By Clare BUCHANAN

Sunland-Tujunga residents came out in droves on the morning of the Fourth of July for the annual parade sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Rotary. Donning patriotic T-shirts and American flag memorabilia, the folks who lined Foothill/Sunland Boulevard fought the heat to find a spot along the parade route, setting up lawn chairs and umbrellas along the boulevard. Kids kept cool by spraying each other with water and cheering for the cars as they passed by.

The parade started with a brigade led by the Los Angeles Police Dept., whose officers performed a synchronized motorcycle routine for families watching on the sidelines. After LAPD officers came war veterans, followed by an assembly line of local politicians including the California State Senator representing the 20th District Caroline Menjivar, who rode a bike down Foothill while distributing popsicles. Following closely behind was local poet laureate Kathleen Travers, and Joe DeCenzo, who was honored as the parade grand marshal. Representatives of Bolton Hall Museum were also in the parade, advocating for the preservation of local rock buildings.

Perhaps the highlight of the parade was the presentation of the oldest rock in Sunland-Tujunga, which was hoisted upon a pedestal and protected behind a sheet of plexiglass. It was driven down Foothill with great reverence. Verdugo Hills High School’s baseball team also made an appearance, spraying the crowd playfully with water misters as the temperate morning turned to a sweltering afternoon.

Automobiles were not the only form of transportation at the parade. Many strolled down Foothill on foot, on horse, or even on mule.

A pedestrian sitting with her family noted her sense of connection to Sunland-Tujunga during the parade, finding enjoyment in “coming out and just being involved in the community.” Another parade watcher beamed with pride and noted how he appreciated that everyone seemed to have a favorite car to watch out for and wave to.

However, the parade took an unexpected turn when a fight broke out between actor, author and restaurateur Danny Trejo, who had been invited as a special guest of the parade, and some of the parade audience members. According to Michelle Fisher at ABC 7, the fight presumably started because an audience member supposedly threw a water balloon at Danny Trejo and his vehicle as he passed by. Trejo became perturbed and entered the audience where tensions rose and, as seen through a video on ABC 7 that was captured by an eyewitness, punches were thrown between Trejo and audience members. According to KTLA, Trejo has since commented on the incident saying he heard someone yell that the water balloon was acid, thus eliciting his startled response. KTLA also reported Trejo said he felt his Mexican descent might have made him a target for the incident.

A statement released on social media by the Sunland-Tujunga Rotary stated in part, “It was disheartening that this year’s parade was marred by distruptive events that took place between some participants and spectators. We do not condone this type of behavior. The unfortunate actions by a very small group of people, who chose to break parade rules and disrespect personal safety, incited an incident that caused harm to both parade spectators and particpants, alike. … We would like to apologize to both Mr. Trejo and his associates that their show of good will was marred by the disrespectful actions of some of those along the parade route.”