A Parade, Fireworks, & Family Traditions on July 4th

Leann Morrison is a long-time Arlington resident who has seen the downtown Arlington July 4th Parade each year for 20+ years. arlingtonVIBE talked to Leann and her nephew, Grant, as they were setting up camp on Center St — at 6:00pm on Friday, July 2nd in the rain — to secure their favorite spot to view the Independence Day parade Saturday morning.

Leann and her nephew Grant
set up camp in downtown Arlington.

They seem to have chosen a prime viewing spot, directly across from First Baptist Church; from here the parade would travel south down Center Street. Another camper, Patti Conti, has seen the parade with her daughter for 25 years. On the eve of the parade, she told us that if the rain is too strong, they’ll move from the tent and head to their car. Only these two groups of campers were set up early Friday evening, but they told us that in previous years there have been bigger crowds as the night went on.

2010 marked the 45th Annual July 4th Parade in downtown Arlington. The Arlington Community Band performed the national anthem and provided pre-parade entertainment. A variety of participants, floats, and marching bands then started their trek at 9:00am, maneuvering through the city streets in front of thousands of on-lookers and several judges. 130 entries took part in this year’s parade.

All of Arlington’s High Schools were represented, as were various Scout troops, local small businesses, churches, veterans’ groups, and many community organizations. AISD, UTA, and TCC Southeast cruised on academia-inspired floats. Arlington’s Mayor Robert Cluck and other elected State and Federal representatives also rode along. National and regional companies included the Chick-fil-a cow, Fiesta stores, Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, and Six Flags Over Texas, among others. The funny Wheelie-ing Elvi, the ever-balanced Unicyclists, and many classic car groups were just a few who brought extra large smiles to the faces in the crowd!

The morning’s 4th of July parade festivities concluded with an award show. Held at Heritage Park on W. Front Street, the ceremony recognized parade excellence within each of several categories. A list of the 2010 parade award winners can be found here.

We can think of one possible parade attendee that was not at all missed — THE RAIN! It was absent for all of the parade, allowing for a much more pleasant morning.

Speaking of rain, it did not keep anyone away from the Levitt Pavilion Saturday night. Thousands came out to hear the Arlington Community Band, followed by Arlington-native and Nashville-Star winner, Melissa Lawson. Live music was also performed on the J. Gilligan’s stage earlier in the evening.

Weekend celebrations continued at Arlington Highlands the next day, which hosted its own Independence Day activities. Throughout the evening of July 4th, many friends and families gathered in and around the Highlands for live music, shaved ice, and a fireworks show. On this hot and muggy night, lines for Cold Stone Creamery and Jamba Juice were out the door…literally!

Around 9:30pm fireworks began, lighting up the eastern sky for nearly half an hour. Cars en route to find that rare parking spot just pulled over along side of the rode, and it seemed as if everyone paused at that moment, in collective silence, to respectfully watch the glowing images up above.

And there you have it. Another 4th of July has come and gone.
What did you do to celebrate?

Were you at the parade, or the Levitt? Did you travel on vacation?
Were you among thousands in Arlington Highlands? Tell us your Independence Day story!

See all of our 4th of July photos on our Picasa Web Gallery or on our Facebook page.

Mayor Robert Cluck

The Arlington Community Band

The crowd looks on at the Arlington 4th of July parade.

The 4th of July crowd at Arlington Highlands

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