News Release
June 17, 2010
Concord celebrates Independence Day with July 1 car show, July 4th parade and festival
Concord's Independence celebration gets a head start on Thursday, July 1 with a car show and finishes with the annual parade and festival on Sunday, July 4th at Todos Santos Plaza in downtown Concord.
"Cool Concord Cars" on July 1 features well-loved and restored vintage and muscle cars, pre-1973, as well as new cars on display around Todos Santos Plaza beginning at 4:30 p.m. Car owners will be on hand to show off their restoration work and talk about their auto-inspired adventures.
The farmers' market will be in the plaza from 4 to 8 p.m. with the band Juke Joint taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. The band specializes in Memphis soul and R&B made famous in the '60s and '70s by such performers as Otis Redding, Wilson Picket and James Brown.
On Sunday, July 4th, the annual festival begins at 8 a.m. in Todos Santos Plaza with a pancake breakfast hosted by Concord Diablo Rotary Club. Tickets are $5.
New to the festival this year is the inaugural Concord Police Association's "Stars and Stripes 5K Run/Walk." Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the run begins at 9 a.m. The run/walk benefits the Mt. Diablo United Sports Foundation, the Mt. Diablo Music Education Foundation and Concord Police Association's Community Fund that supports local charities and community programs.
At 9 a.m., local singer-songwriters and guitarists take the Todos Santos Stage. Entertainment continues throughout the morning with performances by the Diablo Vista Chorus, Bay Area Square Dancers and D'Ann's Academy of Dance.
The parade steps off at 11:30 a.m. from the Park 'N Shop Shopping Center on Willow Pass Road and circles Todos Santos Plaza. The plaza is bordered by Mt. Diablo, Salvio and Grant streets. The Todos Santos Business Association is presenting the parade, supported in part by Tesoro Refinery.
The parade also features the international award-winning Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps B, as well as entries from a wide variety of community organizations.
News anchor Ann Notarangelo of CBS5 and local emcee Jeff Kasper will provide parade commentary from the reviewing stand
The parade is televised live on Concord Cable TV channel 28 (Comcast) and 29 (Astound) and on AT&T U-verse, channel 99. It can also be seen on the City's website, www.cityofconcord.org.
Following the parade, the festival continues in the plaza with music from jump/swing, boogie-woogie band Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums on the Todos Santos stage at 1 p.m.
Festivities in the plaza include free jumpies and face painting for the children as well as food booths, arts and craft vendors and community booths.
Ample free parking is available in the municipal parking garage on Salvio Street between Grant and Colfax streets and in the Todos Santos Parking Center at the corner of Concord Ave. and Salvio St.
For parade information, contact the Todos Santos Business Association (925) 521-9922. For all other questions, call the Downtown Hotline, (925) 671-3464 or contact Downtown Program Manager Florence Weiss, (925) 671-3403.