As the nation’s birthday approaches the Santa Clarita Valley, residents are getting ready for the annual Fourth of July parade in Newhall, and KHTS is taking a look back at last year’s event.

This year marks the 87th year for the annual parade, which has been put on every year since 1932, according to officials.

“Thousands of people come out and watch this parade,” Parade Director Linda Storli told KHTS during a special broadcast in May. “We have been described as the largest small-town parade in the country.”

Last year’s parade proved to be no different, with thousands of people of all ages coming out to watch the spectacle along Main Street, Lyons Avenue and Orchard Village Road.

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The 2018 parade was dedicated to the memory of Bobbie Trueblood Davis, with her son Fred acting as the Grand Marshall.

Beginning at the Newhall Roundabout in front of Hart Park at around 9 a.m., parade participants started to fill the streets, handing out free water and merchandise to spectators.

The parade then kicked off with motorcycle deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the American Legion Riders, who — in addition to monitoring the parade route and helping with traffic operations throughout the morning — presented the Colors.

Following in the tradition of years past, those in attendance last year were able to then see the members of the Vietnam Veterans Lost Patrol Chapter 355, a nonprofit organization that serves veterans of all eras in the communities of San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Antelope and Simi Valleys.

On the Lost Patrol’s float were five homeless vets living at the Midnight Mission, who are “trying to get their lives back together and join back in to society,” according to Randall Phillips, a member of Chapter 355.

The parade closed out with the Santa Clarita Valley Trolley, which carried dozens of Santa Clarita volunteers who managed the cleanup for the event.

This year, KHTS After Hours News Director Michael Brown, along with his fiancé Jenna Lui, will be announcing the parade live on the KHTS Radio Facebook page.

Be sure to tune in at 8:30 a.m. on the Fourth of July for a preview of the parade, and stay tuned as Michael and Jenna announce the parade starting at 9 a.m.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.