Of the hundreds of participants in Sonoma's Fourth of July Parade, no one flashed a bigger smile than Austin Ridge.
Ridge, a 28-year-old physically disabled man known widely in the Sonoma Valley, has ridden his customized tricycle in the small-town parade several times in the past six years.
Until Wednesday he had ridden by himself. But after he was severely beaten and stabbed this spring in Boyes Hot Springs, his family decided to join him in this year's parade to say thanks to the hundreds of residents who offered cards, donations and prayers during his hospitalization and recovery.
"It gave us strength as a family to be strong for him . . . because of all the support the Sonoma Valley gave us," said his sister, Amber Brown.
Ridge, attired in a black baseball cap, black shorts and white tank top, acknowledged that the crowd got him smiling.
" 'Hey, Austin! Hey, Austin!' -- I heard that from corner to corner," he said after completing the route around the town's plaza.
The parade was a natural way for Austin's family to spread their message because it has become a place for Sonoma Valley residents to connect with each other, said Toni Castrone, executive director of the Sonoma Community Center, the parade's producer. On the Fourth of July, the small-town atmosphere seems tangible.
"I doubt there's ever more pride in this town than there is today," Castrone said.
The annual parade draws upward of 8,000 people to enjoy the vintage cars, folklorico dancers, Cub Scouts, equestrians and other groups that pass by for two hours.
Regulars know the Sonoma Hometown Band always marches past twice -- once with crazy hats -- and the parade ends when an old-time fire engine stops in the street and its operators spray water from two nozzles high into the air to the delight of children wanting to cool off on a warm summer day.
"I like all the floats and decorations," said Siena Scuderi, 12, of Santa Rosa, seated at the front of the crowd on First Street West.
"I got a lollipop," said her sister, Juliana, 7. That was just the start. Parade participants also had given the two chocolate, an apple, a toothbrush, a small water bottle and U.S. flag lapel pins.
Over in front of City Hall, a line of American flags wafted lazily in the breeze as Ridge and family members passed by the review stand.
As he turned up First Street West, Ridge was greeted with repeated bursts of applause.
Nearly two months ago, he wasn't sure whether he would be strong enough to ride his tricycle in the parade. Even so, his family wrote supporters that he still wanted to take part, even if it meant riding on a truck.
Austin was found beaten and stabbed early on April 25 along Lucas Avenue in Boyes Hot Springs. The attack, which occurred as he was riding home sometime after midnight, left him with a broken jaw, a head injury and stab wounds to his arms and torso.
His jaw was wired shut and he had to be readmitted twice to the hospital with complications, including a persistent fever.
In response, Sonoma Valley friends have held fundraisers and provided Austin with an electric wheelchair. A local cycling store is helping donate a new tricycle to replace "Old Blue," on which Austin estimates he has ridden nearly 20,000 miles in the past three years.
Last month, the investigation into the attack yielded an arrest. Sheriff's officials took Logan Dunning, 22, of Boyes Hot Springs into custody, saying Austin's DNA had been found on a knife in Dunning's home.
Dunning is scheduled to appear in a Santa Rosa courtroom at 8:30 a.m. today before Judge Robert LaForge on charges that include attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Ridge suffered a serious head injury about eight years ago in a car crash in Oregon. His mother, Kimberly Ridge, said that after the accident some acquaintances seemed uncomfortable approaching him, so her son decided he would make it a point to freely tell people his story.
"I'm not afraid to talk to people," he said. Now people regularly approach and say "hi" to him.
Brown noted that she's older than her brother, but in the Sonoma Valley, "I'm known as Austin's sister."
You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com.
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