July 4 parade fills Othello’s main street, activities fill Lions Park
Dance school students showed off their red, white and blue costumes during the July 4 parade in Othello.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald
Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck (left) and OPD Sgt. Seth Carlson raise the flag in Lions Park during the annual July 4 celebration.
Students in the Othello High School music program worked the hamburger booth in the afternoon, after working the pancake breakfast in the morning, with the Othello Rotary.
A participant prepares to throw an ice pop during the July 4 parade in Othello.
A pink and white Mazda leads a contingent of cars down the parade route in Othello July 4.
Ice pops and candy flew through the air during the July 4 parade in Othello.
Spectators at the July 4 car show in Othello check out a car engine.
An Othello July 4 parade participant waves to her friends in the crowd.
The lifeguards from the Othello Community Pool rocked out on the July 4 parade float.
A pink and white Mazda leads a contingent of cars down the parade route in Othello July 4.
The July 4 parade in Othello brought out patriotic and elaborate hats.
A spectator snaps a picture of an interesting engine compartment during the car show in Othello July 4.
OTHELLO — Co-organizer of Othello’s July 4 car show Jose Baeza Jr. said the annual parade attracted 39 entries in the car class, an increase from 2021.
“Despite the ugly weather in the morning that looked like it was going to rain on our parade,” Baeza said.
There were in fact clouds and a few raindrops, but crowds packed Main Street regardless for the parade. People also filled Lions Park for events ranging from volleyball and basketball to the car show and skateboard competition.
The sun broke through the clouds about halfway through the parade, which featured community groups, the lifeguards from the Othello Community Pool, the Othello High School dance team and OHS cheerleaders, church groups and fire apparatus from Adams County Fire District 5, with sirens wailing.
The park hosted skills demonstrations by local groups and live music throughout the day. The Othello Rotary served breakfast and lunch, with some help from students in the OHS music program.
Will Lutey, OHS music instructor, said the Rotary members were looking for some people to work the booth during breakfast and lunch, and the music program students wanted to raise some money for band and choir activities.
“The kids are hard-working,” Lutey said. “They’ve been out here since 5:30 this morning.”
The car show had about 25 entries by 11:30 a.m. and Baeza said car owners were still registering. The park was filled with vintage rides like Sam Sindhu’s 1981 El Camino and newer cars that have had a little work done, like the 1999 Subaru and 2003 Mazda belonging to Genaro Silva and Jessica Preciado.
Silva and Preciado said they work on their cars together and have done the work themselves. Preciado said it took a lot of research, a lot of tutorials and a lot of talking to experienced mechanics to get the Mazda the way she wanted it.
Silva said the orange Subaru has been a work in progress for about 10 years. That does include some repair time - the Subaru’s other job is as a drag racer, Silva said.
The two have started the GGS car club, and Preciado started a second one for Mazda drivers. She said one of her goals is to demonstrate that cars can be a hobby for women as well as men and to show people of all ages just how cool a car can be.
“Influence the next generation, you know?” she said.
A spectator at the parade pointed to a 1972 Pontiac Roadrunner rolling down Main Street and remarked that was how a Roadrunner should look. Its owner Sam Garza was a car show judge, so the Pontiac was only on display. But he said he doesn’t mind not winning awards.
“What makes my day is when somebody tells me, ‘Your car is beautiful,’” he said.
Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
