The red, white and blue will go floating up Loyola Boulevard for the 19th time on Wednesday, July 4.
The annual Independence Day parade, which begins at 11 a.m., attracts 5,000 or more spectators lining the street from Manchester Boulevard to 80th Street.
“Participating in the Westchester parade, either as an entrant or as a spectator, is a tremendous experience,” said Andy O’Reilly, director of community relations at Loyola Marymount University, “because you get to see firsthand how much LMU pride there is in the community while celebrating our country. Local alumni, students and fans are everywhere lining the streets in their spirit gear.”
Several elected officials have been invited to join the crowd, including Rep. Maxine Waters, State Sen. Ben Allen, and LAUSD school board member – and LMU alumnus – Nick Melvoin. This year’s grand marshal is the collective World War II Veterans.
The theme for this year’s floats is “Cities Across America,” with each entry representing a city. Loyola Marymount University’s float will feature a map of the United States with markers for some of the university’s sister Jesuit institutions nationwide. As it happens, many of the streets in the Westchester neighborhood near campus are named for those universities.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams have again been invited to join the festivities. Iggy the Lion will be on hand to entertain his legions of fans.
In addition to the floats, there will be marching bands, “Star Wars” storm troopers, LAPD cadets, and tributes to veterans among the 50 entries. Awards will be presented to: best overall entry, chairman’s choice and strongest connection to the theme.
