PPCC board members, Karen Ridgley, Diana Daniele, Julia Nielsen, and youth representative Ella Nozar, carry their banner in the Santa Monica Parade. Behind them are (from left to right) Cassandra Rodriguez, Sparkplugs Leslie Campbell and Carlos Rodriguez, S.M. Canyon resident Amy Hopper, PPCC President Sue Kohl, City Councilwoman Traci Park, Citizen of the Year Cindi Young, and Canyon PPCC representative Sharon Kilbride.
Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride

By Laurel Busby

News & Information Editor

The venues may have changed, but the Fourth of July spirit of Pacific Palisades remained strong as residents came together to celebrate and connect Friday.

The morning began with the 5K run along Venice and Abbot Kinney’s boulevards, then shifted to Santa Monica’s Main Street for the Santa Monica Parade, in which more than a dozen Palisades groups, including the Pacific Palisades Community Council, the Oom PaPa Band, and Resilient Palisades, marched or rode down the street with introductions read from the grandstand by Palisadian MCs Sam Lagana and Jimmy Dunne.

In a vintage VW convertible, Canyon resident Sharon Kilbride drove both PPCC President Sue Kohl and Citizen of the Year Cindi Young, who was honored for her exemplary work on the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness. Kilbride’s neighbor, Amy Hopper, chauffeured the two Golden Sparkplugs, Carlos Rodriguez, who also did extensive work for the Task Force, and Leslie Campbell, who has championed the creation of a local dog park.

Pacific Palisades Community Council President Sue Kohl, Citizen of the Year Cindi Young, and Canyon PPCC Representative Sharon Kilbride pose in the vintage Volkswagen that Kilbride drove down the parade route.
Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride

“It was great to see everybody happy, especially because our citizen of the year and both our sparkplugs lost their homes in the fire,” Kilbride said. “It really gave them a lot of joy to be out there and recognized for their efforts. They’re … an inspiration to all of us.”

Exuberance bubbled throughout the event, which also included numerous other Palisades groups, such as the American Legion Post 283, the Palisades Recovery Coalition, the Palisades Forestry Committee, the Chabad of Pacific Palisades, Pali Strong, the Palisades YMCA, the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association, Tahitian Terrace, Palisades P.R.I.D.E., and the Pacific Palisades Community United Methodist Church.

In the afternoon, MC Lagana headed to Paul Revere Middle School to join Kimi Petrick in emceeing the music and drone show at Paul Revere Middle School.

The show attracted 4,000 celebrants, which is about the same number that have attended during previous years, according to Matthew Rodman, the president of Palisades Americanism Parade Association, which organizes the annual event.

Sparkplug Carlos Rodriguez and his daughter Cassandra ride in the Santa Monica Parade.
Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Kilbride

Fun was in the air as kids cavorted in the inflatables, snacked on food from the numerous trucks, and ran around with friends. “Uncle Sam” walked through the crowd on stilts as he normally does in the parade. The PaliHi band played a trio of tunes, then local artist and UCLA student Matty Gottesman led a band of fellow students in playing a snappy, vibrant mix of originals and cover tunes that got members of the crowd dancing.

“It was a very fun, amazing experience to be here,” said Gottesman afterwards, noting that his family lost their Alphabet Streets home in the fire. “It’s a very full circle moment to be here with family and friends to celebrate after a difficult year.”

Before the vibrant cover band Vinyl Jam energized the audience with songs ranging from Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A., MC Lagana introduced the new honorary mayors of Pacific Palisades, married actors Gigi and Ted McGinley. The two placed their hands on the book, Growing Up in Pacific Palisades by Stewart Slavin, and swore to “honor the town of Pacific Palisades with dignity, warmth, and good humor.”

“We’re proud to be Palisadians,” said McGinley, a regular on numerous shows, including Shrinking, Married … With Children, Happy Days, Love Boat, and Dynasty.

Later, actor and former Palisades Honorary Mayor Steve Guttenberg was welcomed in a live video appearance where he encouraged residents to embrace positivity and shared the oft-repeated maxim, “If you’re rich, you live in Beverly Hills. If you’re famous, you live in Malibu. If you’re lucky, you live in Pacific Palisades.”

Palisadian Matty Gottesman and guitarist Ryan Estes.
Photo: Eugene Thompson

Fellow former Honorary Mayors Billy and Janice Crystal, who lost their home of 46 years in the fire, arrived towards the end of the show to share some thoughts with the crowd.

“It’s so great to see so many friends and neighbors that we haven’t seen in so long, and thank you for putting this together,” Janice said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Her husband agreed, and, after a couple of jokes, the actor/comedian said, “We’ve lost a lot, but the things you can never lose are the people who you love and your memories, and all of that is close to your heart. … We will keep moving forward, and next year, we will be putting our chairs out on Sunset Blvd. and waiting for the parade to start.”

Two musical traditions were also renewed. First, third-generation Palisadian Chantal Trent led the singing of This Land Is Your Land, then Rich Wilken, who grew up in the Palisades, introduced a heartfelt thank you to veterans and first responders featuring Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A.

Former Honorary Mayors Janice and Billy Crystal.
Photo: Eugene Thompson

Event organizers Matthew Rodman and Daphne Gronich received grateful applause before Lagana introduced the finale drone show. Then, 250 drones, accompanied by music, drew pictures in the sky and spelled words designed to inspire the crowd.

While the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun played, the word “Resilience” lit up the sky. “Raise Pali,” “Hope,” and “Community” were also spelled out by the drones, and symbols of the beach town, such as a lifeguard shack, a leaping dolphin, and a surfer riding a wave, also appeared over the crowd.

In addition, a skydiver falling brought to mind the normal start to the parade, while American icons like the flag and Uncle Sam kept the patriotic flair.

When the show ended and people packed up to go home, they expressed gratitude and appreciation for the event.

“It felt very special to be back together and be in a joyful setting,” said Alexis Le Guier, whose burned Alphabet Streets home had a new foundation poured on Wednesday. “I’m anxious to get home and be back with everybody. This was a foreshadowing of good things to come.”

Hayden and Rob Ellison, whose family lost three houses in the fire, expressed similar sentiments. Both had worried in the aftermath of the fire about how the town would celebrate the Fourth, which Rob noted was “the most important day of the year in the Palisades.”

“It was really heartwarming to see the community come together,” Hayden said. “It was better than I could have imagined.”

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