Tag Archives: Parades

Last updated by suzlipman at July 4, 2015.

Homestead Valley Fourth of July

Posted on July 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

When we first moved to our Mill Valley neighborhood of Homestead Valley, we were delighted to discover that there was a neighborhood Fourth of July parade each year. Kids gathered, then and now, for a parade of strollers, scooters, bikes, pedestrians, and perhaps a bunting-bedecked goat or two that winds through the neighborhood and down to a redwood grove for a barbecue picnic and kids’ entertainment. Every child is called to the stage to receive a ribbon, and our first year, Anna won a ribbon for “Best Red Coat”. (Yes, a coat on July 4th in Homestead Valley.) This was one of the many things that charmed us about our new neighborhood, and I’m thrilled that this simple tradition continues with a new generation of neighbors.

Below are photos from this year’s celebration. It is events like these that create family memories and neighborhood bonding. I urge you to seek out similar events in your own neighborhood and, if they’re not available to start one. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Fourth of July!

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Happy 4th of July!

Posted on July 5, 2009 | Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration, perhaps with good friends and loved ones. I got home from camping just in time to enjoy my wonderful tiny neighborhood parade and subsequent picnic which takes place in the beautiful redwood Stolte Grove and is run by terrific community volunteers. Small children (and the rest of us) enjoyed Boswick the Clown, and each child, in local tradition, received a prize based on some aspect of his/her outfit, bike decoration, or other distinguishing feature.

After this sweet event, my family headed to the town of Sausalito, to enjoy great live music by The Pulsators (cajun, reggae, blues and rock!), out in the sun by the bay, while we visited with friends and then watched traditional fireworks burst right over our heads.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Fairfax Parade and Ecofest

Posted on June 20, 2009 | 2 comments

I recently attended the 32nd annual Fairfax (CA) parade and its newer accompanying Ecofest. Both were extraordinary and really showed off the town and its people. The event featured art, music, dance, food, children’s activities, artisinal products, and demonstrations. Themes of sustainability, social consciousness, friendliness and fun overrode the day. It was a beautiful event.

The Ecofest continued through the weekend. Here are some highlights from the parade, Eco Fashion show, and more:

Many parade entries had themes of Sustainability. This yoke of discarded plastic was particularly effective.

Here’s our own Youth Making a Difference entry. Follow us to the Eco Fashion Show and Ecofest.

The Eco Fashion Show incorporated a group of young women’s many original designs and work, using vintage, recycled, and re-purposed materials. The results were impressive and their enthusiasm was contagious.

At the Ecofest, we learned about worm composting from local vermicomposting expert David Lee Hoffman and from folks from Garden for the Environment, which gives public workshops on organic and sustainable gardening. We found this composter, available at Fairfax Lumber, ideal for our small gardening space.

We also visited with new and old friends among the exhibitors, such as Bay Nature magazine, Environmental Education Center of Marin, Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, California Native Plant Society, Bio-Diesel Co-op, the Peace Corps, Tamalpais Natureworks sustainable furniture, and Snow Lotus Essential Oils, which I sampled and which seemed to be of extremely high quality. There were also two bodycare artisans that I highly recommend: Moonflowers Body Care (I like their Jasmine cleanser and Gift of India face cream), and North Rose Botanicals. I bought a little sample bag of North Rose products and can’t wait to replenish the heavenly Rose cleanser, tonic, and moisturizer, which are all wonderfully light in texture and scent.

Bike parking was packed! A terrific sign.

For more about the preparation for the Eco Fashion Show, see:

“Young Crafters Prepare for Eco Fashion Show”

“Eco Fashion Show Part 2: The Screen Printing”

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Community, Crafts, Deck Garden, Design, Field Trip, Home Ec., Scent, Sustainability, Vintage

Tagged Biking, Composting, Eco Fest, Fairfax, Fairfax Festival, Fairfax Parade, Fashion, Moonflowers Body Care, North Rose Botanicals, Parades, Recycled Art, Sustainability, Youth Making a Difference

Mill Valley’s Memorial Day Parade

Posted on June 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

Memorial Day Weekend is always a very special time in Mill Valley. The Historical Society sponsors a “Walk into History”, which covers a different neighborhood and theme each year. There is music outdoors on the Community Center lawn, and friends and neighbors mingle, eat, dance, and have fun. This year the food was great and the music was Latin, from a band called Rumbache that kept us on our feet.

The actual Memorial Day parade may be a weekend highlight. Anna marched its mile-plus length down Miller Avenue when she was 2 years old! She and I (and sometimes Daddy) were in every parade since for 10 years — with the original Sustainable Community group, then with Kumara Pre-School, then with Richardson Bay Girl Scouts.

This year, Lippy and I watched from our perch on the balcony of Mill Valley Music. Anna, a teen, was with her own friends downtown. The parade was as sweet and old-timey as ever, with its mix of politicians-in-convertibles, town notables, bands playing from flatbeds, scouts, martial artists (who stop and perform), wiener dog troops, swim teams, bikes, scooters, and the uniquely Mill Valley “Fashion Police”, who zoom up on scooters to give out tickets (clothing store discounts) for “Reckless Coordinating” and “Failure to Heed Spouse’s Advice”. Yeah, we’ve gotten a few of those.