Clinton Fire, 1964

Description: The annual Fourth of July parade has been a hallmark of civic life in Huntington since 1904 when Henry Huntington ushered his rail line into the community on that day. It has been enthusiastically celebrated every year since except for the war years of 1942-1946. In the early 1970's, in anticipation of the nation's Bicentennial, a Special Committee was formed to plan the city's celebration with a five-person panel appointed to plan the parade itself. Their efforts were rewarded when the State of California officially adopted the parade. At the City Council meeting held on May 6, 1976, the council received "a copy of the resolution adopted by the California Senate declaring the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade as the State's official Bi-centennial Parade." This film documents the Main Street festival held around the event with numerous active participants, some in "colonial" garb. In addition to the event itself, this film importantly shows Main Street buildings at the time, many of which are no longer extant.