The Fourth of July marks the day when the United States of America approved the Declaration of Independence and officially won its independence from England. This time of celebration comes to us Monday, and so do many local events as America celebrates its 235th birthday.
Celebrations are beginning early with Santa Barbara’s Concerts in the Park series. The event kicks off from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday with the authentic “surf sound” of the Surf City All-Stars, a band of musicians who toured with both the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean.
The free series continues every Thursday night through Aug. 18 at Chase Palm Park. This is the city’s 11th year of Concerts in the Park, which attracts from 4,000 to 5,000 attendees per concert.
Concert-goers are encouraged to bring blankets and food and enjoy a wide variety of music, from the Beatles to contemporary jazz, soul, 1950s and ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll and country.
Montecito Firemen’s Association Pancake Breakfast
The Montecito Firemen’s Association will prepare its annual pancake breakfast Monday. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice, coffee and milk will be served by local firefighters from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the fire district headquarters, 595 San Ysidro Road.
Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the door. All proceeds will go to the Montecito Firefighters Benevolent Fund.
The fund is a nonprofit organization created to offer financial relief for families of local firefighters stricken in the line of duty, fund scholarships for their children, create and maintain a firefighters memorial, and establish a means of receiving contributions.
Montecito Village Fourth of July Parade
The Montecito Village Fourth of July Parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Upper Manning Park and end at Lower Manning Park with food, activities and entertainment from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara-Sparkle July 4 Fireworks
The city of Santa Barbara and Sparkle will co-host a fireworks display beginning at 9 p.m. Fireworks produced by Pyro Spectaculars will launch from West Beach and last about 20 minutes. West Beach is open for free public viewing. There will be food and beverage vendors along Cabrillo Boulevard beginning at 11 a.m.
Live music will be featured beginning at 7 p.m. The entertainment for the free public event includes a 50-piece combo band from the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest.
The 49th annual Spirit of ‘76 Parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Micheltorena Street and proceed down State Street to Old Town Santa Barbara, ending at Cota Street. The event is complete with marching bands, bagpipes, baton twirlers, classic and restored vehicles, as well as groups in the historic costumes of the Revolutionary 1700s.
After the parade, the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Garden, 1100 Anacapa St., will host a patriotic concert from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a lineup of local talent. Notable vocalists such as the Santa Ynez Valley Choral Society, Deborah Bertling, Andy LoRusso, Gary Smith, Megan Wilson and pianist Bryan Andrew Tari will take attendees down memory lane with some of America’s favorite traditional tunes.
Noozhawk will there with a lemonade stand, passing out free lemonade as refreshments.
Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration
Stow House at Rancho La Patera, 304 N. Los Carneros Road, will host its 37th annual Fourth of July celebration in an old-time atmosphere from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be live music, hay rides, a barbecue, museum tours, games and races, pony rides, local artists, classic cars, and beer provided by Hollister Brewing Co.
Tickets are $6 for adults and free for children under 12.
The Goleta Fireworks Festival is a family friendly event at Girsh Park, 7050 Phelps Road, where kids can enjoy inflatable jumpers, face painting and more. This is an alcohol-free event. The event will begin at 4 p.m. and conclude with a fireworks display beginning at 9 p.m.
All children’s games are free with the price of admission. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 3 to 12.
All proceeds will benefit the charitable works of the Rotary Club of Goleta and Goleta Noontime Rotary (including Goleta Teen of the Year).
Volunteers are still needed for the event. Students can earn community service hours. There are two shifts: 3:30 to 6:45 p.m. and 6:30 to 10 p.m. There will be breaks for the fireworks show, and volunteers can see the fireworks for free. During the shifts there will be food, water and restroom breaks. To sign up, contact Connie Burns at connieburns12@aol.com or call 805.967.6166.
Canary Hotel Celebration
The Canary Hotel, 31 W. Carrillo St., is hosting a barbecue on its star-spangled rooftop, The Perch, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. There will be a spectacular view of the fireworks, all-American food, including burgers and hot dogs, homemade potato salad, s’mores and beer. Dancing will also be part of the festivities, to the tunes of DJ Sparx and trumpeter Rico Delargo. The fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Call 877.548.3237 or click here to purchase tickets online.
Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District
On Monday, all Santa Barbara MTD buses will be on a Sunday schedule, while some services will be affected by the parade and fireworks display.
Before the fireworks, the State Street Shuttle Service (25 cents) will provide service every 10 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., between the Dolphin Fountain and Sola Street. Service will break for the parade from noon to 3 p.m. When Lower State Street is closed to traffic, the shuttles will turn around at Guitierrez Street and will not serve the Dolphin Fountain after that time.
The Waterfront Shuttle Service (25 cents) will provide service between the harbor and the Santa Barbara Zoo every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or as long as Cabrillo Boulevard remains open to traffic.
After the fireworks display, for $1.75, MTD will provide buses departing from the Downtown Transit Center, 1020 Chapala St., as follows:
» Line 1, Westside Santa Barbara, 10:20 p.m.
» Line 5, The Mesa, 10:15 p.m.
» Line 11, UCSB via State/Hollister, 9:30 a.m, 10:20 p.m., 10:50 p.m.
» Line 20 Carpinteria via Coast Village/Summerland, 10:50 p.m.
» Line 24x, Express to Camino Real Marketplace via UCSB, 9:45 and 10:50 p.m.
The downtown Transit Center will close for the day at 6 p.m. Monday. For more information, click here or call 805.963.3366.
— Noozhawk intern Erin Stone can be reached at estone@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.