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Barbara Wamboldt, Honorary Grand Marshal for Sierra Madre’s annual
Fourth of July Parade. Photo by Terry Miller

Four live musical performances and, of course, the annual Fourth of July Parade are the main features in a three-day-long Fourth of July celebration that kicks off on Sunday, July 2.

Sunday, July 2: The Mike Henebry Orchestra will play big band jazz music under the stars in Memorial Park’s band shell, starting at 7 p.m.

Monday, July 3: The Sheds, three young brothers playing classic rock tunes and their own original music, open the evening’s music at 5 p.m. in Memorial Park. At 6 p.m., the Aluminum Marshmallow plays oldies and classic rock from the 60s and 70s. The third annual “Bubble-Wrap Fireworks-O-Rama,” especially popular with the kids, will take place that night on the dance floor. Starting at 5 p.m., the beer garden will be open, along with food stands hosted by several nonprofit groups.

Tuesday, July 4: The annual Fourth of July Parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. This year’s parade will be led by Grand Marshals Toni Buckner and Judy Webb-Martin, both co-chairs of the Centennial Committee that is preparing for Sierra Madre’s 100-year birthday celebration in 2007. Honorary Grand Marshal Barbara Wamboldt is an outstanding educator who just retired from Sierra Madre School.

The Fourth of July Parade features about 100 entries and lasts about 90 minutes. The parade starts at Sunnyside Ave. and Sierra Madre Blvd. and proceeds east through town. [Read the full parade line-up.]

After the parade, the party continues in Memorial Park with the Community Picnic. The Sierra Madre Civic Club will host old-fashioned games like sack races and balloon tosses on the park’s south lawn. At noon the Night Blooming Jazzmen will play traditional dixieland jazz under the shade trees on the east side of the band shell. Food and beer will be available for sale in the park.

The all-volunteer Sierra Madre Fourth of July Committee, led by Hank Landsberg, organizes and sponsors the Fourth of July festivities. It takes the committee about five months to plan the events.

Dontations for the activities can be mailed to the Fourth of July Committee, P.O. Box 1073, Sierra Madre, CA 91025-1073.

Check back this week on inSierraMadre.com for more information about the Fourth of July events, including photos and bios of the parade’s grand marshals and information about the bands.