Around The World: A Capital Fourth of July
Jennifer Merin
Why join the throng that gathers in Washington DC for the Fourth of
July? It’s a perfect opportunity to express your patriotism--and to
enjoy the most spectacular annual celebration of America’s spirit of
freedom.
The core of the capital’s celebrations is the day-long event that centers around The National Mall, within view of Washington DC’s beautiful monuments and the U. S. Capitol building, the headquarters of our nation’s democracy.
The all-day event kicks off with the Independence Day Parade, a huge and elaborate production with marching bands, floats, military marching units and a number of VIPs and dignitaries. The parade starts at 11:45 a.m., but you’ll want to get there early to get a good viewing spot along the parade route on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 17th Streets.
Once the parade passes by, head for the National Mall, where the Independence Day celebrations culminate in an absolutely spectacular display of fireworks over the Washington Monument.
Make no mistake, July 4th celebrations are among the most popular and well attended public events in DC. So, once you’ve waved your flag to cheer on parading patriots, let the knowledge that you won’t be alone on the mall guide you to getting there good and early to stake out a bit of personal space on the lawn.
The public is allowed to enter the National Mall at 10 a.m., not before, and all must pass through security checkpoints. For reasons of security and crowd control, the Smithsonian Metro station and some of the streets leading up to the National Mall are closed or blocked off for July 4th. Your best bet for getting to the Mall is actually by Metro, getting off at Metro Center, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, Federal Triangle or L'Enfant Plaza, all within walking distance of the security check points.
You’ll have to maintain a presence at your viewing spot to keep someone else from claiming it, so it’s best to go with family members or friends with whom you can take turns to keep watch, while others in the party are free to enjoy the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a wonderful display of various performances--music, dance and storytelling that expresses the rich diversity of American culture.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival presents is a superb program of engaging activities that are scattered across the National Mall from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There‘s plenty of time for everyone in your group to see and experience the presentations, and there‘s plenty of activity to take up all you time.
This year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival highlights music, food and winemaking from Texas. Throughout the day, musicians from the Lone Star State will perform Texas blues, swing, conjunto, country and western, gospel, zydeco and tejano sets. Culinary treats include cowboy/chuck wagon cooking, down home cooking, and a variety of ethnic foods ranging from Tex-Mex to Vietnamese, from kielbasa to knackwurst, and more. The winemaking demonstrations feature distinguished winemakers from distinct wine growing regions across the state, each with its own soil and climate. Surprisingly, Texas is the fifth larges wine producer in the U.S., and some of the 220-family owned vineyards will be on hand at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival to celebrate Independence Day with enjoyable wine tastings, all part of Washington DC‘s Fourth of July offerings. .
You might also want to schedule a visit to the National Archives, which celebrated the Fourth of July with special day-long family programming centering around the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The activities are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., including a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by special guests along with historical reenactors dressed as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others who played prominent roles in the founding of our nation. In family-oriented activities, you also get to use a quill pen to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence, wear a tri-corner hat while orating about independence, make a political campaign button, play Presidential Bingo, get a temporary tattoo and more. The National Archives is on Constitution Avenue, and is within easy reach from your headquarters camp on the National Mall. By the way, the National Archives front steps offer excellent viewing for all the events, and spots are available to the public on a first come first served basis.
The White House Visitor Center also presents a family-oriented program of games, crafts and other activities for Independence Day. Knowledgeable National Park Service rangers officiate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Additionally, the annual Capitol Fourth Concert, a celebratory performance of patriotic music by the National Symphony Orchestra featuring selected pop artists as guests. This year Taylor Hicks, Huey Lewis and the News and Jimmy Smits are headlined. The concert is staged from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building. People are allowed to claim seats starting from 5 p.m. If you can’t find a seat, the performance is broadcast live over PBS, with a repeat airing at 9:30 p.m. If you want to hear the concert, but are tied down to your fireworks viewing spot, you can listen to it live on National Public Radio (WAMU - 88.5 FM).
Back on the National Mall, the day’s activities conclude with the nation’s best fireworks display. The spectacle usually begins at about 9:15 p.m., but the exact start time is variable, depending on when nightfall comes. (And, there’s a backup rain date: July 5th.) The fireworks are set off at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and they create a blaze of sparkling color in the night sky over the Washington Monument. You can get a grand view of the fireworks from the U.S. Capitol Building (on the steps, as mentioned above), the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial and East Potomac Park or . There are also special fireworks watching cruises on the Potomac River. If you’re nervous around crowds, you may find more personal space for viewing in Arlington, at the Marine Corps War Memorial, accessible by Metro to the Rosslyn Metro station, or off the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which runs along the Virginia side of the Potomac River.
Copyright 2008 Jennifer Merin
This news arrived on: 06/26/2008
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