Some Galleries of Past Julian 4th of July Parades

Lou Ladue, Julian’s once-upon-a-time town uncle, joins the parade outside his coffee shop.
2020 has been a constant reminder of the fragility of our human place on our planet. We were compelled to miss most of our happy traditions this year, the Fourth of July being the hardest-hit with event cancellations strewn across the US. Especially affected were small town celebrations and Julian’s was among the most disappointing. 2014 was a sad year for the Julian parade as well, when a wildfire raging into the pass threatened the town exactly when floats were assembling.
We still hold it true that whenever Julian’s 4th of July Parade is on, it’s right on. Parade-goers would agree that Julian’s offering might very well win the Best of Small Town category, if there were such a category in a national contest. It truly gets better every year, including the appreciation of spectators, but the red, white and blue adornments all over town have multiplied like a chain of fireworks. For a tiny town, it’s really a massive show put on by a nucleus of caring people. In 2015, attendance records were broken with all three of Julian’s city blocks lined with spectators three or four deep, helping to heal that disappointment of 2014’s last-minute cancellation.
The pandemic continues to block our means to convene celebrations of any sort. There is consolation, however, if we sort out photos of past parades to relive them—and we have done just that—we picked some of our favorites and they’ve been assembled in the galleries below. With time, with fresh enthusiasm, the sidewalks of downtown Julian will be filled with spectators and their cameras once again.

A rescue plane demonstrates daring aerobatics before the many floats and bands come streaming by.
What’s it like to see the parade, if you’ve never attended? Well, vintage fighter planes put on a breathtaking air show most years, making dozens of passes in single and multi-plane formations against the mountain blue sky. This happens just before the marchers, the dancers and and the “floats” roll down Main Street, USA. One of the entries will receive the most humorous prize. For example, in 2015 that went to the weed-whacker hot dog brigade—costumed with buns, mustard and ketchup and pretending to mow the overgrown grass on Main Street. In past years, similar brigades were seen as Elvis impersonators (banner above) and even nasty girl scouts with chain saws. Spectators are treated to several area pageant winners, like Miss Julian, Miss Borrego Springs and Miss Lakeside, as well as Miss California of 2014 and Mrs. California of 2014.
A big emphasis in the parade are historical callings, which are quite expected by anyone attending and of course these don’t disappoint. With a comfy lawn chair and umbrella along the sidewalk, historical entries go quite well with the buildings from the 1800s up and down Main Street. In the past, parade entries have celebrated local memories, circa 1900 and before, when Julian was a vibrant gold mining town and part of the greater American West, remembered by its farms, its old farm machinery, the raising of livestock, the work of cowboys, riding buckboards, stagecoaches, mules and horses, walking to school, building cabins in homes, harvesting orchards, attending church, supplying saloons, attending town dances, performing local plays and concerts, entering beauty contests, praising first responders (especially firemen!), remembering veterans and our patriotic values and the old pioneers, too, and of course tending kids. Naturally, as times have evolved, the parade has also reflected the new things that have made Julian a haven for wide expression.
Click on any photo below for its best viewing size in the galleries. Once inside a gallery, you can operate manual slide show buttons and return to this page by clicking the “X” in the upper right of any photo frame. All the photos are fairly high resolution, so fast Internet works best and please give the page time to load.
Scenes from Julian’s 4th of July Parade, 2015…
Photos by Barbara Swanson
More scenes from 2015…
Photos by Lee
Scenes from 2011…
Photos by Barbara Swanson
More scenes from 2011…
Photos by Lee
Scenes from 2009…
Photos by Lee
Scenes from 2008…
Photos by Barbara Swanson
Scenes from 2006…
Photos by Lee
Scenes from 2000…
Photos by Lee
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