CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Cancelled for two pandemic years, Carmichael’s Independence festivities will resume with a bang next weekend.

The July 4 parade and fireworks celebration will occur on separate days.

A $20,000 pyrotechnic show lights up La Sierra Community Center on Saturday, July 2 "' heralded by Tom Petty tribute band Great Wide Open. Concert kick-off is 7 pm.

A free kids zone will feature crafts, inflatables and face-painting. Rockets and the 1812 Overture thunder at 9:30 pm. Organizers recommend dogs should be left at home. No private fireworks are permitted. A beer garden will offer libation.

On Monday, July 4, Carmichael’s famous parade will cover two miles of hot tar between Marconi and Cypress Avenues. A community tradition since 1959, the pageant is orchestrated by Carmichael Elks. 

District 3 Supervisor Rich Desmond is Grand Marshal. According to Elks Secretary Jim Warrick, the VIP personifies this year’s We the People theme. “Desmond has built his life on caring about people,” Warrick explains. “He was a CHP officer who ran for office to serve his community.”

Carmichael-raised, Desmond has watched the parade since childhood. “On July 4, dad hitched a trailer to our tractor. We kids all piled on board to watch the parade,” recalls Desmond. “Heading down Palm Drive was so exciting. Being Grand Marshal might well be the crowning achievement of my political career.”

Far from a tractor, the supervisor’s 2022 transport is a red vintage Mustang convertible.  Grand Marshal and first parade units roll at 10:30 am. A Sons of the American Revolution color guard marches in advance; almost 600 patriots join the fray.

Go-Karts, Boy Scouts, belly dancers, classic cars, floats, bicycles, Keystone Kops, politicians and clowns follow the siren whoop of fire trucks. Carmichael Chamber of Commerce parades its honorary mayor. Carmichael Improvement District directors will hand out fans. Denim-clad Ophir Prison Marching Band inmates are set to oomph-pa-pa the entire concours.

Bringing up the rear, Del Campo High School student body will field a mighty vanguard of athletes and ROTC flag-bearers.

Fair Oaks Boulevard closes from 10 am till noon for the cavalcade and thousands of spectators traditionally applaud. Biggest crowds accumulate near Carmichael Park corner. At the park clubhouse, Carmichael Kiwanis fortify celebrations with $5 pancake breakfasts.

The parade leads many observers to the Elks Lodge, where dancing, barbecue lunches and swimming are offered. The lodge is located at 5631 Cypress Avenue. La Sierra Center is at 5325 Engle Road. Carmichael Park Clubhouse is at 5750 Grant Avenue.

Parade sponsors include: Kovar’s Karate, El Rancho School, Carmichael Kiwanis, the Carmichael Times, the American Legion and VFW, Carmichael Chamber of Commerce, Blain Stumpf Fencing, Carmichael Improvement District and Carmichael Elks. Firework sponsors include Mission Oaks and Carmichael Park Districts and Gateway Community Charter Schools.