Summerlin’s July 4th parade celebrates 30 years with patriotic passion
Tommy Porrello said he always feels patriotic watching Summerlin’s Fourth of July parade.
That’s because active duty members of the military march in the parade in uniform, veterans come out to the celebration wearing hats signifying their service and so many attendees are clad in red, white and blue.
The annual Summerlin Council Patriotic Parade is the Las Vegas Valley’s largest July 4 parade. The 30th rendition of the procession will step off at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Hillpointe Road and Hills Center Drive.
Porrello, who is the celebration’s spokesman, said the parade is an opportunity for the community to gather and reflect on the values of the United States for a few hours before attendees go their separate ways for barbecues and fireworks.
“It really gives you the focus early to think about what the day means,” he said.
This year’s grand marshal of the Summerlin parade is Col. Nicholas R. Pederson, commander of the 432d Wing and the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing at Creech Air Force Base.
About 2,500 people, including Gov. Joe Lombardo, will march in the procession along with dozens of glittering parade floats and giant inflatable balloons, according to the Summerlin Council, which organizes the celebration.
Parade participants, including the Bonanza High School marching band, will travel south along Hills Center Drive toward Village Center Circle and go around the circle to Trailwood Drive, where the parade ends.
The Summerlin Council expects more than 50,000 people to line the parade route.
On Monday morning at a park near the route, Jordyn Doyle was stapling “floral sheeting” to a float called “Visions of Candy Land.” Doyle, a parade volunteer for six years, said she loves seeing the floats “come alive.”
“They start with a little pencil drawing,” she said.
Doyle is not a float designer. Her task is to make a flatbed trailer look like the drawing of a designer, she said. To do this, Doyle fastens the desired colors of floral sheeting, as well as “twist” and “fringe” decorations, onto the trailer.
To secure larger decorations to floats, a drill may be used.
Some floats this year will have a patriotic theme, including the “All-Star Salute to the Military” float, which features a replica bald eagle and a gigantic version of the U.S. Constitution.
Other floats will have themes from pop culture, such as the “Visions of Candy Land” float and a “Stars Wars”-inspired float dubbed “Star Wars: The Fourth Awakens.”
Still others will highlight Las Vegas sports teams — the Golden Knights, the Raiders and the Aviators.
Porrello said the parade wasn’t always so elaborate.
“The Summerlin Patriotic Parade started out as kids on their bicycles riding from the library across the street just to the Trails Community Center here,” he said. “They decorated their bikes and they rode across.”
Contact Peter Breen at pbreen@reviewjournal.com. Follow @breenreports on X.
