“She’s loving it,” said Carmen’s mother, Rochelle Romero. “As long as she’s being good we’re going to hang here and enjoy the parade.”
Romero and her husband, Craig, have lived in the Potomac Communities since 2004, but this was the first time they had come to the annual Dale City 4th of July Parade.
“As long as we’re living in the area this could be a new tradition for us,” she added.
Hundreds lined the parade route on Dale Boulevard to see the more than 130 participants in this year’s parade, showcasing the talents of the Marine Corps Marching Band to the Freedom High School Marching Band.
Parade organizers were scheduled to award more than 30 trophies for everything from the best float, best motorcycles, best step teams and many others.
Following the parade was the family fun area in the commuter parking lot on Gemini Way behind Center Plaza.
Leading the parade this year was grand marshal Cpl. Josh Himan, a graduate from C.D. Hylton High School who was injured in Iraq and welcomed home earlier this year with a hero’s fanfare.
This was the parade’s 44th year, and it is one of the largest Independence Day events in Virginia.
