‘Still grieving’ Templeton goes all out in first July 4th parade without its beloved landmark

By Stephen Ellison · Wed Jul 08 2026

Thousands celebrate nation's 250th birthday on Main Street and reflect on Feed & Grain fire

TEMPLETON — Thousands of Independence Day revelers lined the streets of downtown Templeton for the city’s annual Fourth of July Parade, the first without the Templeton Feed & Grain’s landmark silos towering overhead.

With a theme of “Freedom 250,” Main Street was decked out to the nines in red, white, and blue to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. But still on the minds of some attendees was the devastating fire that ripped through the Feed & Grain a year earlier, destroying the iconic building and leaving a gaping hole at a popular spot along the parade route. 

Mark Lambooy, a 10-year resident of Templeton who attends every year, enjoyed this year’s parade with family members from Visalia, sitting under a canopy in front of the granary’s property. But he said it felt much different.

“We’re still grieving,” Lambooy said. “We were sitting here under the shadow of the building at last year’s parade, and we woke up the next morning, and it was burning down. We couldn’t believe it.”

Behind the Lambooy family, on the other side of a chain-link fence, a massive crane was centered in the vast empty lot where the Templeton Feed & Grain once stood, and during the parade, it draped a large American flag over Main Street. The scene was a reminder that the granary’s owners are in the process of rebuilding the business, though it won’t have the same looming presence it had for nearly eight decades.

Despite the undeniable gap, the parade, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Templeton, went off without a hitch, drawing residents and visitors of all ages to line the route that looped from Templeton Park on Crocker Street, around the south end of town, then on down Main Street north to Gibson Road. 

Tom Donnelly of Avila Beach has attended the Templeton parade since it began, he said, sitting in the same spot along Main near where his son has a business. While many people remarked at how much larger the crowd appeared, Donnelly said it seemed about the same to him as previous parades. He was most impressed with the town’s show of spirit on the nation’s birthday — this year and every year.

“I was watching a TV show the other night where they said only about 60 percent of the country is patriotic,” Donnelly said. “Here in Templeton, it’s gotta be about 90 percent.”

The Rotary Club’s Parade Chairman Jason Tesarz agreed that the crowd felt roughly the same as in previous years. But there was definitely a different vibe.

“I thought that the energy was pretty cool,” he said in a phone interview after the parade. “I think one, because of the 250th anniversary, and two, because the community was coming together for the Jermin family.”

Grand Marshal Vicki Akin Zimmerman waved to revelers from the back of a vintage Ford flatbed truck draped with the nation’s colors and leading what seemed to be an endless line of classic cars and pickups. Mixed in were the requisite fire engines and floats carrying participants of all ages, including marching bands, local dancers, military veterans, Templeton High athletes, and many other business and community leaders. 

And of course, who could forget Templeton Feed & Grain’s big rig? It was a noteworthy part of the convoy, displaying a heartfelt message from the Jermin family that read: “A huge thank you to everyone for your love and support from all of us at Templeton Feed & Grain.” 

In all, there were 86 parade floats, roughly on par with previous years, according to Tesarz. The annual awards went to the following: The Daughters of the American Revolution float was the overall winner; Mazzi Well Drilling was the local patriotic winner; the Famous Dancing Horses from Ranchos Los Santos won the horses award; the car club award went to the Golden State Car Club; and the SLO County All-Star Band won the marching band honors.

Korea War veteran John Butz and his wife Barbie had their usual spot in the shade along Main Street. John Butz, who has lived in Atascadero for more than 50 years, was an Army engineer. He said they know the Jermin family well, and he’s certain they’ll be back. As for the parade, he couldn’t remember the last time it happened on such a pleasant morning.

“This is the best weather we’ve had here in a while. It’s been a very cool early summer,” he said, adding that his favorite part of the parade is the vintage vehicles “because I can point to them and say I had one of those and one of those.”

More than two days after the parade ended, an exhausted Tesarz and his crew were still in cleanup mode. But he sounded pleased with this year’s result.

“There’s always things that we can improve,” he said. “But, all in all, nobody got hurt, it wasn’t scorching hot and everyone had a good time.”

Featured Image: The Jermin family had a grateful message for parade-goers during Templeton's annual Fourth of July Parade. The family's business, Templeton Feed & Grain, including the city's landmark grain silos, burned down hours after last year's Fourth of July parade. Photo by Rick Evans/PRP