Arlington celebrated its 60th annual Fourth of July parade Friday morning. The parade wound through Downtown and the UT Arlington campus.
The city had a plan to delay the parade in case of rain or a thunderstorm, but people lining the streets say they were glad to see clouds holding down the heat while the parade stayed dry.
"I love seeing everybody gather together," one woman said. "It's always a good time."
Another said the parade gives families a chance to spend time together and for people to celebrate the country at a time when so many get caught up in arguments about politics.
"It is wonderful," another woman said. "I really like seeing everybody in their red, white and blue, so I made sure I had my red, white and blues, too."
Another couple said they were bringing their kids for the first time, and they look forward to introducing a new generation to the parade and events around Levitt Pavilion.
"This is the newest generation, my little boy," the mother said. "It's really been a treat to take him to something I grew up going to."
A Texas National Guard marching band started the parade playing, "Deep in the Heart of Texas." In between school marching bands, the Arlington Community Band played patriotic songs on the steps of City Hall.
"It's like having a marching band at a football game," says Conductor Rick Baker. "You want to keep the crowd going. We've been doing this a long time."
Baker says they enjoy seeing kids get excited and dancing to the music.
"We'll do a little patriotic celebration at the end with 'America the Beautiful' and 'Stars and Stripes forever.' Especially for these kinds of patriotic celebrations, that can help make this so much fun," he says.
Downtown Arlington says the parade had more than 120 entries and estimates more than 75,000 people attended.