Annual parade celebrates Annandale
Hundreds of people lined Columbia Pike Saturday morning to watch the annual Annandale parade, while children showed off their Halloween costumes and caught candy thrown into the crowd.
More than 50 organizations and groups participated, reports Bob Reuss, who has been emceeing the parade for the past 18 years.
Here are a few scenes from the parade:
Some of those who marched in the parade:
- Schools – the Annandale High School band, Columbia Elementary, Kenwood School, Sleepy Hollow Preschool.
- Local organizations – Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Mason District Little League, Annandale Boys and Girls Club, the Henry Clay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, American Legion, Civil Air Patrol Cadets.
- Politicians and candidates – Mason Supervisor Penny Gross, supervisor candidate Andres Jimenez, Sen. Dave Marsden, Del. Vivian Watts, Mason school board member Ricardy Anderson, clerk of the court candidate Chris Falcon, other school board candidates Kristen Ball and Cassandra Aucoin.
- Dancers – Caporales San Simon, Tinkus Tia Taco, Tinkus Bolivia, Fraternidad Alma Boliviana, International Dance, Encore Theatrical Arts Project.
- Local businesses – Patient First, Home Instead, AA Plus Driving School, Smart Key Express, Hapmudo, Kitchen & Bath Solutions, Paws & Tails Bistro, Kona Ice.
The Annandale Parade is hosted by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce. The parade has been an annual tradition since 1950.
The 2023 parade’s grand marshal was Alice Snitzer, an active volunteer in Annandale for decades.
She was an election officer for 10 years; president and volunteer with Northern Virginia Workers for the Blind for 25 years; five-time president of the Annandale Women’s Club; and a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, Neighborhood Watch, Annandale United Methodist Church, and the Clean Fairfax Council.
Great event. Got to love the diversity here in Annandale.
I don’t see Hapmudo and Scouts pictures, they both support our kids in the community and the scouts help clean up the streets, that should be emphasized in the News.
I cringe whenever someone uses the nonsense word “emcee”. Yes, it’s in the dictionary but so are many other nonsense words that have come onto the American vernacular. The word is an erroneous version of the abbreviation for Master of Ceremonies or “M.C.”, the person who hosts and/or announces an event.
I cringe when people place end-punctuation outside the quotation marks. I get over it pretty fast. 🙂
Deejays and emcees tend to be sensitive about their talentless profession.
Meh, Vienna & City of FFX’s parades are better. Reston’s is the worst, just show up in your PJs and walk down Market St.
Dang, I missed this
Nice parade. I’ve been going for 30 years. It ran a little slow between participants at the beginning but still much appreciated. The Columbia school kids were so joyous and cute. The Hispanic dance groups are fabulous and really make this parade festive. Years ago, the Asian communities were well represented with gorgeous colorful costumes, banners, flags and music. I wish we could have their representation again as they are an important part of our community.
So glad to hear Alice Snitzer was the grand marshal! Thank you Alice for all you do/have done.
I’d forgotten about this event, much as I’ve forgotten so many things of my hometown Annandale.
However, my 30 years away has not caused me to forget how much I loved about growing up and living there, and these pictures are a wonderful gift to me today.
The parade wasn’t advertised very well.
The dance troupes were a wonderful treat for the senses and it was great to see the kids’ groups and Hapmudo; I enjoyed the day overall. However, I don’t think the diversity of Annandale was reflected by the participants as well as it could have been. Annandale has so much “stuff” to strut–please folks, sign up next year and let your talent shine!