Fourth festivities feature family fun Fourth festivities feature family fun (June 30, 2004)

Jane Knoerle
Almanac Lifestyles Editor

The Fourth of July falls on Sunday this year, making for a weekend of parades, carnivals, the Nor-Cal Junior Rodeo, and a summer symphony with fireworks under the stars.

Menlo Park will celebrate the Fourth of July with a small town parade and a concert in Burgess Park.

Kids and their families are invited to bring decorated tricycles and bikes, red wagons, antique cars, floats and pets to the Wells Fargo parking lot at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, July 4, to assemble for the parade.

The parade starts at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Santa Cruz Avenue and Chestnut Street and makes its way to Burgess Park.

Since the Burgess playing fields are undergoing renovation, festivities have been moved to the lawn of Menlo Park Library, where a free concert will be held from noon to 2 p.m. There will be face painting, crafts, and games for the kids and food will be available for sale. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on.

Woodside rodeo

The Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County presents its 54th annual Woodside Norcal Junior Rodeo at the Mounted Patrol Grounds in Woodside. There will be plenty of action with cowboys and cowgirls under age 18 taking part in bull riding, steer and calf riding, barrel racing, and team roping. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. with main events starting at noon.

A smorgasbord of food will be available and the petting zoo will be open all day. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for youth under 18, and free for children under 8.

A barbecue and dance hosted by the Mounted Patrol will be open to the public on Saturday, July 3, at the patrol grounds, beginning with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.

Music will be provided by the Plain James Band from Capitola. Dinner is $15 for adults and $6 for children. Dancing is $10 extra.

For more information call Bob James, Junior Rodeo chairman, at 851-8300.

Redwood City

Redwood City is expecting a cast of thousands for its 65th annual Fourth of July parade through its downtown area, beginning at 10 a.m. from the corner of Brewster Avenue and Willow Street. This year's theme is a "Seussentennial: a Century of Imagination," celebrating the 100th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birth in 1904. A downtown arts and crafts festival follows the parade.

A fireworks display will be held at 9:30 p.m. from the Port of Redwood City. Before the fireworks there will be a free concert at the Port of Redwood City outdoor stage from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Fred McCarty and Company Band will entertain.

Just before the fireworks display, a tall ship replica of an 18th century gun ship, The Royalist, will sail into view of shoreline spectators. The firing of her cannons will be choreographed to open the fireworks extravaganza.

Woodside Terrace A.M. Kiwanis Club will present its annual July Fourth carnival in a new location this year -- at the corner of Veterans Boulevard and Middfield Road in the county government parking lot. The carnival will feature a variety of rides for the entire family, from the Ferris Wheel to the Dragon Wagon. The carnival will be open on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Stanford

Stanford Lively Arts will host its pre-Independence Day celebration at the campus' Frost Amphitheater on Friday, July 2. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the event will include a performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, followed by a fireworks display. Admission is $36 for both lawn or chair seating. Admission for youths 15 and under is half price. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m.

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