Heat not Enough to Stop Falls Church Parade and Festival

The heat advisory wasn’t enough to keep residents of the City of Falls Church from flooding the streets for the 30th annual City of Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival.

Hearts were heavy as the true meaning of Memorial Day came to light during the Veterans Ceremony in front of the Veterans Memorial.

“Its great to have good food and music and all the different cultures here,” said one young mother of two attending the event with her children, whose husband is currently serving in Afghanistan.  “But I think honoring the veterans is very important, they are the reasons why we are even able to be here freely you know.”

Boy scouts from Arlington and Falls Church visited nearby National Memorial Park also to pay respects and plant flags on the graves of slain servicemen there too.

Howard Herman, the former Community Services Department and Director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Falls Church was honored for his 40 year career with the City of Falls Church as the Grand Marshal of the Memorial Day Parade.  He was honored to be given such a prestigious position in the parade.

The parade took over Park Avenue with antique cars, Latin dancers, displays from the Falls Church Parks and Recreation Department and plenty of traditional displays of American pride from motorcycle riders to men and women dressed in old fashioned American clothing.

The vendor booths featured food and arts and crafts from all corners of the world, and there were also some partisan politics displays of pride from the City of Falls Church Democratic and Republican committees.

The Ken Smith Band closed the day with a spirited performance featuring covers of timeless American classics like “Sweet Caroline” among others.

Edith Snyder of the League of Women Voters was also on hand representing the Falls Church branch of the LWV.  She was very candid in her individual views on this day celebrating the sacrifices of American soldiers.

“Memorial Day is, first and foremost, a time to remember all those who have given their lives for this country,” said Snyder. “But it is also a time to recall the principles for which they were wounded and died: freedom, justice, equality, and the right to govern ourselves--principles to which we should all be dedicated.”

For more pictures of the event log on to the City of Falls Church website fallschurchva.gov