When Barbara Agostini moved to Boulder City in 1997, she found her route obstructed by the city’s annual Fourth of July parade.
This year, Agostini found herself a grand marshal for the parade, which she called an “exciting” honor. Agostini, who now helps organize the celebration, hoped attendees would leave with happy memories and a renewed appreciation for the nation’s history.
“(I hope people) have a good time and remember that this is America’s 250th birthday,” Agostini said. “If it wasn’t for everyone fighting for us, we wouldn’t have us.”
On Saturday, residents and visitors gathered in Boulder City for the 78th annual Damboree Parade and Fireworks Celebration, a tradition that features a pancake breakfast, parade, games, live entertainment and a fireworks show. Organized by the Damboree Committee and dozens of community volunteers, the event has become a hallmark of the city’s small-town identity.
Diane Conrad said she is the first in line for the pancake breakfast every year. This year was no different. Just before 7 a.m., Conrad led a line that stretched the length of the park.
“I love America,” Conrad said. “I love Boulder City. It’s the best place to live.”
Attorney General Aaron Ford, the Democratic nominee in the Nevada governor’s race, was one of several politicians who helped serve pancakes Saturday morning.
Ford said he’s been attending the event for a decade and noted it held a special significance this year on the country’s semiquincentennial anniversary.
“Two hundred and fifty years of trial and tribulation, but success at the end of the day,” Ford said. “We will continue to try to become a more perfect union, and I’m honored to be able to experience this.”
His Republican opponent, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, also attended, riding in the parade in a classic red Pontiac convertible.
As the breakfast wound down, the crowd turned its attention to the parade. Agostini said there were just over 100 entrants this year, including politicians, local businesses, student groups and veterans’ organizations.
Robert Bencsko, a former commander of American Legion Paradise Post 149, said he would join the parade with the American Legion Post from Boulder City.
Bencsko, who served in the Air Force for 20 years, said he hoped people could set aside partisan politics and embrace a sense of patriotism as the nation marks its 250th birthday.
“It’s disheartening to know that people share that they are ashamed to be from this country,” Bencsko said.
Every year, in the second half of the parade, a massive water fight breaks out between the assembled crowd and those participating in the parade.
Victor Nunez woke up at 4 a.m. to stake his claim to a stretch of sidewalk and begin setting up for battle. Nunez assembled a variety of water guns and shallow buckets for his family to use.
“The parade means everything for us,” Nunez said. “I love doing it.”
For Joe Hardy, the mayor of Boulder City, that enthusiasm is exactly what makes the Damboree special.
Hardy said the parade showcases the welcoming spirit of the community.
“This event is Boulder City, because it not only invites everybody in Boulder City, but we open the doors (of the city),” Hardy said. “This is the place for the Fourth of July.”
Contact Sophie Baker at sbaker@reviewjournal.com.
