Parade, festival slated for Auburn's Family 4th celebration

All-day, patriotic fun will be in full swing in Auburn for the Fourth of July. The day starts with the annual Pancake Breakfast hosted by Auburn Hook and Ladder Company in the Pasquales parking lot (210 Washington Street) in Old Town Auburn from 8-10 a.m. At 10 a.m., the fun continues with Auburn's Family Fourth parade, hosted by the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce, rolling through Downtown. This year's theme is "Red, White & You." According to the Chamber's website, the parade route will begin at the top of Lincoln Way near Pistol Pete's and end outside the entrance of the Gold Country Fairgrounds on High Street. Chamber Board Member Eric Chun said a performance of patriotic songs will follow the parade in Central Square. A VIP section will also be opened at 10 in the Square for event sponsors to have a seat for the parade and enjoy bar tops with snacks, non-alcoholic drinks and misters to stave off the heat of the day. Sponsorships can be purchased for $500-$2,000 at auburnchamber.net/auburns-family-fourth. According to the event committee, this year's festivities will be a little different with the Family Festival taking over Central Square following the parade from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. As part of the festivities, the Chamber's Release the Quackin' event has been revamped into the Release the Quackin' 2.0 Duck Derby. Chamber Board President Natalie Litchfield said ducks will be released in heats of 150 into a man-made lazy river every 15 minutes, with the top five in each heat receiving prizes. The top five from each heat will then have the opportunity to participate in the final race at the end of the day for the $2,500 grand prize. Each duck will be labeled with a number and can be purchased at business.auburnchamber.net/ap/Events/Register/XqFOmWNh7CDCz. Ducks will also be available for purchase on the day of. The committee confirmed winners of the duck derby do not have to be present to win. The derby will be in the parking lot of The Vault (former Wells Fargo building at 949 Lincoln Way) along with games for the kiddos and a bar. Other activities as part of the festival will include watermelon eating, best dressed pet and most patriotic contests. "We're going to have a lot of fun things going on throughout the day," Litchfield told the Auburn Journal. "I think it's going to be great." To close the festivities, the city of Auburn will host fireworks at the fairgrounds. The fireworks are scheduled to begin at dusk.