Retired Yuba City Fire Chief William Burke, 101, waves to the crowd from the front seat of a restored 1931 fire engine during Yuba City’s Fourth of July Bike Parade. Burke once rode the same truck while serving with the department in the 1960s.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - Yuba City’s annual Fourth of July Children’s Bike Parade rolled through Plumas Street on the morning of July 4, drawing dozens of families to the heart of downtown for a celebration of community, patriotism and local history.

This year’s highlight was the triumphant return of a fully-restored 1931 fire engine, which led the parade for the first time since being rediscovered and repatriated from Sacramento.

Yuba City Vice-Mayor Marc Boomgaarden, who previously served as fire chief, proudly recalled being part of the city’s first official children’s bike parade.

“It’s really nice to see that it’s continued to go,” Boomgaarden said. “I remember the first year we did it, we were wondering whether anybody would show up and they did.”

Young participants cruise down Plumas Street in a patriotic Power Wheels Jeep, proudly flying American flags during Yuba City’s Fourth of July Children’s Bike Parade.

Now decades later, the tradition continues to grow, this year drawing added excitement with the debut of Engine 4352, a 1931 American La France “horseless carriage” that once served the city in the early days of its fire department.

William Burke, a retired Yuba City Fire Chief, would have been just nine years old when this truck was first in service. The 101-year-old fire veteran remembers riding in it during his time with the Yuba City Fire Department in the late 1960s but wasn’t expecting to return to his old seat for the parade.

“This is actually my first time coming to the parade, too. They didn’t have it when I retired,” said Burke with a chuckle. “I was just never here when they had the kids' parade and I wanted to see it! I didn’t realize I was going to be in it. The seats felt a lot bigger back then.”

From the front passenger seat, Burke remarked that the engine looked even better now than it did back when he was working in it. Wearing the only piece of his old uniform he had left, a white fire helmet, Burke waved to onlookers as children passed by on festively-decorated bicycles.

Paradegoers stand with hands over their hearts during the National Anthem at the start of Yuba City’s Fourth of July Bike Parade. The annual event draws hundreds of local families to Plumas Street for a morning of patriotic celebration.

The vehicle’s return to Yuba City on June 11 marked the end of a decades-long journey. Fire Captain Kevin Kennedy explained that while the truck once served out of Station 1 near the original Plumas Street firehouse, it eventually went out of service and left city ownership sometime in the 1970s.

“It’s crazy to think about a 1931 engine still in operation into the 1970s,” Kennedy said.

The engine ultimately ended up on display at the Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento. After the restaurant closed, it was donated to a Sacramento fire museum. That’s when the mystery of its true origins came to light.

“They actually thought it was a Sacramento City fire engine until the museum researched the VIN and realized it belonged to us,” said Yuba City Fire Engineer Derek Sweet. “When we got it back, we took it to The Body Shop here in town and had it repainted. It’s in really good condition.”

Red, white and ride: a young rider beams while leading a group of paradegoers during Yuba City’s Fourth of July Children’s Bike Parade, his bike decked out in festive stars and stripes.

According to Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw, the restored engine will soon become a permanent part of downtown’s visual landscape. Plans for the Tower Plaza renovation include a new mural on the side of Lee’s Canton Restaurant featuring a depiction of the original Yuba City Fire Station and the very same 1931 fire engine.

“This is the firetruck,” said Shaw with excitement. “You’ve heard me talk about the mural we’re putting up: the old fire station and old fire truck. That’s this one.”

Firefighters weren’t shy about their enthusiasm for the truck, either.

“We had to have a raffle,” said Captain Zack Jones. “There were eight guys that wanted to drive it, so they had a drawing to see who would get it.”

The honor went to firefighter Davis Pace.

“It’s really easy to drive, like driving an older car,” said Pace. “It’s a manual four-speed transmission, so it’s different from modern cars but it really drives well.”

The historic 1931 American LaFrance fire engine, once stationed on Plumas Street, is ready to lead the Fourth of July Children’s Bike Parade through downtown Yuba City.

As the parade rolled down Plumas Street toward the town fountain, the Yuba Sutter Symphony provided patriotic music. Children waved flags, laughed with friends, and cooled off with free hot dogs and freeze pops handed out by event volunteers.