The Rancho Cordova Jr. Lancers organization was difficult to miss with dozens of uniformed cheerleaders and football players combining for an energetic parade entry.

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Brutal heat beat down on the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July activities last week but even the sizzling temperatures failed to put a damper on the largest community party of the year.

A crowd of 15,000 awaited cooler evening breezes to kick in before heading to Hagan Community Park for music, carnival rides, a circus and fireworks. The crowd was smaller than last year but substantial, considering the triple- digit heat that baked the region.

 Even the audience got into the action at the Los Moralitos Circus, a family of circus performers who entertained at the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July.

The heat did not deter more than 140 runners who turned out for the inaugral Fourth of July fun run down Coloma Road. The blazing forecast did diminish the crowds along the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Parade route but more than 60 entries had fun as the procession made its way down Coloma Road to Chase Drive, before wrapping up at Cordova Gardens School.

The City of Rancho Cordova float honored the contributions of volunteers for their parade entry, celebrating the inaugural Spring Service Day that attracted hundreds of volunteers who performed volunteer activities a few weeks earlier. 

As hot sunshine began to recede on both July 3 and July 4, Hagan Park filled with fun-seekers. They were greeted with carnival rides and more than 30 food trucks featuring festival food.

The heat pushed the performance times of the Los Moralitos Circus, which had traveled across the country from the Midwest to perform but the crowds materialized and showed enthusiastic appreciation for acts of derring-do. The July 3 concert featured the Three Queens of Motown tribute to legends Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. Summer Night City Abba Tribute warmed up the crowd for the pyrotechnics on July 4.

 It was “forward, march” for the Cordova High School Marching Band, one of four bands performing at the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Parade.

The highlight of both days of activities were the evening fireworks shows that painted the sky in dazzling, sparkling color, choreographed to music. Audiences responded with appreciation as the heavens exploded in a memorable, golden shower of fireworks for the July 4 finale.

 High-flying antics filled the performance of the Los Moralitos Circus, defying not only gravity but sizzling temperatures as well.

“It was a hot, hot Fourth of July that taxed everyone from our volunteers to our visitors but it was still a great observance of the freedoms we enjoy and celebrate on the Fourth of July,” said Shelly Blanchard, executive director of the Cordova Community Council, organizer of the 39th annual event. “It really is a day to focus on the many things we have in common as Americans, no matter what the thermometer says.”

 Mayor David M. Sander, Ph.D, and his wife, Maggie, were among the dignitaries who reigned over the crowds at the Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Parade.