The Aptos World’s Shortest Parade Official Program 2025
Is a publication of the Times Publishing Group, Inc.
Entire contents ©2025 by Patrice Edwards. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without publisher’s written permission.
Publisher Patrice Edwards
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Ward J. Austin & Michael Oppenheimer
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Cathe Race
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Brooke Valentine, Teri Huckobey & Heidi Johnston
Photo Credits
Michael Oppenheimer, Ward Austin & The Aptos History Museum
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Grand Marshals 2025
Santa Cruz County Firefighters
Since 2021, Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County has faithfully served the communities of Aptos, Capitola, La Selva Beach, Live Oak, Rio Del Mar, and Soquel. Santa Cruz County Fire Department includes stations in Big Creek, Corralitos, Davenport, and McDermott. In the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley areas, there are multiple fire protection districts. The primary fire departments serving these areas include the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District and the Ben Lomond Fire Protection District. Additionally, the Zayante Fire Protection District and the Felton Fire Protection District also serve portions of the San Lorenzo Valley. Firefighters are more than just fire responders — they are protectors, lifesavers, educators, and community helpers. They work 24/7, often risking their lives, to make sure we’re safe in emergencies of all kinds.
All our Fire Departments in Santa Cruz County continue to serve and safeguard our community by protecting the lives, property, and natural resources around us. We are Always Ready to provide the best possible service, with integrity, respect, and enthusiasm! We salute our fire-fighting heroes, and all they do for the community!
2025 President’s Message
From Dave Lompa, Board President, Aptos Chamber of Commerce
Assistant Vice President, Small Business Specialist – U.S. Bank
The 4th of July in Aptos — what a truly special day! We are so fortunate to live in a community surrounded by the natural beauty of the Monterey Bay and the majestic redwoods. Whether you’re a visitor or a longtime resident, this celebration is a reminder of what makes Aptos such a wonderful place to live, work, and play.
Today, we honor everyone who contributes to our community — those who work here, live here, and volunteer their time to make Aptos shine.
A heartfelt thank you to our 2025 Grand Marshals – the Firefighters! This year, we proudly salute our firefighting heroes for their unwavering dedication and service to keeping us safe. We are grateful for your commitment and sacrifice — thank you!
Now in its 64th year, our beloved “World’s Shortest Parade” is as spirited and inclusive as ever. From antique vehicles and community groups to creative costumes, music, pets, dance teams, schools, and floats — there’s something for everyone. It’s this homegrown charm that gives our parade its heart and soul.
And the fun doesn’t stop there — be sure to join us after the parade at Party in the Park! Enjoy a wide variety of food and craft vendors, refreshing beverages, a fun-filled kids’ zone, and live music by The Joint Chiefs. It’s the perfect way to spend the afternoon — dancing, dining, and celebrating all that makes Aptos so special.
Happy 4th of July, and thank you for being part of this amazing community!
Parade Participation Information:
Per parade insurance, please comply with the following rules for the safety of all!
DO NOT THROW ANYTHING ALONG PARADE ROUTE
This includes candy, fliers, balloons, etc., and is for the safety of all children who run out into the street. The child you save from injury may be your own.
DO NOT RETURN ALONG PARADE ROUTE UNTIL PARADE IS OVER
Once your vehicles are parked, you are welcome to watch the parade or go down into Aptos Village Park for the afternoon activities. Please disperse from the end of the parade route promptly to help keep congestion to a minimum.
PARTICIPANTS MAY LINE UP STARTING AT 7:30AM – STREET CLOSES AT 9:00AM –PARADE BEGINS AT 10AM
NO FIREWORKS OF ANY KIND
NO MOTORCYCLES OF ANY KIND
NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN PARADE OR IN THE FORMATION AREA
DO NOT SPRAY OR THROW WATER ALONG THE PARADE ROUTE
NO CARS ALLOWED ON SOQUEL DRIVE UNTIL THE HIGHWAY PATROL RE-OPENS THE ROAD TO TRAFFIC
Please be considerate of Parade Participants and Attendants!
CATHEDRALDR.
APTOS CREEK RD.
