March 29, 2012

‘Home Is Pacific Palisades on the Fourth of July’ is this year’s winning parade theme, submitted by longtime resident Christine Borland. As her reward, she and a select group of family and friends will ride the Station 69 fire truck in the town’s annual parade.

‘When my family first moved to the Palisades, we lived on Toyopa and the parade went directly by our house,’ said Borland, who attended Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere Middle and Palisades High School (Class of ’86). ‘We always considered the Fourth a big family day. My father even set off fireworks in the front yard, but you can’t do that anymore.’

When the Borland family, father Lynn, a lay leader at the Methodist Church, mother Vicki and daughters Christine, Laurie and Angie, moved from Toyopa to Ocampo, Fourth of July remained a day to stay in the Palisades and celebrate.

‘It’s exciting,’ said Borland, who has always enjoyed watching the town’s organizations that participate in the parade, like the American Legion, the Optimists and the Girl Scouts. ‘Everyone loves it when the skydivers come down.’

The entire Borland family still watches the parade together, but their new favorite location is at the starting point in front of the Methodist Church on Via de la Paz. ‘It’s the perfect spot, shaded under the trees,’ said Borland, whose sister Angie, husband Rob Quigley and their children Quinn and Caroline have moved back to town after living in Sacramento. Laurie and her husband Terry Garcia, who live in Acton, will also be back for the parade.

This was Borland’s first year of submitting a theme, although her mother Vicki has entered regularly. ‘My mom encouraged me to enter something,’ said Borland, who submitted four themes, but admitted the winner was her favorite.

A graduate of USC, with a degree in English, Borland now manages the Latitude 33 condominium building in Marina Del Rey. Her daughter Devin is a junior at UC Santa Barbara and daughter Jenna is an eighth grader at Revere. Borland’s father always competed in the Will Rogers 5/10K Run until the past few years, when he began helping with race logistics as a member of the Ridge Runners. This year, to honor his 70th birthday (in April), Dad has challenged the entire family to run in the 5K.

‘It’ll be all of the girls,’ said Borland, who will be joined by her sisters, her daughters and two nieces (who will participate in the Kids Fun Run). Vicki has been designated as the official family photographer for the race.

‘It seems like people who grew up here and have moved away always come back on the Fourth,’ Borland said. ‘You feel welcome here, like you still belong to the community, and will always belong.’