Re-enactment marchers in the parade. Photo by Amina Luqman/The Connection
Short but sweet, is a good description of the Arlington County Fair’s Opening Day Parade. The parade was a first for the fair.
There was a feeling of newness as parade participants congregated in the Arlington County Career Center parking lot on Walter Reed Boulevard. “Excited,” said Katie Richardson, 8, and Sasha Weismuller. Both were all smiles. Both are Girl Scouts. Although they’ve been in parades before, this was their first county-wide event.
It’s all flowing white and sparkle for a group of women doing last touches on their costumes minutes before the parade starts. They are Sultanas Troupe. A dance group that fuses belly dancing, traditional folkloric and modern dance. The troupe is for women over 55. “It’s exciting. We like to do things for the county,” said Carmen Shippy, director of choreography for Sultanas Troupe, about the troupe participating in the first fair parade. The group has been together for almost four years and often does classes and events around Arlington.
Throughout the parking lot there were several organizations and businesses in attendance ready to march, the Cub Scouts, Bike Arlington, the Girl Scouts, Falun Dafa, Fraternidad Alma Boliviana and Zipcar, to name a few. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49) and Arlington County Board candidate Christian Dorsey were also in the parade.
With the sound of the drums and the march of the color guard the parade started off, traveling down Highland Street and 2nd Street.
A sprinkling of people lined the parade route. “We live in the neighborhood,” said Kristi Sawert as she and her son Ben, 3, stood along the parade route.
“My daughter is in the parade” said Alecia Torres, as she watched the parade with family. Her daughter, Elena Lidia Valdez-Torres, 7, liked the parade but was even more excited about the promise of the fair. “The rides, the games and winning stuff,” she said about her hopes for the fair.
Nic and Lauren Carrasco live along Highland Street. ”We didn’t have a very long commute for it,” Nic Carrasco laughed. They felt lucky to have the parade right outside their front door. “Cute and fun,” said Lauren Carrasco when describing the parade. Are they going to the fair? “We’re going to pack up and head over there right now.”