CreekAptos RD.RANCHOAPTOS
TROUT GULCH
VALENCIAST. CALVARYCHAPELOFAPTOS
LOST CHILDREN LOST & FOUND (Band Stage) Party In the Park
JUENEMANN PAINTING
Aptos Chamber of Commerce
Presents 2025 4th of July Parade
Parade Supporters: Chunk’s Sandwiches
CrossFit Aptos
Live Like Coco
St John’s Episcopal Church
Parade Sponsors: Aegis Living of Aptos
Lint Cabinetry
Event Sponsors:
ACE Portable Services
Allen Property Group
Bailey Properties
Bay Federal Credit Union
Betz Works
Kaiser Permanente
Growing Up in Santa Cruz
New Leaf Community Market
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Santa Cruz Metro
Parade Banner Sponsor:
Steve Allen, Allen Property Group
T-Shirt Design
By Scott Erwert
Erwert Creative is an independent graphic designer/illustrator specializing in: brand identity, publishing design, packaging and custom illustration services. Scott Erwert offers knockout independent Art Direction, Graphic Design and Illustration services. His professional background has touched upon virtually every realm of the design discipline: client side, inside agencies working with Fortune 500 client base, partner of a design studio, and independent contractor. T-shirts are available for $20 at Deluxe Foods, Aptos Feed, Farm Bakery Café & Gifts, Pixie Deli, Seascape Resort, Sockshop & Shoe Company Aptos and Aptos Chamber.
Aptos 4th of July Parade Has come a long way!
By John Hibble
The 4th of July is America’s birthday, and many communities have parades to celebrate that fact. The freedom to determine our own future was at the center of the founding of our country. The “World’s Shortest Parade” in Aptos is also about selfdetermination but it was not originally about America’s birthday.
The Granite Rock Company, founded in 1900, has been an important part of the history of Santa Cruz County. The great construction boom in houses and highways in the late 1950s and ‘60s meant that Granite had to build new cement batching plants to supply the need for concrete throughout the region. Cement, sand, and aggregate are stored at the batching plant and mixed to order, then sent out in giant “cement mixer” trucks to the construction sites.
In 1959, the last remnants of the apple industry in Aptos Village closed down. Aptos was an industrial town with no industry. The Granite Rock Company purchased land in the Village and applied to the county for a zoning change to build a cement batching plant. That is why the street across from the Post Office is named Granite Way.
In Davenport, where cement was made, the whole town was always covered with a layer of cement dust. And, although a batching plant where cement, sand and aggregate are turned into concrete, is not the same as a cement plant, no one in Aptos Village wanted it in their backyard. Locals rose up against the proposal. Concerned women formed the “Aptos Ladies Tuesday Evening Society” and organized themselves to defeat the zoning change. The group included Lucille Aldrich, Anne Isaacs, Babe Toney, Peggy Marceron, Jessie Elliott, Birdie Jacobs, Beverly Palmer, Nola Gales, Pat Thompson, Joyce West, Peggy Hunter, Mrs. Harrison Smith, Dee Small, Betty Jo Jensen, and Nita Jellison.
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Their efforts were successful. To celebrate their victory, a barbecue was held on Memorial Day, 1961, in the field next to the railroad track. The event was so popular that a parade and potluck were planned to follow on the fourth of July.
Everyone turned out in old-fashioned clothes and the Monterey Bay Antique Car Club brought 18 vintage cars. The parade route was from the Live Oak House at Trout Gulch Road (where O’Neill is now located) to the Pop Inn restaurant, (now the Parish Publick House). The parade only lasted ten minutes and that is how the “World’s Shortest Parade” got its name. The Live Oak House was the home of the Aptos Club, a watering place where a dedicated group of locals hung out from morning till night imbibing alcoholic beverages on the veranda. Lucille exclaimed to everyone who would listen that it was a disgrace!
The second year, the “Sun Tan Special”, the train that once transported visitors from the San Francisco Peninsula to Santa Cruz, was in its final year of service. The Aptos Ladies had planted red, white, and blue petunias along the railroad track from the Bay View Hotel to the Pop Inn. When the train reached Aptos on July 4th, the engineer stopped the train so that the passengers could get off and enjoy the festivities. “It was a happy coincidence that the parade coincided with the train passing through”, recalled Lucile Aldrich. Games were also held in the field including sack races, a watermelon eating contest, horseshoes, kick the can, peanut runs, shoe kicking, and foot races.
The third year, the American Legion post was the first to set up a food booth with chili, coffee and pies. The following year, the Pop Inn offered hot dogs and soft drinks. Santa Cruz Dairy Farms wanted to sell ice cream, so Lucile asked them to bring a cow for a milking contest. They brought two cows for five or six years but eventually the herd was moved away which ended the contest. In the mid-1970s the games and food booths were moved to Aptos Village Park which had just been completed.
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A pancake breakfast was added in 1987, and lasted 32 years as a cooperative venture between the Aptos Chamber of Commerce and the Aptos Lions Club.
