Imagine being a general, at war, and you have 14 detachments of soldiers stationed along the front line. Welcome to the world of Robb Huff, parade announcer and organizer for the annual Coronado July Fourth Parade.<\/p>\n
His role in this patriotic display each year goes largely unnoticed by the tens of thousands of people watching. And, perhaps that\u2019s because he\u2019s so good at his job.<\/p>\n
You see, Robb\u2019s job is to coordinate a gaggle of volunteers, of all ages and backgrounds, and position them at 14 elevated stations along Orange Avenue, from First Street to Churchill Place.<\/p>\n
They work from a parade script describing 120 or so entries; they manipulate a sophisticated sound system; and they require the ability to enunciate \u2013 not too fast, not too slow. All of this is interwoven around carefully selected musical sound bites designed to entertain and fill the inevitable awkward gaps that occur during the actual parade.<\/p>\n
Robb, who looks like a young, mustachioed Van Heflin (ask your parents) has lived in Coronado 40 years. He is a current board member of the July Fourth Committee and has been announcing the parade for 38 years. He and his wife, C.W. Huff, were noticed because she was writing an award-winning column for the Coronado Journal at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started off in 1988,\u201d remembered the jovially humble announcer, \u201cwith a minimum of equipment \u2013 a table, two bullhorns, a microphone and a script. In those days people just read the script they were given.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we introduced music. Imagine what a DJ requires to do his job, and we had that kind of equipment at each announcer\u2019s table. The simple rule is, \u2018talk when you see a parade entry, and play music when you don\u2019t.\u2019\u201d Well, best laid plans of mice and men.<\/p>\n
And so, begins each Coronado July Fourth Parade. They start with an organizational plan, and each then takes its own path; sometimes humorous, sometimes not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve certainly had our challenges over the years,\u201d said Huff. \u201cIt all begins with the script, but it always requires work to get the script translated just right. We ask all the entries to submit details, which they mostly do in a first-person voice. They are usually way too long, and they ramble,\u201d he said laughing at some of the memories. There is a script for everyone \u2013 City Council, T-Bird Club, clowns, Shriners, etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, we alter it to be a third-person voice, and shorten it dramatically. There are two or three announcers dedicated to each station. Sometimes, because of the length of the parade, we have to caution our announcers not to make mistakes, or improvise. Sometimes the order gets mixed up, entry number 36 might get in front of number 35, so a spotter has to visually identify each group while someone reads that particular description.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old joke is, \u2018and here they are, the San Diego Clown Club,\u2019 and it\u2019s actually the Coronado City Council. Of course, that was an accident, but I still got nasty calls and letters about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one can imagine, there is a lot to deal with. Horses shy away from airplanes flying too low, sirens, cars backfiring or racing their engines, and loud popping noises in general. Sometimes scripts from groups like the Shriners take more than 15 minutes to read. \u201cAs much as we try and rehearse,\u201d said Huff, \u201cmistakes happen, some entries go too fast, others too slow, and it\u2019s a constant balancing act on the edge of a cliff.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of his favorite entries has always been the Pearl Harbor Survivors. Now, however, there are none left. As manager of the music, Robb insisted his people always played one specific song as the Pearl Harbor Survivors went by \u2013 \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d by Ray Charles.<\/p>\n
Robb has been a musician his entire life. He has a degree in music, and he and his wife C.W., an award-winning writer, lived in Europe for four years while Robb went from being a street corner busker to a small nightclub touring act.<\/p>\n
Robb and C.W. have been married for 53 years. When they returned from Europe, he took a job running the Department of Music at UCSD. At that point he had unlimited access to equipment. He continued to do gigs as a musician. Today he has a six-piece band called The Suenamis, who are a popular Concert in the Park entry every year, and perform around town at various locations and events. Rob plays rhythm guitar and sings.<\/p>\n
Huff is used to standing on a stage and performing \u2013 audience pleasing, if you will. He\u2019s also a very proud man, a perfectionist. Sometimes that seeking of perfection comes across as arrogance. Those who know him closely understand that\u2019s not the case at all, no, it\u2019s a desire to do the best work he can, to produce the best experience, and to maintain a complicated schedule. And that, he does.<\/p>\n
