Comments from Councilwoman Laurene Weste

The Fourth of July is a special time in the Santa Clarita Valley as we celebrate the history of our great country and honor those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy. This year marks two very important landmark anniversary’s in our nation’s history. The first is the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII. We have thousands of proud veterans in Santa Clarita who served our nation in this war that claimed the lives of more than 405,000 U.S. military personnel. We thank them, all of our veterans and our current active duty heroes for their dedication to our country.
The second landmark event is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s constitutional right to vote. Suffragists, of all ethnic backgrounds, fought for women’s equality for 72 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified. One of my personal favorite Fourth of July memories was from the SCV Parade of 2011. I was joined by more than 100 women as we marched the parade route carrying a massive American flag to commemorate women’s hard-won right to vote.
This Fourth of July will look a little different this year as the COVID pandemic has forced the cancellation of the time-honored local favorite – the Santa Clarita Fourth of July Parade. However, there are still several opportunities to showcase your patriotism.
There are two fun and festive competitions that are being produced by the City, The Signal, KHTS, SCVTV and Santa Clarita Magazine. These competitions – the Fourth of July Patriotic Tour and the Patriotic Pee-Wee Parade – will test your creativity and allow you to show off the Stars and Stripes in all their glory!
The Patriotic Tour consists of participants decorating the front of their home or business in red, white and blue to see who can make the most patriotic display in the Santa Clarita Valley. To see the entries that have already been submitted, you can visit santa-clarita.com/PatrioticTour.
The City is also planning its first-ever mini float display – the Patriotic Pee-Wee Parade! This year, you and your family can show off your creativity by building your very own miniature float from scratch. You can learn more and submit your mini float at santa-clarita.com/PeeWeeParade.
I am looking forward to seeing all of the creativity and patriotism displayed throughout Santa Clarita this Fourth of July. We are proud Americans, and this year, we will do an amazing job of displaying our patriotisim. I wish you and your family a safe and happy Fourth of July! Here’s a big patriotic Santa Clarita Valley hug!