Preview: Fourth of July
This Thursday will see the longest Fourth of July parade in America take place on Alameda streets, according to the City of Alameda’s website. The route is 3.3 miles long, will have over 170 entries, and draw over 60,000 spectators.
I am including a map of the parade route so you can set out your folding chair the night before. This task is especially important if you want to view the parade from a Park Street, Webster Street, or Grand Street location
If your house is on the parade route, be sure your car is off the street by 4 a.m. or you may get a wake-up door knock from Alameda Police asking you to move your car—and good luck trying to get off the island with all the streets that will be closed off.
Earlier this month, the Alameda Post published an article covering all the road resurfacing projects happening in the City starting in June, and I have been planning my walking routes to check out the progress. Check out the short video above of the construction on Oak Street and Grand Street.
Since I was so close to Park Street, I took the opportunity to check out some of the shops. It looks like Alameda Video (who changed their sign to Alameda Wigs a while back) finally called it quits on the DVD rental business. We checked the adjacent storefront that used to have the DVDs and the cupboard—or should I say racks—were bare. I wonder where all the inventory went?
It seems like wherever I go, I manage to come across a dog, squirrel, or cat. This time, I found a Maneki-neko, or “beckoning cat,”—which symbolizes good luck to the owner—in the window of the Supercuts.
Several weeks ago, I saw a very long truck delivering a bunch of red barricades to the Emma Hood Swim Center, which triggered my investigative reporting instinct. A quick call to Susan Davis, the communications person for AUSD, informed me that the renovation of the pools was beginning. She sent me this link to the Alameda High School Swim Center (formerly Emma Hood Swim Center) on the AUSD website. It looks really neat!
Turning to my home front, my human companion has a cactus on the front porch that just sits there all year long, except around the Fourth of July, it sprouts this beautiful light pink flower that lasts two to three days and then withers away.
Things are really starting to take shape with the Great Deck Project—all the deck boards were installed this week. It’s really weird to see people through the double French doors because there used to a five-foot straight drop to the yard below if one tried to exit into the backyard using those doors.
To close out this week’s report, I am republishing what I hope is Ross Steffner’s correct Alameda home per his request. Ross: Did I get it right this time?
I hope everyone enjoys the Fourth of July holiday. Be sure to check out my report next week for complete coverage from my canine perspective.
Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda
Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/. All photos by Jeff Cambra.
