All-American 4th of July Festival

The City of Tehachapi is proud to host the All-American 4th of July Festival, presented by Kaiser Permanente and WM on Thursday, July 4. Community members are invited to attend this family-friendly festival with vendors, food, games, live music and more. The main festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Philip Marx Central Park, as well as related activities happening all throughout the day and all around town.

The day kicks off with the Ed Grimes Memorial Pancake Breakfast at 8 a.m. at Central Park. Funds raised from the breakfast go toward supporting the Tehachapi High School Football program. Breakfast tickets are on sale through the THS football team and are available for $8. Players and coaches will also be selling tickets at the Tehachapi Farmers Market in Downtown Tehachapi on Thursdays until the event.

The Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District is hosting the All-American 5K beginning with a mass start at 7 a.m. at the Steven Shy Activity Center at Central Park. Registration for that event is $45 and includes a race shirt, chip-timed 5K, finisher's medal and a ticket for the Pancake Breakfast. Participants can register online at http://www.tvrpd.org/.

The Kids Parade will showcase the patriotism of Tehachapi's youngest residents on non-motorized bicycles, scooters, skateboards and wagons. The parade staging area will be the public parking lot on the corner of Robinson and F streets across from City Hall. Kids can decorate their parade entries on-site starting at 10:30 a.m., the parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. The parade will leave the parking lot on Robinson Street and make its way to Central Park. Parade entrants are then encouraged to join the stage at noon to lead the festival in the Pledge of Allegiance to kick off the ceremonies.

The events at the stage of Central Park will continue with the National Anthem performed by TPOPS and the Mayor's Welcome. During the festival, there will be craft vendors (courtesy of Tehachapi Valley Arts Association), hot food vendors, performances by the Aerial Garden, yard games, the Tehachapi VALLEY WRESTLING CLUB's beer garden fundraiser and the American Legion Post 221's "Wall of Valor." TPOPS will perform from 11 a.m. to noon, Django Stauffer will perform from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and Lazy Dog Mountain Band will perform from 2 to 4 p.m.

After festivities wrap up at 4 p.m. at Central Park, the fun continues at the Tehachapi Rodeo & Event Center for the annual Benz Bad Bulls event at 6 p.m., presented by the Tehachapi Mountain Rodeo Association. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.tehachapiprorodeo.com/.

The evening culminates with the annual fireworks show presented by the City of Tehachapi and Kaiser Permanente at 9 p.m. The fireworks are staged at the Tehachapi Municipal Airport, which is the lowest elevation in the Tehachapi area, making the show viewable from many locations. The Tehachapi Rodeo & Event Center, Capital Hills, Challenger Drive and Tehachapi Boulevard are all ideal spots to watch the show.

Check out the All-American 4th of July Festival Map & Schedule at https://www.theloopnewspaper.com/story/2024/06/22/happenings/all-american-4th-of-july-festival-map-and-schedule/12351.html