Texas 4th of July Parade

TEXAS 4th of JULY PARADE

The 4th of July Parade in Arlington is reputed to be Biggest in Texas (doesn't this automatically make it the Biggest in the United States, and therefore the World?). Several year's ago a movie was filmed in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone called True Stories. A very amusing movie. One of the amusing parts of that movie was a parade in a small Texas town, celebrating Specialness. The Arlington 4th of July Parade had all sorts of Specialness. There were the Wheeling Elvi, the Precision Lawn Chair Brigade, the Mothers of Multiples, a Wedding Float, a Vietnamese Prison Camp, Union and Rebel soldiers, Kung Fu Fighters, and a Phalanx of Fiddlers...this parade began at 9 AM and lasted til almost noon. There were 4 high school marching bands, one from the biggest high school in the nation with over 5000 students, the bands were over a block long, hundreds of kids blowing their horns and banging their drums. What a spectacle...

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The Eyes on Texas was peacefully crossing the street to get to a better shade spot when this group of marchers advanced faster than expected. Some rude shouting was heard. Something to do with blocking the view of the television cameras.

The Wheeling Elvi. An article in the Dallas paper the next day said the Elvi were quite miserable in their hot pompodour wigs waiting for the parade to start.

Appears to be the Mayflower floating by the reviewing stand.

This University of Texas couple decided to get married on the 4th of July, and to be in the parade first. On their wedding float. As they passed, the crowd yelled 'kiss, kiss'. And so they did.

This float was "Helping the First Texans Find Their Way Home". It is not known what this means or refers to. If anyone knows, please email the answer.

Clara Barton spent a lot of time in Texas helping with disaster recoveries, such as after the hurricane that destroyed Galveston at the start of the 1900s.

Unlike schools in some other area of the country, such as some in the Pacific Northwest, Texas schools participate in parades. The marching bands, the cheerleaders, the drill team. There were easily a couple thousand kids in this parade. And they seemed to be having a good time. Some of them had spritzers walking along beside them to spray water to ease the heat a bit.

One of the high school marching bands. So many tubas make a very loud Stars and Stripes Forever.

Another of the high school bands. The names of three of the schools is remembered, Sam Houston, James Bowie and Lamar. Can't remember the name of the school with 5000 students. Behind the reviewing stand was another band, sitting in the shade, playing background music during the entire parade.

And another high school band. The photos do not show how huge the bands were.

Mothers of Multiples.
No. That is not Wally and Big Ed carrying the banner.

The Mothers of Multiples Twin and Triplet choo choo train.

The Precision Lawn Chair Brigade. They were quite good. Very precise. A high degree of Specialness.

A good view of part of the crowd lining the streets. And some of the bizarre things people put on their heads in Texas. Even in almost 100 degree heat.

An Alamo on Wheels.

For the first time the Vietnamese American Community had an entry in the 4th of July Parade. It was a huge entry. People in native dress carrying huge American and Vietnamese flags. Kung Fu fighters doing all sorts of chop socky moves as they walked down the street. Actual Vietnamese Viet Nam vets. The crowd greeted the Vietnamese entry very enthusiastically and you could see the Vietnamese were very pleased and proud.

The U.S. flag followed by the flag of the Republic of Viet Nam The Vietnamese communities of the Metroplex and in Houston are quite large. Entire areas have been turned into Little Saigons. Very prosperous and a great place to buy oyster sauce and coconut vinegar and any other Asian ingredient.

Vietnamese Kung Fu Fighters battling on the streets of Arlington.

A very unusual float for an American parade. Very political. A group of soldiers, posed like the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, was on the front of the float. The back was a rotating stage. On one side was the Communist Viet Nam of today with a soldier pointing a gun at the imprisoned Vietnamese. On the other side were the American Vietnamese, smiling and happy, with the Statue of Liberty looking over them, waving American flags.

The Traders Village entry in the parade. Traders Village is the location of an RV Park where visitors to the Metroplex stay when there is no place else to go.

If you're gonna parade in Texas you better have some fiddlers in the band. Or something like that. Dozens of fiddlers seem to be sort of the Texas equivalent of bagpipes.

A couple of Belles of the South lead a group from the largest Confederate Re-enactor army in the nation.

You don't call them Rebels in the South. They are Soldiers from the War of Northern Aggression. It being the 4th of July, the Union couldn't be far behind.

Union soldiers march by the reviewing stand. Both the Union and Confederate re-enactor armies are quite large in the Metroplex.

...thus ends this Texas 4th of July parade, with the Union soldiers chasing the Rebels down the street...

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