Red, white and blue entries, many emitting a floral scent, traveled through Lompoc on Saturday morning for the 73rd Annual Flower Festival Parade.

More than 50 entries participated in the procession along North H Street and West Ocean Avenue. 

The four-day Flower Festival began Thursday and continues through Sunday at Ryon Memorial Park, on West Ocean Avenue near South O Street.

The theme of this year’s event, “America in Bloom: 250 Years” led to floats, dancers and elected officials sporting red, white and blue.

Riding in a place of honor was Dave Baker, joined by his family — wife Teresa plus their children, Cameron, Aubrianna and Raymond — all wearing flower-themed attire. 

Baker, whose volunteer work led to the creation of a bike park and who now is focused on creating a public trail network in the Lompoc Valley, said he felt proud but a tad weird to be in the spotlight. 

“I’m a bit embarrassed by it, to be honest, because I’m being recognized for leading a group of people that do a lot of good things,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of people that should be in this car, really.

“That’s really my biggest message is I’m just leading a lot of people that are doing a lot of good things for the community between trails, the bike park, the work we do at the high school.”

Baker, a lifelong Lompoc resident and Lompoc High School class of 1993 graduate, has volunteered extensively throughout Lompoc as a youth sports coach, community leader and advocate. 

He serves as lead coordinator for the Every 15 Minutes program, chairman of the Lompoc Trails and River Bend Bike Park Committee, and as a member of the Lompoc Parks and Recreation Commission. He has also led numerous fundraising efforts supporting cancer awareness and local families in need.

For 28 years, Baker has worked for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District where he rose to the rank of captain. A former member of the Vandenberg Hot Shots specialized wildland firefighting crew, Baker also teaches at the Allan Hancock College Fire Academy.

As participants waited for the procession to begin, Flower Festival Queen Haley Munoz and her court recognized other royalty — a Lompoc Valley Animal Shelter dog dubbed Princess. 

A shelter volunteer lifted the leashed white dog onto the float, where Princess soaked up the attention from Munoz plus Lorena Febo, who along with Alexyis “Lexi” Jones,  Ke’Yarah Martinez and Nicole Urtusuastegui, made up the 2026 Flower Festival Queen court. 

The Flower Festival gates will open at 11 a.m. Sunday while the Helm and Sons Amusement carnival rides will begin operating at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Sunday’s performers will include Pacific Legends at 11:30 a.m., Live and Laugh at 12:30 p.m., Garcia Dance Studio at 1:15 p.m., Gruopo Vindicta at 3:30 p.m., and Banda La Invasora at 5 p.m. 

Admission to the park, filled with food booths, vendors, a beer garden and more, is $7 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 11 and free for children 5 and  younger.

The nonprofit Lompoc Valley Festival Association and its army of volunteers spearhead planning for the event. 

For more information, a list of food vendors, schedules and more, go to the festival website at lompocvalleyfestivals.com, the Facebook page by clicking here or the Instagram page available here.

Lompoc’s parade was one of two planned in North County in a week. The Santa Ynez Valley Independence Day Parade will travel through Solvang starting at 10 a.m. July 4 with some of the same participants.

Carpinteria also marked its Fourth of July celebration with a parade on Saturday afternoon.