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By Chuck N. Baker 
(Las Vegas) – Writing in the Los Angeles Times, David L. Ulin recently noted that “Holidays are a declaration of what we find important, a recognition of our values and how they evolve.” That sentiment has never been more true when it comes to the annual Independence Day parade in the Las Vegas neighborhood of Summerlin.  
 
This year marked the 23rd annual celebration of the event, with more than 35,000 individuals attending. More than 70 entries were present, including floats, military heroes, veterans groups, musical groups and sky-high inflatable balloons. 
 
Kelly Cawood is one of many volunteers who work to build the floats and perform other duties relating to the parade. While working on The Avengers float, she noted that Q.I. Security Services was its corporate sponsor. It featured a large fist of a super hero punching its way through a paper mache wall. 
 
A salute to the military was sponsored by the Par Three company. “That float has been in the parade for several years,” Cawood explained. It honors the active military and veterans. Most of the floats have been around for quite some time, although the sponsors may change from year to year. 
 
The Music of America float adorned with oversized musical notes, was sponsored by Pardee Homes. It featured a stage that held “the Desert Angels gospel choir singing music of America,” Cawood noted.  
 
A woman fitted into a red, white and blue 9-foot gown was on a float sponsored by Station Casinos. Cawood said it represented “America standing tall.” 
 
Volunteers keep the organization running smoothly each year. Stephanie Day explained how the work area fits into the fold. “The (extended) work bench is our main area where we have tons of people down here helping us. (Volunteers and) our maintenance built a lot of these portions of the float,” Day said. The bench has “everything that we will need to get this all together.”  
 
While some sponsors continue from year to year, new ones are always being sought. The parade committee builds the floats and also handles the designs. Sponsors names often adorn their floats, but it’s up to the committee to do the creative work. “We have a list of (parade) items,” a spokesman said. They often tell the committee, “We’re gonna sponsor something, make it fantastic. So we do that. We come up with something that we think is fantastic. And so we build it, and I’ve never had anybody be unhappy. They pretty much trust us . . .” 
 
Volunteers like Spencer Day, Cole Wilson and others number in the hundreds, and come from various locations throughout Southern Nevada. Sam Bell is a Summerlin resident volunteer who agreed with others when it was noted that it’s nice to give back to the community and watch the production of all the floats being built. The workers often put in a 12-to-14 hour day.  
 
Melissa Warren is the managing partner for PR firm Faiss Foley Warren, that handles public affairs for Summerlin. “The very first parade was in 1995,” Warren said. “It started out as a very small neighborhood event. Because obviously Summerlin at that time wasn’t very large. I clearly remember a bunch of kids with bikes and red fire wagons who showed up. They had red, white and blue streamers coming out of their bike handles. They decorated their wagons. It was extremely home spun.” On a related note, before children rode their bikes on what was once a sandy landscape, the land Summerlin sits on was owned in the 1950s by businessman Howard Hughes. He had plans to relocate some of his wide spread technology facilities there, but the land sat dormant for years after he passed. It was decided later to use the land for homes, and as neighborhoods sprouted, the idea for the parade come into fruition.  
 
Warren said the late 90s saw the beginnings of floats in the parade, and directors of marching bands from area high schools began to ask about taking part in the event. Elected officials wanted to get involved, and many individuals dressed as popular cartoon characters also joined the entries. She said that Summerlin was envisioned as “America’s community, an inspirational community, with wonderful amenities, lots of schools and a quality lifestyle.” But she acknowledged that at the time Las Vegas was considered by the nation as more of a great place to visit, not to live. But the growth of master-planned communities in various parts of the city began to change that perception. As Summerlin grew, the area began to develop family-style events around holidays. “We started a number of seasonal celebrations to give people not only a great excuse to get together as a family, but to invite the rest of the rest of the Las Vegas Valley out to see Summerlin,” Warren explained. “So the parade was just a natural offshoot of that.”  
 
While the parade just marked its 23rd year, 2017 marked the nation’s 241st birthday. Newcomers to the country and youngsters just starting school may have only a brief understanding on the origins of the holiday. Even now there are questions concerning historic dates when documents declaring the American Colonies becoming independent of England were signed. But it is correct to say that July 4, 1776, is not in doubt. It was then that the Second Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia to adopt the Declaration of Independence from England. It was not until the end of the War of 1812 that regular observances evolved. And it was in 1870 that Congress made the July 4th date an official federal holiday.  
 
In addition to the hundreds of volunteers, thousands of spectators and more that 70 entrants including 20 floats, the parade uses more than 16,000 cubic feet of helium to inflate giant-size balloons. The sky-high balloons are controlled by tethers and must be maneuvered around light poles and traffic signals.  
 
The July 4 Independence Day celebrations include more than parades. Often cities use the holiday for barbecues, picnics, concerts, baseball, family reunions, speeches and other ceremonies that honor the nation’s birth. But lest we forget, it’s also a day to pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of America’s military men and women. We would live in a far different nation today if not for them.  
 
So next year when the sound of “Strike up the band” and shouts of “Play ball!” and the exuberant shrieks of youthful joy emanate from small boys and girls as they view brightly colored floats rolling down the street, remember also those of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard who made it all possible.