The South Pasadena Festival of Balloons Fourth of July Parade is Coming!

Buckle up, vintage car afficionados, and take a sweet ride in the South Pas 4th of July Parade

From the 7:00AM Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast to the 9:00PM South Pasadena High School Fireworks Show, July 4th in South Pasadena is jam-packed with all-American, small town goodness. There are many great things about the day's events, but I'm partial to the parade.  (It starts at 11:00AM downtown on Mission Street.)  Take a look at my video above for a vintage car lover's dream array of sweet rides, all gussied-up-for-the-4th.

Click here for a complete schedule of all the activities.

The only thing better than watching the parade is marching in it!

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Parade View

Watching the South Pasadena 4th of July Parade is pretty great ... but marching in it? Unforgettable.

South Pasadena Festival of Balloons

If you are in South Pas and you are reading this at any time on July 4th, then I have one thing to say to you:

What are you doing on the computer? You're missing out on South Pasadena's biggest day of the year!

Today is the 2011 4th of July Festival of Balloons -- a red, white and blue extravaganza that could have been planned by Uncle Sam himself.

It all starts at 7:00AM with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at the firehouse at 817 Mound Avenue. ($7.00 per person, kids 6 and under eat for free!)

Opening ceremonies follow at 10:30AM at the South Pasadena Library Community Room.

The famous Festival of Balloons Parade starts at at 11:00AM at Diamond Avenue and Mission Street. This year's parade theme is "Democracy, a Marathon of Freedom." I have no idea what that actually means but I can promise it will include a whole lot of balloons, streamers, flags and really cute kids waving from wagons, vintage cars and homemade floats.

The parade ends at Garfield Park, but the fun will continue there all afternoon with games, square dancing, food and general 4th of July merriment. (Don't forget sunscreen!)

The Greenest Fastest Mile Race begins promptly at 5:00 at the South Pasadena Library. If you're not running, head on over to the South Pasadena High School. Gates open at 4:30PM for food, picnics on the basketball courts, water games and entertainment. Remember, if you are bringing chairs, make sure they are "track-friendly" with no sharp or pointy legs. (If your legs are sharp and pointy, that's cool. Just don't wear heels that might damage the track.)

The fireworks show will start at the high school field at 9:00PM. Tickets are available for $7.00 at the Pancake Breakfast and Garfield Park in the afternoon or $10.00 at the gate.

For more information, call 626-403-7240. Or, just step outside and join the city-wide party.

South Pasadena Fourth of July Parade 2009 Part 2

South Pasadena's exquisite collection of vintage automobiles made the Fourth of July Festival of Balloons parade a thrill on wheels. These three antique beauties were just the beginning. Want to see more? Cruise on over to my overflow blog for enough sweet rides to drive car aficionados right into shock. (Don't say I didn't warn you...)

View from the Parade, Part 1

I knew South Pasadena was magical but this is downright miraculous ... Abe Lincoln himself showed up to be a part of the Fourth of July Festival of Balloons parade!

All kinds of other magic and merriment took place along Mission Street yesterday. Take a look here at my overflow blog for a collection of parade images. (And be sure to check back tomorrow for more. Want a hint? Let's just say the parade must be the one event every year that brings out ALL of South Pasadena's vintage cars...)

Fourth of July Celebration

Every lamp post on Mission Street is decked out in patriotic finery for the annual South Pasadena Festival of Balloons. Don't let the name confuse you ... it's all about the parade. That's right: a real, old-fashioned, Mayberry-worthy, small-town parade complete with shiny fire trucks, marching bands and, as the name would suggest, hundreds upon hundreds of balloons.

Festivities start bright and early with a Kiwanis Club-sponsored pancake breakfast from 7:00 to 1100AM at the firehouse. Then, when everyone is well-fed and caffeinated, the parade begins. It takes off at Mission and Diamond and makes its way down to the big picnic at Garfield Park. At 5:00PM, the South Pasadena football field serves a dual purpose as buffet line and dance floor with food, family fun and entertainment all the way up to the South Pasadena Rotary Club-sponsored fireworks extravaganza at 9:00PM. (I know those fabulous Rotarians -- and they are sure to put on a great show.)

As faithful GOSP-reader Dbdubya commented yesterday, "no one celebrates the Fourth of July like South Pasadena." (Find out more about the Festival of Balloons right here. And for other wonderful Fourth of July musings/images/video from other local bloggers, be sure to check out altadenahiker, Petrea at Pasadena Daily Photo, and pasadena adjacent. )