Los Molinos 4th of July Parade and Playday

At ten o’clock on Saturday, July 4, 2026, cones went out on Highway 99 in Los Molinos, and traffic was diverted around them. Parade-goers set up on the road shoulder. Some sat under tents and umbrellas they had brought for shade, and volunteers handed out ice cold water along the line. The route took in Sherwood Boulevard and a section of the highway. The theme was America250, for the country’s 250th birthday, and it was the 59th annual parade. The Los Molinos Chamber of Commerce organizes it, and Action News Now reported that it is the longest-running parade in Tehama County.

The town is small. Los Molinos, Spanish for “the mills,” counted 2,098 people at the 2020 census. It traces its history to a railroad station that opened at the site in 1905, and a post office has operated there since the same year. Some of the crowd came from neighboring towns. Quinn Morrison, a girl from Corning and a student at Olive View Elementary School, told Action News Now she had been going to the Los Molinos parade all her life. Of her favorite part of celebrating the Fourth, she said: “Because the fireworks, like, explode, and they make beautiful noises.”

Lions from Red Bluff’s Chinatown

One 2026 entry was a lion dance from Red Bluff’s Historic Chinatown. Its notice gave 10 a.m. at the Los Molinos Veterans Memorial Building, 7980 Sherwood Boulevard, as the meeting point. The Chamber of Commerce keeps its address in the same building. The troupe came under “Lion Dance Across America,” produced by CHSA, a program in which more than 30 lion dance teams across the United States committed to perform in their local Independence Day parades for the 250th anniversary. The hosts included Joe Chew Fandom, Images of America: Chinese in Tehama County, and Historic Chinatown Alley. Their notice cited historical records of Chinese participation in Fourth of July events as early as 1852 in San Francisco, 1888 in Deadwood, South Dakota, 1908 in Red Bluff, and 1911 in New York City.

A coach, a saloon, and an honorary mayor

The 2026 Grand Marshal was Nathan Stelzriede, varsity baseball coach at Los Molinos High School and the Northern Section’s 2026 Coach of the Year. He rode with his 2026 varsity team, which had qualified for the last four section championship games and won three of them. Candi Mason and the Cabin Saloon were named Parade VIPs. They were honored for years of hosting fundraisers and events for the town and the Chamber, and for sponsoring honorary mayor candidates.

That candidacy is the parade’s engine. The Honorary Mayor leads the parade, and the Mayors’ Race is the primary fundraiser for both the parade and the games that follow it. In 2026 the winner was to be announced on July 1. Voting boxes stood around town at the Cabin Saloon, LaSunamita Mexican Diner, Jack’s Restaurant, NuWay Market, Columbia Bank, Cost-U-Less, The Burger Shack, Roxie Deli and BBQ, and Los Molinos ACE Hardware. “The annual parade is what small-town traditions are all about,” said parade organizer Bryan Fox. “It’s one of the things that keeps Los Molinos great.” The Chamber’s own motto reads “Keeping Los Molinos Great!”

Sack races in Mill Creek Park

After the parade the day moves to Playday in the Park at Mill Creek Park, about a mile and a half west of Highway 99E on Tehama Vina Road. The Playday is free and open, in the Chamber’s phrase, to “the young and young at heart.” It runs old-fashioned games such as sack races and the water balloon toss. The parade awards are presented there once the judges have made their decisions.

The county park covers 33 acres on the eastern bank of the Sacramento River, under mature trees that give ample shade. It has a playground, a play court area, softball fields, and three horseshoe pits, though visitors bring their own horseshoes. Picnic tables and small barbecue grills scattered through the grounds go first come, first served. A public boat ramp gives access to the river. The park allows no overnight parking or camping.

Christmas in July, 2020

“It’s been going strong now for almost 60 years,” Fox said in 2026. A Tri-County News photograph from 2006 shows Tehama County veterans gathered on a float at the parade, while Linda Davis of Corning leads the crowd in patriotic songs.

The Red Bluff Daily News covered the 2020 parade in detail. Hundreds turned out that Saturday morning for 65 entries. Antique tractors and classic cars made up most of the line, with a few horses and floats among them. Trucks from local fire departments came at the end, followed by Los Molinos’ own Santa Claus. The theme that year was Christmas in July. The parade started at 10 a.m. sharp and lasted about half an hour. It was moved off State Route 99E onto Sherwood Boulevard, and the Play Day was cancelled under state shutdown orders aimed at the COVID-19 pandemic. A few larger groups gathered, but most families left space between themselves and the next. There were few masks.

The 2020 judges were Stacey Miller, Julie Zeeb and Randy Ashinhurst. Their results ran by category:

• Cars: antique cars before 1940, classics from 1940 to 1969, and contemporary cars from 1970 on.
• Tractors and military: antique tractors, with Dustin Kimmelshue first, and military entries.
• Equestrian: junior riders and costume.
• Floats: clubs and organizations, commercial, and family.

Several prizes carry local names: the Earl and Chris Beck Equestrian award, the NuWay Market Award, the Charles Githens Military award, and the Dick Ochs Best of Cars. Denny and Deanna Rogers took the Grand Prize, and Red Barn Weddings and Events won Best of Floats. Honorary Mayor Jamie Karnes helped lead the parade that year. The proceeds of the race that put Karnes there were set aside to replace the Christmas lights strung along State Route 99E with LED strands.