Community Corner
Novato Fourth of July Parade Brings Out Stars, Stripes and Smiles
19th annual holiday parade gets a thumbs up from thousands of spectators.
It was another fantastic Novato Fourth of July Parade, made possible by countless volunteers, about 100 entries and hundreds more participants. The parade route along Grant Avenue was lined with families kicking back in lawn chairs and wearing red, white and blue garb.
The 10 a.m. start time — an hour earlier than usual — not only avoided the most brutal heat of a 95-degree day but allowed paradegoers to proceed with other fun plans for the rest of the day. The special flyovers by a C17 cargo plane, a biplane, a helicopter and a squadron of Cold War-era propeller-drive fighter planes gave people a thrill.
Novato Patch participated as a parade entry for the first time; special thanks to driver Tim Elsmore (who celebrated his first Fourth of July as a new American citizen) and to Sue Holmes of Moraga for loaning her son-in-law her sharp-looking green 1994 Camaro ragtop. A standing ovation goes to all the organizers, announcers, traffic monitors and all the volunteers who gave us a great show as usual.
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PARADE RESULTS FROM THE JUDGES
Marching Category
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1st – Pini Hardware Drill Team
2nd – U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team
3rd – Nave Patrola
Live Music Category
1st – Bushmills' Irish Pipers of San Francisco
2nd – Contra Band
Float Category
1st – American Cancer Society Novato Relay for Life
2nd – Pleasant Valley School
3rd – Rugani's Haunted House
Non Commercial Category
1st – Family of Charles “Dooley” Stitham
2nd – DNBA Nostalgia Days
3rd – Novato Mothers Club
Commerical Category
1st – Novato Disposal
2nd – Marin Landscape Materials
Horse Category
1st - Novato Horsemans Association
2nd – Petaluma Riding & Driving Club
Animal Category
1st – Golden Gate Basset Rescue
Performance Category
1st – Kyung Ki Taz Kwon Do
2nd – Love 2 Dance
3rd – Z Ultimate Self Defense Studios
Vintage Car Category
1st – Firemans Fund Insurance Company
2nd – Melinda King 1930 Model A
3rd – A & C Auto Air & Radiator
Best Overall Winner
American Cancer Society Novato Relay for Life
