When Redwood City’s Fourth of July parade makes its way through downtown this weekend, one float will showcase faith, family and heritage, with Italian and American flags, classic American music and a family tradition behind it.
Each year, the Peninsula Celebration Association, along with the city and other corporate sponsors, puts on a Fourth of July parade through downtown Redwood City along with other festivities. Often a crowd favorite, the city-organized fireworks show was replaced by a drone show last year but is set to return this weekend.
For George Schoenstein, building the Italian Catholic Federation’s Fourth of July float was a family affair.
Schoenstein, born and raised in Redwood City, first learned to build them with his father 20 years ago and continues the tradition with his sons and brother. The float, a tribute to Italian-American culture, will debut on Saturday and is expected to appear in the parade for some years to come.
Still, building the float is the highlight of Schoenstein’s celebrations.
“It’s a great experience. I wish more people would do it, and I hope they do,” Schoenstein said. “It’s work, but you can get help, and it can be done, and it’s really fulfilling. The excitement you see on people’s faces, especially the children, is really good.”
Help was not hard to find for Schoenstein. From neighbors donating materials from remodeling projects to realtors offering lumber from their listings, his surrounding community came together to support this project.
“I am building out the front of my house, and the neighbors have been really cool about letting me do that, and they come by and (have) been very supportive,” Schoenstein said. “It’s been a communal effort. It’s kind of fun.”
The organization entering Schoenstein’s float, ICF National Branch 67, is a nonprofit organization that supports local communities and families while celebrating Italian American heritage.
Leo Capovilla, ICF president, said the group also supports local charities, including St. Pius Parish and the Saint Vincent de Paul chapter connected to it.
“We support those guys as much as we possibly can, because of the great stuff that they do, and that’s why it’s kind of important to be out there, let people know what we are, what we’re all about,” Capovilla said.
Schoenstein’s design intends to communicate what the ICF stands for: The base of the float will be decorated like a cloud, with about 15 people on the structure, and half of it will be red, white, and blue, and the other half will be green, red, and white.
“Faith, family and heritage, that’s kind of our theme,” Schoenstein said. “I wanted to showcase the people. I think that ICF is the people. It’s not a machine, it’s not a figure, it’s not a structure. It’s the people and the generosity of the people who work in the ICF. … My son’s going to be driving the tow truck, and in the back of the truck I have a big PA system, and we’ll be playing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, American classics.”
Schoenstein hopes to include as many people as possible in the display, with participants holding an ICF banner in the front and people driving Italian cars to accompany the float. In all, he expects more than 40 people to participate.
PCA President Bob Anderson said local celebrations like this are especially important and geared toward looking at what makes the community unique and what brings it together.
“It will be a traditional hometown Fourth of July parade (with) a lot of local representation…,” Anderson said, adding that with the United States’ Semiquincentennial, the organization is hoping to make the celebration more red, white and blue. “This year, we’re hoping to make it very community strong. It’s going to be celebrating our neighbors, our volunteers, our businesses, service members, first responders and local heroes.”
Building this year’s float for the ICF holds personal significance for Schoenstein. A student at St. Pius School, a Catholic school in Redwood City and part of the parish that works closely with the ICF, he feels it is “a continuation of an old heritage” and a way of giving back.
“Do your part, step up and help out, volunteer, do something bigger and better than yourself and for other people,” Schoenstein said.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, at the corner of Brewster Avenue and Winslow Street. Other Fourth of July events include the Redwood City Fire Department pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Chalk Full of Fun and the Downtown Festival throughout the day, food trucks and a pre-fireworks concert at the Port of Redwood City. Fireworks are expected to begin at 9:30 p.m. The full list of events can be found on the city’s website.
Editor’s Note: Leo Capovilla’s name has been corrected. We apologize for the error.
Redwood City float celebrates Italian American heritage in Fourth of July paradeJuly 1, 2026 11:02 am
