July 06, 2010

4th of July at Bolinas


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photo by Donald Kinney

For 364 days of the year Bolinas tries it's best to remain hidden -- they want to keep their seaside paradise a secret -- but on the 4th of July they lighten up and invite everybody to the festivities.

Get there early and you'll be able to watch a very intense game of tug-of-war between Bolinas and their neighbors in Stinson Beach, just across the inlet to the Bolinas Lagoon.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And while the residents of Bolinas are known for their laid-back approach to life, they get pretty darned serious when it comes to showing the more straight-laced Stinson Beach residents who has more muscle.

And what excitement -- at the start the Bolinas ladies team was being pulled towards the water, but managed to recover and give the first few members of the Stinson Beach team a good soaking in the frigid salty water.

The men also put up a valiant effort, but I'm afraid there was no clear-cut winner this year. Now, you will hear different stories of what actually happened, but I believe Stinson Beach thought Bolinas had been disqualified because someone on the team sat down in the sand for more traction, so Stinson let go of the rope thinking they had won. The general consensus is that Bolinas took the honors. The residents of Stinson Beach might have a different take on the issue.



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photo by Donald Kinney

If you've been wondering where old hippies go to live out their peaceful lives after they've given up on "society", it's to the tiny town of Bolinas, of course...

This cool dude is Stu Art, who was warming up the crowd with some really wild variations of the National Anthem. When I asked Stu what his name was he carefully explained how he had legally changed his name from Stuart Something-or-Other to just plain Stu Art.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I didn't get her name, but this pretty lady was more than willing to pose for pictures.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And who would have guessed that President Obama would have the time to spend part of his 4th of July in Bolinas, but there he was. The big sign on the front of his float read; "Free Obama".



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photo by Donald Kinney

Who's got the power? You've got the power! Always a good thing to remember. (((That's me behind the "who's" in the photo on the right)))



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photo by Donald Kinney

The final float -- a tractor if you will -- had the colorful job of painting stripes all the way down Main Street. Others were busy stamping out red, white, and blue stars as they went. Now, I ask you, what other community allows that? Only in Bolinas, my friend...

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Looks like it was lots of fun! :)
Would like to be there!

 
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