87S30519 JGH-D
By: Turner of Tarrant H.R. No. 118
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Arlington Independence Day Parade is the oldest
and longest-running citywide event in the community, and over the
years, it has become a highly anticipated local tradition; and
WHEREAS, Started by Dottie Lynn and Church Women United in
1965, the first parade was a charming, homespun affair featuring
children on bicycles decorated with red, white, and blue, riding
through Randol Mill Park; and
WHEREAS, In the decades since, the event has grown into a
grand, two-mile parade that winds through Arlington's downtown as
well as the College Park District at The University of Texas at
Arlington; the parade's more than 150 entries include homemade and
professionally built floats created by businesses, nonprofit
organizations, churches, and youth groups, accompanied by the
stirring rhythm of marching bands from the city's high schools; and
WHEREAS, The parade is organized by the Arlington 4th of July
Association, and it benefits from the generosity of its sponsors;
drawing some 75,000 spectators, the event has featured many notable
local celebrities as grand marshal, and each year, the parade is
dedicated to a different area organization or group, such as UTA
alumni, the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, and the men and women of our
country's armed forces; and
WHEREAS, For more than a half century, the Arlington
Independence Day Parade has provided a festive opportunity for area
residents to express their patriotism and celebrate our nation's
founding in the company of their fellow citizens; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby recognize the annual
Arlington Independence Day Parade and extend to all those
associated with the event sincere best wishes for the future.