In 1992, after thirty years of successful parade organization, the Aptos Ladies Tuesday Evening Society retired from the job and turned the parade over to the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. The once tiny parade has grown into a huge event for Aptos. The “World’s Shortest Parade” has gained national recognition as one of only seven Fourth of July parades recommended in 2013 as the “Best” by prestigious Condé Nast Traveler, and in 2017, our parade was listed as one of “America’s Most Unique July Fourth Celebrations” by Land’s End Journal.
What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to, either watch the parade or be in it, and finally to have lunch and dance the afternoon away, with the band “Joint Chiefs” in Aptos Village Park? You can celebrate freedom from cooking and doing the dishes, you will have a great day and help to support the parade that gives Aptos a little slice of fame and a big slice of “hometown” feeling. Happy Independence Day!
Anne Isaacs and Lucile Aldrich
Past Parade Time Capsules 1960s
Past Parade Time Capsules
Residents Warned About Fireworks
Santa Cruz County residents are warned to not light fireworks this Fourth of July holiday and that infractions can result in a $1,000 fine. The ban will be particularly enforced on county beaches.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office encourages residents to report violations. Residents can use the Citizen Connect mobile app to report illegal fireworks activity, providing real-time data to law enforcement officers. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office collaborates with other agencies to monitor and respond to fireworks-related incidents, ensuring a coordinated effort to uphold safety standards.
Santa Cruz County’s regulations against fireworks are mainly to prevent wildfires. Under Chapter 7.92 of the Santa Cruz County Code, the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling, and use of fireworks are prohibited in unincorporated areas. Violations of these regulations can result in misdemeanor charges and significant fines. During Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day, any violation of designated offenses, including fireworks-related offenses, is subject to an enhanced fine of $1,000.
While the county enforces a general ban on fireworks, certain cities within Santa Cruz County have their own regulations. For instance, the City of Watsonville permits the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks during specific times around Independence Day, provided they are purchased from licensed vendors and used responsibly. However, these fireworks are still prohibited in unincorporated areas and on county beaches.
We appreciate your efforts in supporting the well-being and independence of older adults. Thank you! Happy 4th of July!
The Fourth of July in Aptos is a big deal! The Aptos Parade is a fan favorite,people from near and far plan their day around the “World’s Shortest Parade”. Bring your chair, place it in your favorite spot along Soquel Drive (most regulars claim the same “spot” that they have sat at for years) and enjoy! There is no pancake breakfast this year but the Party in the Park is going strong!
Come on down to the park and enjoy The Joint Chiefs—we dare you not to dance! There are awesome food vendors including Cabrillo Host Lions of Aptos Hot Dogs and Burgers, Dippin’ Dots, Slush Puppies, Lily’s Roasted Corn & Baked Potatoes, Italia Wood Fire Pizza, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes Strawberry Shortcake, Pana Venezuelan Food, Spice It Up Catering, Taquizas Gabriel, S and B Food Truck, and Clean Juice Aptos.
Start your Christmas shopping with the many craft vendors that will be there or get a little something for yourself! This year the commemorative T-shirt for is sale at Deluxe Foods, Aptos Feed and Pet Supply, The Aptos Chamber, Seascape Beach Resort, The Farm Bakery, Pixie Deli, and The Sockshop and Shoe Company. Thank you Aptos Community for making this event so great. Without your participation there would be no parade!
The World’s Shortest Parade Aptos 4th of July Thank You!
The “World’s Shortest Parade” in Aptos began in selfdetermination, it was not originally about America’s birthday. In 1959, a zoning change was proposed to allow a concrete batching plant in Aptos Village. The community organized to defeat the zoning change and the first “World’s Shortest Parade” was held for the first time.
The parade route is one-half mile long, hence the name, “World’s Shortest Parade”. It begins at the intersection of State Park Drive and Soquel Drive and ends at Parade Street. It might be the world’s shortest parade distance wise, but our community loves it so much that it usually goes more than an hour and a half! People start setting their chairs out the night before so they can view it from their favorite spot. For everyone’s safety, do not block the sidewalk and walkways with chairs or blankets
Party in the Park Aptos Village Park
After the Parade, be sure to stop by for fun, food and games!
Get your groove on with The Joint Chiefs from 12:00pm – 3:45pm!
Party in the park will be a community celebration again this year with the The Joint Chiefs playing fun, danceable music. We will have games for children, fabulous food, and craft vendors.
Capitola Aptos Rotary will host the Beer Booth and the community will come together for another great 4th of July celebration. Please come down to the park once our parade ends and continue the celebration for the 4th of July.
Come see the band!
