Local D.C. on Display at Palisades' July 4 Parade

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A POLICE SUV ambled down MacArthur Boulevard yesterday, carrying a swarm of ... waving children.

It was a strange sight in a neighborhood in security-conscious D.C., but the car — led down the street by an officer on one of the department's new Segways — was just one of the sights that delighted onlookers at the Palisades Citizens Association's annual July 4 parade on MacArthur Boulevard.

While the neighborhood is within the District's boundaries, it feels light years away from the political wrangling in the city's center. Sure, there still might be talk of Karl Rove's appearance in 2003, but as usual, this year's Palisades' parade was all about local D.C.

» EVERYONE'S WELCOME: Unlike the big national July 4 parade on Constitution Avenue, the Palisades parade is open to anyone who would like to participate. While local officials might get better positioning, there's room for all sorts of groups and individuals in the procession. Take, for instance, G.I.R.T.H.: the Georgetown Institute for Retired Tennis Heroes. Or the "Millwood Mob," a group of neighbors from the one-block Millwood Lane who crown their own parade queen. And then there's "Kaz for President," who is running on the platform to end "global warming, poverty, terrorism ... and minor inconveniences."

It was also the 10th anniversary of the Hillcrest-Palisades Partnership. "Hillcrest? Where is that?" one man near the end of the parade route yelled out to a woman holding the banner. "Ward 7. I'm glad you asked!" was the reply.

» D.C. COUNCIL ROLL CALL: If our note-taking is correct, the following members of the D.C. Council marched in the parade, led by D.C. Council chairman Vincent Gray (with BlackBerry in tow): At-Large Republican Carol Schwartz (waving from a bright yellow TransAm with a bumper sticker that read "I think I'm in college"; At-Large Democrat Phil Mendelson; At-Large Democrat Kwame Brown; Ward 3 Democrat Mary Cheh; Ward 7's new Democratic council member, Yvette Alexander (where is her purse?); Ward 4's new Democratic council member Muriel Bowser; and At-Large Independent David Catania who walked alongside a PT Cruiser convertible. Now that's stylin' ...

No word on where Ward 8 Democrat Marion Barry was. (This writer did, however, spot him on Tuesday evening waiting outside Old Ebbitt Grill on 15th Street NW for either his car or a taxi.)

And it is worth noting that one prospective D.C. Council member, Adam Clampitt, marched with a decent-size contingent. He's recently formed an exploratory committee for a potential bid to unseat Schwartz.

» HIZZONER'S BEADS: D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, naturally, was in attendance, throwing out green beads as if MacArthur Boulevard were Bourbon Street. But during Mardi Gras, you would never see anyone dressed in khaki slacks and a white shirt, complete with two BlackBerry devices in plain view. Anyone who really wanted beads could have gotten them — there was no need for New Orleans-style nudity to score the plastic bling. And there was plenty of it to go around — Fenty's replacement in Ward 4, Muriel Bowser, also threw the green beads.

Photos by Christopher Chen for Express. See more of his work at Furcafe.
Top left: D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. Top center: Boy scouts carry D.C., U.S. flags along MacArthur Boulevard. Top right: A member of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia. Below top composite, a member of the Millwood Mob, a group of residents of Millwood Lane who crown their own princess each year and generally confuse parade-goers; a drummer; members of Alma Boliviana. Bottom left: D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson. Bottom right: A member of the Tigers marching band.