Welcome to the Land of Liberty: THE largest and best attended Independence Day Festival in the area. We estimate the crowd over the two days to be 9,000 - 12,000! Now that the Fourth is over, enjoy this
3-minute video highlighting just a few of our favorite things this year...
© 2007-09 Rancho Cordova 4th of July. All Rights Reserved.
Website Design by eNet Technologies
Website Maintained by
Info Line: (916) 851-8818
Steelman leads the parade
The Fourth of July is a celebration of our American heritage, but it is also a chance to celebrate being a Rancho Cordovan. And that’s what Josie Steelman has been doing for nearly a half-century. That may be why the Cordova Community Council and the Rancho Cordova Kiwanis Club have selected her to be the Grand Marshall of the “Land of Liberty” parade.
Steelman was honored earlier this year to be the Cordova Community Council’s “Rancho Cordovan of the Year,” a kind of “lifetime achievement award” reserved for those who have spent years building this town we call home. Known for her plain-spoken earnestness, Steelman is a longtime advocate of embracing and celebrating cultural diversity, and was doing so long before it was fashionable.
Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Committee
- David Sander, Fund-raising
- Brian Danzl, Logistics
- Lee Frechette, Logistics
- Conrade Mayer, Logistics & Beer Garden
- Sean Still, Parking and Transportation
- Melody Mayer, Revenue Management
- Robert Sanger, Kids Zone
- Trish Lindvall, Cordova Recreation and Park District
- Officers Wayne Stevens, Jerry Lane and Russ Munn, RCPD
- Rick Sloan, Logo
- Ross and Carol Hutchings, Event Management
- Shelly Blanchard, General Manager
She grew up in the barrios of San Antonio, but her marriage to Dale Steelman and his career eventually brought them to Rancho Cordova. Mather Air Force Base was then home to Air Force navigation training, not only for the U.S. military, but for military flyers from throughout the free world. This constant influx of military navigators and their families from around the globe proved to be the perfect incubator for Steelman’s passion for multicultural understanding.
She became engaged in the schools as a volunteer at Cordova Villa Elementary School, inventing and encouraging cultural events and school projects. Her work in the schools encouraged her to complete her own high school education and inspired her to seek a college degree — which she did — from Sacramento State University.
Most people would probably have stopped there, but not Steelman. Her growing educational background and work in the schools further inspired her. She went on to eventually be elected to the Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Trustees, where she served from 1983 through 1992.
Today, Steelman continues to serve local education and her community. That is expressed through her long association with the Rancho Cordova Optimists Club. She was also selected to represent the community she loves as a member of the All-America City Awards traveling delegation to Tampa.
Josie Steelman is a mother of six children who all graduated from FCUSD schools, plus many grandchildren who have followed. With her large and diverse family, some might say she leads a Rancho Cordova parade every day.
On the Fourth of July, it will just be a little bigger!
The 25th Annual Rancho Cordova 4th of July
HUGE thank you to our sponsors and volunteers
Mark your calendars for July 3 & 4, 2010.
Contact us if you want us to contact you about sponsoring or volunteering next year.
