In its first year as a participant in Laguna Woods Village’s popular Fourth of July Parade, the Video Club produced a 15-minute video documenting the parade’s estimated 91 golf carts filled with (in the words of the July 8, 2021 Laguna Woods Globe) “…smiling Village residents, their friends and guests, a bevy of dogs of varying sizes and breeds, and scores of kids and grandkids helping families celebrate America’s 245th birthday.” But they were not only celebrating the Fourth of July. This first Village-wide event since March, 2020 also celebrated the community’s emergence from 18 months of COVID-19 restrictions.
Club member Starkey drove the cart, made available to the club by Membership Director Marsha Berman. Club member Don Hill, who often serves as the Official Greeter at the club’s monthly General Meetings, rode as a passenger and shot video with his iPhone of residents viewing the parade along the route.
Stephanie Brasher, Club Secretary and Short Film Showcase Coordinator, used her iPhone to shoot video from the street, capturing almost all the participating golf carts — along with other parade highlights, such as Village resident Carol Shallin elegantly costumed as the Statue of Liberty.
Using the Apple editing program iMovie, Stephanie also performed a miracle in quickly editing the four hours of footage she and Don had captured. Stephanie, Marsha, Don, and Starkey collaborated to plan and decorate the Video Club golf cart.
If you were part of this beloved Village tradition, here’s an opportunity to relive and enhance your enjoyment of the event. Click on the video above to see your friends and neighbors dressed as patriots and riding in carts, celebrating the holiday along with the crowd viewing from the sidelines.
videocluboflagunawoods.com 
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