When he is on stage with a band, a six-piece band such as the Suenamis, he doesn\u2019t just sing and play guitar. He subconsciously locks in to the driving beat of the drummer; to the bottom line of the bass player. He listens for, and seeks harmonies as opposed to chaos. His job as soundman at the Coronado July Fourth Parade brings all of that into focus, and this is largely why Coronado has one of the best parades in the country … year after year, after year.<\/p>\n
Over the decades Robb has continued to fine tune the production of narration and music for the Coronado July Fourth Parade. Ironically, as in-touch as he is with today\u2019s technology, he continues to provide music from his antiquated personal cassette collection. To put that into perspective, music cassettes were popular from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
Robb\u2019s cassettes are basically one song each, and there are 50 of them. They run the gamut from John Phillip Sousa to Jimmy Buffett. If he gets caught up in a conversation with a young fan trying to ask questions, he flips the music over to a looped capture of Disney parade songs.<\/p>\n
Today he has MP3 players with each of his volunteers and they have a loop of songs appropriate to what\u2019s taking place along Orange Avenue.<\/p>\n
“Robb Huff\u00a0is\u00a0the voice of the Coronado Fourth of July Parade,\u201d said Jamie Hartnett, president of Coronado Fourth of July. For many years, Robb and his wife C.W. have poured their hearts and souls into creating an unforgettable parade experience for spectators all along Orange Avenue. Whether he’s curating the perfect music, enthusiastically announcing parade entries, or entertaining the crowd — often while sporting one of his signature kilts — Robb brings energy, passion, and personality to the celebration. Simply put, the parade would not be the same without him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Robb came into the picture, there was no music. He literally created the program people hear today. Robb\u2019s most important tool is a small, weathered box containing his many old-fashioned cassette tapes, and a hand-scribbled list of years he has performed the parade script dating from 1988 to 2026, with pertinent notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a member of the Coronado Fourth of July Board of Directors, Robb also leads the Parade Announcers Committee, recruiting and coordinating emcees for announcer stations throughout the parade route,\u201d added Hartnett. \u201cHe works tirelessly to ensure each announcer is prepared, engaged, and committed to making the parade a memorable experience for everyone in attendance.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one might imagine, a lot can go wrong, and often does. Some are humorous. Robb is cognizant of how to work a microphone. \u201cMany (most),\u201d he says, \u201care not.\u201d A hot mic mistake, where the narrator is talking to someone else and forgets the mic is on, is commonplace.<\/p>\n
Every year he encounters lost or wandering children who have become separated from their parents. Robb calls it \u201cThe Lost Parent Syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we have a child show up, the mothers always send the fathers to come up to collect their child. We kiddingly refer to that as, \u2018The Walk of Shame,\u2019 he laughed. Sometimes the crowd heckles the dads in fun, adding embarrassment to their walk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am continually imploring my volunteers to understand, first of all, they are representing the City of Coronado,\u201d said Huff. \u201cSecond of all, the Coronado July Fourth Parade and Concerts in the Park are among the most Americana events in the world, so they cannot share opinions or political comments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huff says that, in the heat of battle, most of his volunteers forget that not everyone is looking at what they are talking about. \u201cThe nagging question is, \u2018When do I start announcing the next float?\u2019\u201d Keep in mind, there are speakers pointing to the right and the left, some parade goers have already heard the announcement, some are still looking at the previous float. \u201cYou have to be aware that not all your comments make a lot of sense, and you have to have terrific awareness at all times and blend all that together the best you can,\u201d said Huff.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing the tensions of the world we live in today, we also prep for potential panic situations. Horses get spooked at loud noises, but the last thing you want is for people to run. At the slightest hint of trouble, we throw on some John Phillip Souza to distract from the situation and calm reactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe edit the entry descriptions so we\u2019re not naming every little Pete and Sally, who won this riding award and that, and on a horse named Sue. We don’t take birthday requests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perhaps the greatest compliment one could give Robb Huff and his team of volunteers is that no one notices all this behind the scenes preparation, and that parade goers are enamored with visual splendor and exciting (but brief) information on what they are seeing.<\/p>\n
