Revelers were out in full force Saturday as Turlock’s annual downtown Independence Day celebration went off without a hitch, despite the temperature reaching 100 degrees before noon.

The downtown parade and car show draws hundreds of visitors to Turlock each year and this year was expected to be a particularly large event due to it being held the Saturday before the holiday, according to Travis Regalo, executive director of the Turlock Downtown Property Owners Association.

The parade started down Main Street at 10 a.m., with the mercury into the 90s by then. 

But that didn’t scare away Turlockers Brian Smith and Tracy Palacios, who came out to watch their daughter, Jaynie Majors, 12, take part in the festivities as part of the Turlock Cheer team.

Until his daughter passed by, however, Smith was busy taking video — along with Jaynie’s twin, Jordan — of the classic cars that rolled past.

“I definitely came for all the fun,” said Smith. “But these are some of the most beautiful vehicles I’ve seen in a long time.”

The notion of triple-digit temps didn’t deter the local family.

“Not at all,” said Palacios, who was situated with her family underneath the shade of a tree on the southwest corner of Broadway and Park. “We’ve got the perfect spot here.”

Others, too, were undeterred by the heat. They simply had to deal with it.

Turlock’s Alejandra Lopez was a first-time parade participant, and said she didn’t mind the heat.

“I liked it,” said Lopez, who rode in a 2014 Chevy Silverado. “I’ve never been part of the parade before.”

Thirteen-year-old Nevaeh Vega was another first-time parade participant. She was having so much fun, she hardly noticed the warm temperatures.

“It was nice to see the parade from a different perspective,” said Vega. “It was fun seeing everybody waving.”

Turlock Police Officer Manuel Ayala, who’s been with the department for a year, was stationed at the intersection of Broadway and Park to control traffic. He was dressed in a heavy, dark uniform, but his post was shaded by the trees from nearby homes.

“This is the first parade I’ve worked,” said Ayala. “It’s kind of cool seeing all the cars and people gathered here.”

Julie Gonsalves, captain of the Merced County Sheriff’s Posse, also wore a heavy, rhinestone-studded cowboy get-up, but said the fun of riding her horse, Cowboy, outweighed the heat.

“It’s good to see all the people at events like this,” said Gonsalves, whose unit has won awards at events in Los Banos, Chowchilla, Hollister, Livermore and Sutter Creek. “Some kids have never seen a horse, so it’s good to show the kids the horses. It’s all part of representing Merced County in a positive way.”

Later, after the conclusion of the parade, Main Street played host to a classic car show.

Jim Johnson braved the heat to check out some of the vintage autos.
“My son and I are just hanging out on the weekend,” said Johnson. “And this is kind of a special event.”

As for which cars caught Johnson’s eye …

“I’m a Chevy man,” said the Turlock native. “But I appreciate all the work that these guys put into the cars.”