OCEANSIDE — Thousands of spectators lined Coast Highway over the weekend for the 29th annual Oceanside Independence Day Parade, a patriotic event held each year on the Saturday before the Fourth of July.
Presented by MainStreet Oceanside, the City of Oceanside and local sponsors, this year’s parade carried the theme “Stars and Stripes by the Sea.” The procession began at Wisconsin Avenue and traveled north along Coast Highway through downtown to Civic Center Drive.
The parade opened with a military tribute featuring the 1st Marine Division Color Guard, followed by Marine and Navy bands and marching groups.
Among those honored during the event was 2025 Grand Marshal Mary Ann Thiem, recognized for more than two decades of volunteer service with MainStreet Oceanside. A former board chair, Thiem has helped lead community events such as the Sunset Market and Taste of Oceanside, and has supported various mural projects throughout the downtown area.
Miss Oceanside Ashlynn Gerard and her court, Kaitlynn Barnett and Anika Lugo, and Miss Teen Oceanside Brooklyn McKinney and her court, Gabriella Quezada, Kaylee Chavez and Briana Milan Solario, waved at spectators during the parade.
The parade also honored this year’s Hometown Heroes, who are nominated and selected based on their work in the community:
- Emily Wichmann, a third-generation Oceanside resident and first-generation American who served 24 years as an Oceanside Unified School District trustee. She also served in board roles with KOCT and the Boys & Girls Club, organized cleanups through her church, led the restoration of Pioneer Cemetery, and is an advocate for the library.
- Steve Burrell, who led emergency preparedness for seniors through Oceanside’s Age-Friendly City initiative with AARP, was also recognized for his work championing housing access, supporting seniors in manufactured home parks, and partnering with LGBTQ groups.
- Richard Fox, a lifelong civic leader who has served as president of the Oceanside Jaycees, a member of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Board, chair of the South Oceanside Community and Merchants Group, and Business Person of the Year in 1997. He was also recognized for his notable opposition to the Interstate 5 flyover to protect the neighborhood’s quality of life.
Bess Bronson, the 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award recipient, had a place in the parade lineup as well. She is a retired teacher, principal and district office administrator, and current member of the North County African American Women’s Association and president of Oceanside Pacific Kiwanis.
Oceanside City Council members including Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce and Councilmembers Peter Weiss, Rick Robinson and Jimmy Figueroa also rode in the parade alongside their families. Mayor Esther Sanchez, who has been in the parade in years’ past, was unwell and couldn’t attend this year.
City Clerk Zeb Navarro, City Treasurer Phyllis Dominguez, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, Assemblywoman Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel), and Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) were also in the parade lineup.
