Travel Blogger Daily Blog Post: Celebrating The 4th Of July In California

Hermosa Beach Ironman & House Parties But No Fireworks In 2018

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger

My 4th of July celebration starts early.

I’m up at 8 a.m., to go cover the Hermosa Beach Ironman, a unique event that is an early-morning beach party involving local athletes killing 6-packs of beer and a punk rock band. If you’re spending your 4th in this part of Southern California, I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

Just don’t stand too close to the competitors, as KTLA TV reporter Wendy Burch discovered last year.

One one these days, I’m going to check out the parade down the coast in Huntington Beach.  PubClub.com will have “boots on the ground” for it this year as a correspondent has just moved to that city so I’ll get a first-hand report of it from him.

Back in Hermosa, after the Ironman, I’ll quickly pedal back to a friend’s place on The Strand to help prepare to host a party. The 4th used to be filled with these house parties all over The Strand and walk streets.

But lately, the city’s efforts to crack down on them has been shamefully effective. One tactic has been to overwhelm this small city with hundreds of police officers from surrounding cities, including sheriffs deputies on horseback, the quintessential application of killing a fly with a sledgehammer.

Still, we party, and I’ll also likely take a break from this bash to roll down The Strand to check out what else is happening. I’ve heard the owner of the “90210 house” is having his annual party. I know him so I can get into it; he likes to keep it private and for good reason – the prime location of this house makes it a target for party crashers.

I’m curious to see whether or not The Strand is going crazy or will be tame considering this year’s 4th of July is on a Wednesday.

There are no fireworks here this year. Neighboring Redondo Beach had its show on Sunday, July 1 (which, I noted with a chuckle, was Canada Day). So I’ll have to see what transpires for me after dark.

No matter where you are celebrating the 4th, I hope you enjoy it and Happy Birthday America!

Cheers!