For most of the past two decades, Tracy’s annual Fourth of July parade has been a silent one. Sure, there have been the sounds of marching feet or cars pulling floats, but no live music.

This morning’s parade will be different. There will indeed be music, but not from a marching band as some have hoped.

The parade music will be of a special variety — “action-hero music” — played by Ken Cefalo of Main Street Music and a half-dozen local musicians for a Fourth of July “Action-Hero Dance Party.”

The band will be seated on the bed of a truck driven near the end of the parade by Shawn Kelley, Tracy’s main man of merriment. In a trailer pulled by the truck will be the costumed dancing action-heroes and cartoon characters — Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Catwoman, Radioactive Man of “The Simpsons,” Cartman of “South Park,” Dr. Doom and probably a few others. And just to keep to the spirit of the Fourth — Uncle Sam and Abe Lincoln will also be there.

Shawn, who drove his truck in last year’s parade with costumed people and recorded music, has built on last year’s inaugural effort, adding live music, more people, more costumes and dancing. In the past couple of weeks, he has acquired a bunch of action-hero costumes to augment the few he had last year. And he asked Cefalo to cook up the music. Ken readily volunteered and started gathering musicians, including teachers at Main Street Music.

As the band plays on the truck bed this morning, some of the action heroes will be dancing on the trailer while others will be prancing in the street.

“I’ll bet we even get some of the people watching the parade to join in along the way,” Shawn told me over coffee earlier this week in front of Barista’s. “We’ll get some people on their feet dancing.”

By the way, the parade begins at 9 a.m. at Sixth Street and Central Avenue and proceeds north on Central and Holly Drive to Lincoln Park.

Sophia Valenzuela of the sponsoring Tracy Chamber of Commerce reports there will be 42 entries, including a veterans’ color guard, servicemen and -women home from the Middle East, military vehicles, Military Moms, local officials, some businesses and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. And don’t forget the dancing action heroes.

I’ll see you along the parade route this morning. I’ll be on the sidewalk snapping photos. Maybe some of you’ll be out on the street dancing.

More on Ellis

Efforts to erect a monument at the location of Ellis, the railroad coaling station that preceded Tracy, are moving forward, according to Pete Mitracos.

Pete, a member of the city Planning Commission and the Historical Landmark Committee of the West Side Pioneer Association, has contacted Scott Claar of the planning department. Claar has touched bases with the city engineering department for confirmation of a city easement along the original Schulte Road between Corral Hollow and Lammers roads.

No doubt it will take time to work through the processes, but if the city approves the site of the proposed obelisk without having to deal directly with the Union Pacific, so much the better — and faster.

Another option has been offered by Mabel Moitoso, who has lived on the north side of the same section of Schulte Road since 1961.

“They can put the monument on our property on the north side of Schulte, if they want to,” she said. “There should be something to mark the location of Ellis.”

She and her husband, the late Gabe Moitoso, bought what was then the Heinbockel Ranch in 1939 and moved there in 1961. Most of the land is now a subdivision, but Mabel retains her home and surrounding property. Artifacts from the Ellis days have been found on the property over the years.

‘Hawkeye’ on the mend

Tracy school trustee Tom Hawkins will be laid up for a while but is recovering after fracturing a hip Monday.

The retired Jefferson School superintendent-principal fell backwards at his home Monday and came down hard on his right hip. On Tuesday, plates and screws were added to his fractured bone during surgery at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital.

“Hawkeye” reports he’s doing fine — even taking a few steps with the aid of a walker — after the operation and will begin rehabilitation therapy Monday at Tracy Convalescent Hospital. Knowing Tom’s resilience in the face of health problems, we should see him up and around a lot sooner than expected.

• Sam Matthews, Tracy Press publisher emeritus, can be reached at 830-4234 or by e-mail at shm@tracypress.com.