Fourth of July celebrations in Marin

On July 4, 1964, William T. Orman’s reflective article on San Rafael’s early Fourth of July celebrations appeared in the Marin IJ. Orman’s family came to San Rafael in 1900. Looking back on his childhood memories, he was quick to point out how much noisier Fourth of July celebrations were compared to later years. Orman remembered being up early after sleeping very little and sneaking into town. He witnessed a lot of activity and heard the rattle of small firecrackers and “ear-splitting detonations of cannon crackers” coming from C Street, which was known as San Rafael’s Chinatown.

The preparations for the parade began at Fourth and E streets. Flags hung from buildings along with red, white and blue bunting strung all the way down Irwin Street. The firing of a few old muzzle-loading cannons down the marsh signaled the start of the parade as the noise of firecrackers continued in the background. Steve Richardson was the grand marshal followed by deputies and other dignitaries. Behind them were the San Rafael Band, Company D of the Fifth Regiment — many were veterans of the Spanish American War — the fire department and cadets from Mount Tamalpais Military Academy and the Hitchcock Military Academy. The Fourth of July queen and attendants “rode in splendor” on a flower-covered float. The parade ended at Lootens Place, and crowds moved to the pear orchard for a community barbeque. The fragrance of meat sizzling and chili beans filled the air while the band played “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight.”

The mid-afternoon activity was the baseball game at Fourth and Irwin streets. After a meal at home, adults readied for the 9 p.m. Grand Ball at the Armory. Couples in their finery danced into the wee hours of the morning.

Thirty years later, Jack Fallon recalled his Fourth of July memories in an article in the Marin IJ entitled “The Noisiest Day of the Year.” Fallon looked back with some of the same nostalgia as Orman did but also shared the changes that had occurred in 30 years.

He reminisced that a few days before the holiday, children anxiously waited to shoot off the Chinese crackers and fireworks they purchased. Fallon also remembered how his father would hang the 46-star American flag on the front porch after breakfast and leave it up all day. And who could forget special treats like soda pop and brick ice cream? Activities included band concerts, ball games and rodeos, yet the era of parades and patriotic speeches had passed. Fallon remembered public fireworks displays but felt that the best ones were the Fallon family fireworks display in their front yard. When it was over, the younger kids brought out sparklers.

Fallon ended his reflective article wondering if the early celebrations were better than how the Fourth of July is celebrated in more recent years. Nostalgia tends to forget the darker side involving burns or when Roman candles set off a fire in their neighbor’s yard, which began a feud that lasted for years. In the 1930s, fireworks were an extravagance, and buying them cut into money for rent and food.

Reminiscing as an adult adds practicality to the sweet nostalgic memories described through the lens of a child. Fallon and Orman’s fond memories of their childhood Fourth of July celebrations take us back to the clip-clop of horses in the parade, the fragrance of the sizzling barbecue, firecrackers going off and the sound of a baseball being hit with crowds going wild.

History Watch is written by Lane Dooling, marketing and social media coordinator at the Marin History Museum, marinhistory.org. Images included in History Watch are available for purchase by calling 415-382-1182 or by email at info@marinhistory.org