One of the most popular things are the poop circles. \u201cThey are really a big hit,\u201d said Robb. We have to say it over and over for people to get their kids out into the street pre-parade. We provide them with chalk. Your circles can\u2019t be more than three-feet in diameter, put your initials in them, and the words, \u2018Poop Here!\u2019 If a horse unloads in someone\u2019s circle, the kids get prizes. This year Robb and his team will be giving out coupons for free ice cream, courtesy of Gelato Paradiso.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get a kick out of driving down Orange Avenue, even three days after the parade, and seeing the poop circles still showing on the street,\u201d said Robb.<\/p>\n
In addition to chalk, the announcers have large bags of swag which are constantly being handed out to children on parade day.<\/p>\n
The following is an excerpt from a past parade: \u201cHere comes the Coronado Fire Department\u2019s Lil\u2019 Mack. This 1938 pumper was part of the Coronado Fire Department\u2019s fleet until 1977. Riding on it today are City Council members Whitney Benzian, Mike Donovan, Marvin Heinz and Bill Sandke. Also riding on Lil\u2019 Mack are City Manager Blair King and Fire Chief Jim London.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, part of the challenge is that if narrators go too slow, the entry has moved on. If they read too fast, they can stumble over words and names.<\/p>\n
In the course of putting Huff\u2019s feet to the fire to recall awkward moments from past parades, he admits that some things he finds ironic. \u201cOne year a Shriner had a medical emergency and we had dead air for 20 minutes in the middle of the parade. Huff admits he may have mumbled through his hot mic, \u201cIs there a better place for a Shriner to join the Choir Invisible?\u2019 I got letters. The City got letters. Now we have a legal document we all have to sign, promising not to use political comments, inappropriate language, or off-color jokes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year I get complaint letters. One lady complains a big person was in front of her and she couldn\u2019t see. Others say there were too many canopies and they couldn\u2019t see, or they couldn\u2019t see because of the announcer stands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in the day, when we had low tables, people always wanted to talk to me. That\u2019s a distraction that you just can\u2019t deal with once the parade starts. Now we have the taller announcer stands that help immensely with viewing and avoiding distractions from people.\u201d The stands are sponsored by local businesses.<\/p>\n
Robb personally holds down the fort on the announcer stand in front of the Coronado Public Library. Over the years, the people who watch the parade from there have become like family, a special little \u201cneighborhood,\u201d as he calls it, where everyone knows everyone else.<\/p>\n
One year an elderly woman walked up to Robb and said she wanted to tell a joke. \u201cWell, I was naive back then, so I said, what\u2019s your name darlin\u2019? She told me and I announced it over the mic. Then she said, \u2018What does an old woman have on her belly, that a young woman doesn\u2019t?\u2019 So, I repeat it on the mic, then hand her the microphone. She says, \u2018Her tits!!!\u2019 That\u2019s when I realized I just can\u2019t talk to people. I have to focus on my job.<\/p>\n
Robb has one sound bite of a helicopter going loudly, stereo-traveling from one speaker to the next. He tells his audience to look up to see the helicopter, and then says, \u201cOh, it\u2019s one of those new invisible choppers. State of the art stuff, so you can\u2019t see it. Then I go into Don Henley\u2019s \u2018Boys of Summer\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end I go into a Joe Walsh song, \u2018Rocky Mountain Way,\u2019 and people walk away with a little dance and hop in their step. It\u2019s all fun, and we give the best we can, year after year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coronado is fortunate to have folks like Jamie Hartnett, Robb and C.W. Huff at the controls of special events such as the Coronado July Fourth Parade.<\/p>\n
Coronado Magazine – July, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine being a general, at war, and you have 14 detachments of soldiers stationed along the front line.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[20304,3211,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-384594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-coronado_city_news","tag-coronado_island_news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}