Templeton parade celebrates Fourth of July holiday with ‘traditional, family fun’
Under a sunny sky on a warm Fourth of July morning, the Rotary Club of Templeton sponsored a parade Sunday to celebrate Independence Day.
The family-friendly, non-political parade’s theme was Hometown Hospitality.
People dressed in red, white and blue lined the sidewalks of Main Street to watch the parade. Some children waved small flags and chanted “U-S-A” as fire trucks, police cars, horses, decorated trucks and more passed by.
Patrick Brooks of Tin City Distillery and Wine Shine and George Numair of BarrelHouse Brewing Co. were the parade’s emcees.
Numair said the holiday is meant to be a celebration of patriotism, but that the meaning can get lost in between barbecues, fireworks and parties.
The Fourth of July is “a celebration of the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of a country based on equality, freedom and opportunity,” Numair said.
Jennifer and Richard Gann attended the parade as new residents of Cambria.
Jennifer Gann said they were looking for “traditional, family fun” on the Central Coast to celebrate Fourth of July.
“This was the closest parade. We got up and got here early to get a spot,” she said.
Richard Gann said he enjoyed seeing the community come together after coronavirus-related restrictions halted large gatherings for more than a year.
“The one thing I haven’t seen today is a mask,” he said. “There’s a lot of great energy. You can really feel the sense of people happy to be back together.”
Templeton resident Sheri Budrow has attended the town’s parade for 17 years. She said the parade is one of her favorite ways to celebrate Independence Day.
“The people here are everything,” Budrow said.
Beth and Chris Collins, who recently moved to San Luis Obispo County, celebrated the holiday at the parade.
“It’s a traditional way to celebrate freedom,” Beth Collins said.
She and her husband said they look forward to bringing their children and grandchildren to the parade next year.
“It’s more meaningful this year because we are on the other side, hopefully, of this nasty COVID situation,” Chris Collins said.
Parade organizers asked people to keep their displays American in theme and nature.
“Please remember this is an American tradition based on American values and liberties,” the parade application stated.
No awards were given to parade participants this year.
