Some traditions never lose their charm.
The Rancho Santa Fe Fourth of July Parade is one of them.
Every Independence Day, neighbors gather along Paseo Delicias to wave at familiar faces, cheer for local organizations, and celebrate the simple pleasures of small-town life. It’s the quintessential Rancho Santa Fe tradition – one that reminds us why so many people have fallen in love with this community over the past century.
The morning began with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem accompanied by a U.S. Marine Corps color guard. By now we’ve probably all heard the anthem a dozen times thanks to the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Birthday celebrations, yet somehow it never loses its ability to make me stop, listen, and feel grateful to call America home.
Longtime resident Cutter Clotfelter served as parade announcer, and I can’t imagine anyone more fitting. Standing just steps from the former Rancho Santa Fe Land Company offices – where his grandfather once sold parcels in what was then a brand-new rural community envisioned for gentleman ranchers – he announced each entry with the ease and familiarity of someone who knows this town’s story because his own family helped write it.
Then came the parade itself.
Vintage automobiles, polished to a mirror shine and carefully coaxed from their garages like treasured family heirlooms, rolled slowly down Paseo Delicias while their passengers tossed candy to children lining the street. Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution strolled alongside period automobiles in historical dress, adding another reminder that Independence Day is, after all, a celebration of the country’s beginning.
One of the loudest rounds of applause seemed reserved for the Osuna Ranch contingent. Following a year marked by uncertainty and the suspension of Ranch events, a long line of Rancho Santa Fe residents on horseback rode behind the Osuna banner to a warm welcome from the crowd – a reminder that Osuna Ranch remains woven into the fabric of Ranch life.
Children waved from convertibles, families decorated golf carts in every imaginable theme, and yes – even a New York Knicks-inspired golf cart found its way into the lineup to celebrate the team’s recent NBA championship.
My personal favorite may have been the Harmony Grove band performing from a flatbed trailer as they rolled through the village. Their lively rendition of Wagon Wheel had spectators clapping, singing along, and more than a few pulling out their phones to jot down the band’s number for future parties.
I may or may not have been one of them.
Before long the folding chairs were packed away, the candy was gone, the vintage cars returned to their garages, and Paseo Delicias became quiet again.
Until next Fourth of July.
