Modesto Fourth of July festivities get personal

Modesto Fourth of July festivities were filled with firsts Saturday.

The 141st annual Fourth of July parade. The first Fourth of July Festival at Tenth Street Plaza. And the first time Uncle Sam popped the question to Lady Liberty.

Modesto couple Trieste Jakubicek, as Lady Liber-“T,” and Sammy Dounglomchan, as Uncle Sammy, got engaged in front of the judge’s grandstand in the middle of the parade Saturday morning. Dounglomchan surprised Jakubicek with the ring and proposal.

“It means a lot to me to be able to do this in this way,” said Dounglomchan, who also dressed up with Jakubicek last year as part of the ShadowChase Running Club’s best overall theme-winning float. “T and I are very involved in the community. I thought, ‘What better opportunity to propose than with her as Lady Liberty and me as Uncle Sam?’”

The pair has been together for 15 years and are active with the Modesto Kiwanis Club, which puts on the celebration. They were part of the organizing committee for the new Modesto Fourth of July Festival. In years past, a community picnic in Graceada Park followed the parade. But the practice was dropped in 2011, when the Kiwanis Club took over from the Modesto Jaycees. Parade Chairman Jeremiah Williams said the time was right to bring it back, and closer to the other activities.

“It’s more convenient to have it downtown. When it was in the park, it became a logistical issue with the distance between the two locations,” Williams said. “If you were already parked downtown, you’d maybe have to drive over to park. Now your car is parked, you can come to the festival and get some good barbecue or kettle corn and enjoy the ceremonies.”

The festival included a couple of dozen food and vendor booths. Crowds of a few hundred milled through the area, stopping to eat and listen to performers, throughout the afternoon.

“We hope this is the first of many festivals,” said Modesto City Councilman Tony Madrigal, who helped organize the event. “We want to attract more life to downtown, and what better way to do that than say happy birthday, USA, here.”

Waterford resident Martin Garcia brought his 3-year-old daughter, Janeese, to the parade and festival for the first time. As they sat in some shade in the plaza, Garcia said he’d try to come back next year, as well.

“She likes the live music and seeing all the people,” Garcia said as his daughter bopped along to a song. “It’s something fun we can do together.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Modesto Fourth of July festivities get personal."