As soon as he saw the array of parade balloons lined up for the National Independence Day parade, Patrick Gray knew which one he wanted to help usher along Connecticut Avenue: the eagle. “It’s cool,” said Gray, an Arlington resident volunteering in the Fourth of July parade. “The eagle is the symbol of the American way.”
Thousands of tourists and locals flooded District sidewalks and streets Monday to celebrate America’s birthday with a mix of food, parades, fireworks and lots of flag-waving.
There were dozens of floats and plenty of other balloons to go around at the parade — a red, white and blue birthday cake, a flag. Even Fred Flintstone made an appearance. But Gray said he felt proud to help hoist the eagle along the sweltering 10 blocks of Connecticut Avenue.
“It’s miserable. It’s hot. It’s sweaty. But it’s worth it,” he said.
On the Mall, Omeira Perry celebrated in a more somber fashion by visiting the World War II Memorial, having traveled from Guam for a three-day trip to Washington for the Fourth of July.
Perry had tried before to travel Stateside for the holiday, but this was her first trip during Independence Day weekend, and a chance to spend time with her two sisters, both Arlington residents.
“It’s a realization of a dream,” said Perry, who explained money and bad timing prevented her from making the trek before. “It’s not easy to fly all the way from Guam.”
At the memorial, Perry honored her father-in-law, who served with the Marines in the Pacific Ocean during the war. It was vindicating to pay her respects, she said.
“It’s very touching to be here,” she said. “This is a deserving memorial for all the people who fought in the war.”
In New York City, one D.C.-area resident celebrated America’s independence with a stomach-busting display of talent — devouring 40 wieners to win the women’s competition at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, a Burger King manager who lives in Alexandria, just missed her own personal best of 41 hot dogs in 10 minutes, but still managed to beat the field of eight other contestants.
In the District, Karen McCannon had set up a picnic to watch the fireworks with her three children in the shadow of the White House. The Athens, Ga., mother had traveled with her two sons to visit her daughter in Mechanicsville, Va., then the family trekked the rest of the way to Washington. After a weekend of sightseeing, she said, it was nice to get sit quietly apart from the Mall, avoiding the crowds in attendance for the Capitol Fourth celebration and the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival.
Despite the masses, the weekend in the nation’s capital, capped off with a fireworks display, was well worth the trip.
“If you’re going to celebrate somewhere, why not here?” she said.
