Redwood City celebrates 150th anniversary with 4th of July parade
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- In Redwood City, there was a battle of the bands on the Fourth of July and the city is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a big red, white and blue birthday.
And what better way to get the party started than with a big parade.
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The grand marshal of this year's parade is award-winning director-choreographer and Redwood City native Kenny Ortega, who helped create Disney's "High School Musical" franchise, along with many other hits.
Ortega credits his alma mater. "It was four years drama at Sequoia High School and music that really gave me the foundation that enabled me to move forward," he said.
Families were divided over one very loud competition at the parade -- the 18th Annual 4th of July Battle of the Bands to determine the best marching band, UC Davis or Stanford.
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Davis had the numbers but Stanford's tree and Wonderwoman packed a lot of punch.
"It's not just a day, a 4th of July day. The idea is serving each other," U.S. Marine Corps veteran George Silva said.
Amid the hoopla, leave it to the 40-year Marine Corps veteran to remind us what being American really means. "Let's get rid of the politics and remember we're all people," Silva said.
Tuesday's endless parade of fun is ending with a bang. At 9:30 p.m., the fireworks start at the Port of Redwood City.
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