Classic cars, floats and horseback riders made their way through downtown Solvang on Friday morning as the Solvang Rotary Club’s Fourth of July Parade brought out 74 entries and a crowd happy to beat the heat.
With the theme “Anything Is Possible in America,” this year’s parade began at 10 a.m., an hour earlier than its traditional start time. The earlier start avoided the midday heat and seemed to be a welcome change for attendees.
“It looked like it started an hour earlier this year because the heat last year was brutal,” said Kyle Lemon, a Santa Ynez Valley resident since 2009 who volunteered with a friend in the Civil Air Patrol. “I was very happy to help out, and I got a front-row seat to the parade.”…