$500 Donation
Enjoy Your State Parks
Año Nuevo State Park
Bean Hollow State Beach
Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Burleigh Murray Ranch State Park
Butano State Park
Castle Rock State Park
Castro Adobe State Historic Park
Coast Dairies State Park
Fall Creek Unit
Gazos Creek State Beach
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Lighthouse Field State Beach
Manresa State Beach
Manresa Uplands State Beach
Montara State Beach (photo below)
Natural Bridges State Beach
New Brighton State Beach
Palm State Beach
Pebble State Beach
Pescadero State Beach
Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park
Pomponio State Beach
Portola Redwoods State Park
Rancho del Oso Unit
Rio Del Mar State Beach
San Gregorio State Beach
Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
Seabright State Beach
Seacliff State Beach
Sunset State Beach
The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Twin Lakes State Beach
Wilder Ranch State Park
The Meaning of Aptos
By Kevin Newhouse
I received an email from a woman who recently moved to Aptos. As a new resident, she was uncertain on how to correctly pronounce the name of her new town. It seems that no matter how she attempted to pronounce “Aptos,” someone would correct her. She contacted me to see if there was any historical data that could help determine the correct pronunciation.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve been asked this question. Not by a long shot. In fact, the pronunciation of Aptos is one of the two most frequent questions I receive. The other is, “What does Aptos mean?” There is no quick and certain answer for either question but let’s start by looking at the meaning of Aptos and then we can look at the pronunciation.
Truth be told, there is no definitive evidence of the true meaning of Aptos. However, all sources agree that it is derived from an Indian word. In fact, Aptos is one of just three contemporary place names in Santa Cruz County the can be traced back to local Indians. The others are Soquel and Zayante.
One of the most common beliefs is that Aptos means “the meeting of two streams,” “where the waters come together,” or some variation of that phrase. The two bodies of water are known today as Valencia and Aptos Creeks. They come together at a point below today’s Highway 1 overpass at Spreckels Drive, which is in close proximity to the village where the original people of this area lived. In a conversation with Aptos History Museum Director John Hibble, Anne Bass, (born March 1, 1919 to longtime residents Paul Johnston and Christina Jensen), told, that “meeting of the streams” as the meaning of the word “Aptos” was well known even when she was a child.
On April 8, 1880, the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian printed a clip claiming that Aptos was named after “the last Indian who trod these fields before going to his new, happy hunting ground. Aptos was said to be upwards of 120 years old and the last descendant of the first families of California.”
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Alfred Kroeber, an American cultural anthropologist whose work focused on collecting cultural data on western tribes of Native Americans, wrote in 1916 that Aptos might be derived form the Spanish word “apto”, meaning skillful.
There are a few other theories (some more interesting than others) but none of which are true. Patrick Orozco, an Ohlone who is a contemporary teacher, singer and storyteller, has said that Aptos means, “the people.” He is from a different triblet or subgroup and does not speak the Aptos dialect, (no one does) but he said all American Indian tribe names mean the same thing, “the people.” Aptos may have also been a reference to the geographical location of the people or it might have even been a word to describe the people’s beliefs or tribal identity.
Personally, I believe the meaning of Aptos is a combination of “the people” and “the meeting of two streams.” Patrick Orozco’s explanation is very consistent among the pattern of other Indian tribe names. However, many of the old-timer residents claim that “meeting of two streams” is the true meaning and many of them are not far removed from the first non-Indian residents who would have had first hand experience with the Indians and their language. As an educated guess, which is only a theory and not to be taken as the absolute truth, I believe “Aptos” translates to “the people who live at the meeting of two streams.”
So now that we know the different theories on the meaning of Aptos, let’s look at how it is pronounced. The pronunciation of Aptos is debatable between three versions: “ap-toss,” “ap-tose,” and “ap-tiss.” The first two pronunciations are more common but some of the old-timers still pronounce it “ap-tiss.” Although most people, including me, pronounce it “ap-toss,” it was first written down by the Spanish and in Español the “o” would be long, favoring the pronunciation, “ap-tose.”
The absence of any documentation, and the uncertainty of the word’s origin, makes it impossible to know for sure the correct pronunciation. So, don’t let anyone convince you that you are saying it wrong…unless you are really butchering it! I have been asked about the origin and pronunciation of Aptos not only by newcomers but also by long-time local residents. I am always so happy to hear people asking questions and wanting to know more about Aptos. After all, it is knowledge of the past that helps us plan for the future.
Celebrating the 4th
Independence Day in the United States, celebrated on July 4th, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. On this day, the thirteen American colonies declared their freedom from British rule and formed a new nation — the United States of America. It symbolizes the country’s founding principles of freedom, democracy, and self-governance, and is celebrated with fireworks, parades, patriotic music, and gatherings to honor the nation’s history and the
