Recreation Department and the Soledad Fourth of July Committee. Many nonprofits benefited from the event, which also included the annual fireworks show in the evening.
In Greenfield, the community gathered at Patriot Park for the City of Greenfield’s annual Fourth of July celebration. The family-friendly event featured various booths, games and activities, along with a fireworks show at dusk.
Greenfield Recreation Department helped organize this year’s celebration.
“A huge shout-out to Jesus and his amazing team at the Greenfield Recreation Department for putting together a fantastic family-friendly community event,” posted Greenfield Police Department on social media. “Our officers enjoyed the opportunity to engage with all of you, making new friends and catching up with old ones.”
Huge turnout for car show
Last Saturday, the City of Soledad and the Crusaders Car Club hosted the second annual Soledad Hot Summer Days Downtown Car Show and Street Festival. This year nearly 400 cars were on display on Front Street and side streets close to the downtown area.
Categories of cars included classics, customs, lowriders, hot rods, trucks, motorcycles and imports.
Luis Vargas, a Gonzales resident and scout leader for Troop 370 and Pack 370 that participated in the event, felt the car show was a well-managed and fun event.
“This year the car show ran really smooth and was very well managed,” he said. “Our troop sold T-shirts and the profits will benefit the Soledad Police Explorers and Youth Prevention Programs. In Studio Architecture and Stitch ‘Em Up Embroidery sponsored the T-shirts.”
According to committee member and City of Soledad employee Hortencia Vargas, the July 8 event was great for the Soledad Police Explorers and the community of Soledad.
“The second annual Soledad Hot Summer Days car show and street festival was a huge success,” said Hortencia Vargas. “Our 300 cars were on display and over a thousand people visited our community with one purpose in mind; we were excited to raise funds for the Soledad Police Department Explorer Program.”
Soledad Police Department’s Explorer Program is designed to “develop skills and knowledge needed to serve the people of Soledad and prepare them for a bright future,” according to Hortencia Vargas.
“We could not do this without the collaborative effort of the committee that consists of the City of Soledad, Soledad Police Department, the Crusaders Car Club, F&M Auto Repair, Stitch ’Em Up Embroidery and all the generous sponsors. Without them, this event would not have been possible,” he said.
