The World’s Shortest Parade kicks off the July 4 holiday in Aptos at 10 a.m. before the party continues at Aptos Village Park with live music from the Joint Chiefs and lots of other fun.
The parade route begins at the corner of Soquel Drive and State Park Drive, then continues along Soquel Drive to Parade Street. Roads close at 9:30 a.m. The Party in the Park begins at 11 a.m. and lasts until 4 p.m. Besides music there will be craft and food vendors, beer, face painting, a kids zone and more. A $5 donation is requested.
The parade’s grand marshal is Santa Cruz County’s firefighters — all of them.
Since 2021, Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County has faithfully served the communities of Aptos, Capitola, La Selva Beach, Live Oak, Rio Del Mar, and Soquel. Santa Cruz County Fire Department includes stations in Big Creek, Corralitos, Davenport, and McDermott. In the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley areas, there are multiple fire protection districts. The primary fire departments serving these areas include the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District and the Ben Lomond Fire Protection District. Additionally, the Zayante Fire Protection District and the Felton Fire Protection District also serve portions of the San Lorenzo Valley.
Back in the early days of Aptos and La Selva, our friends and neighbors were the default “firefighters” of the day. In 1912, after a large, catastrophic fire in Aptos, neighbors pooled their resources to buy 250 feet of hose, while local businessmen chipped in to get a fire bell for the center of town.
While not organized, if that fire bell rang, the local store would pull out the hose, while sur-rounding residents gathered to fight the fire. By 1924, they had a volunteer fire department, under Fire Chief George Hoke.
With the help of the Chamber of Commerce and other key members of the community, an established Aptos Fire Department opened up next to the Bayview Hotel, with Ralph Mattison as Chief, and a new Model A Truck was purchased.
The Aptos Fire Department became the first certified First Aid Station in Santa Cruz County in 1936, and along with many of the other local county departments, acted as Citizen Corps during WWII. They were also the first department to have paramedics on the engine, begin-ning with a pilot program in 1978.
By 1986, they merged with the La Selva Beach Fire Department, and continued serving the public in all kinds of hazards, up through the eventual consolidation with Central Fire Pro-tection District.
The parade is presented by the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, which reminds everyone to not block the sidewalk or walkways with blankets or chairs before the parade.
Fourth of July T-Shirts are available for $20 and can be bought at the Aptos Chamber office.
For more info, go to aptoschamber.com.