American tradition of 'saving spots' for fireworks hits Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Watching a hometown 4th of July parade is a tradition across America. But in the Bay Area, where competition is fierce for spots of any kind, from parking to pre-school -- the race is on to save the right spot.

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Lawn chairs are for lounging, unless it's the 4th of July. Then, they're for saving spots on the parade route. Many Bay Area cities are seeing a revival of this small town tradition, including Morgan Hill, Alameda, and Danville.

In Morgan Hill, where they're celebrating their 141st 4th of July parade, chairs started popping up near the end of May.

They have been roped together by folks staking out spots on Peak Avenue. Organizers encourage enthusiasm.

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"I grew up in Morgan hill. I marched in the parade as a kid and I want my family to enjoy it as much as we did growing up," said Morgan Hill resident Skylar Thornton.

In Danville, the town encourages the use of chairs to mark spots versus chalk or tape, which are not allowed.

To preserve the look of downtown, oficials are asking people not to put out their chairs until 6 p.m. Monday night. Though, there were plenty of violators Monday afternoon.

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