As the fourth largest city in the nation, Houston is home to many popular, Texas-sized July Fourth celebrations, such as the Shell Freedom Over Texas with an average of 50,000 attendees each year. But such large events haven’t replaced traditional Independence Day celebrations in small communities.
On July 4, 2024 in north Houston, residents from the city of Kingwood came together to celebrate America’s independence for the 51st year.
Hosted by the Kingwood Civic Club and Kingwood Rotary Club, the annual July Fourth parade draws an average of 10,000-12,000 attendees, according to the Houston Police’s data.
The newly elected Houston Mayor John Whitmire is the Grand Marshal for the 2024 Kingwood Fourth of July parade. Mr. Whitmire spoke to our reporter on the field:
“We have a wonderful country, great people. We have some challenges, but we’re certainly going to meet our challenges and go forward…There’s just no place for a message that would divide us…We have such a powerful history. Happy Independence Day. This is so special in the whole world that we have the freedoms that we have.”
He also described Kingwood as a “very special” and “vital” community.
“They have so much intellectual contribution. We are just proud of Kingwood – teachers, pastors, law enforcement, public servants…They’re coming together for their parade – just shows the vitality of this community.”
Despite the hot weather reaching up to 98 degrees outside, Kingwood residents poured out on the streets to watch and cheer on the parade.
“I’m very excited to be here. It is an honor to celebrate the Fourth of July here with an amazing neighborhood, our community and all our children here…It’s a tradition that we should celebrate,” said Miriam, one of the parade goers.
Cheya Kothman, a mom who brought her whole family along, said she loved that the event was “close to home” and that they were able to see “a lot of friends.”
“I think it’s just great that the community comes together and does this to create, you know, a feeling of patriotism for our community. Well, I think we’re very blessed here in this country, and sometimes we take it for granted,” said Cheya.
Among participating parade floats that were judged and awarded, the meditation group Falun Dafa was named the “Most Original.” The spiritual discipline Falun Dafa is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, but its practitioners have been brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for almost 25 years.
Many of the practitioners have sought refuge in the U.S. and resided in Houston. They said they participated in the parade to honor the freedom to practice their faith in America and raise awareness about the persecution in China.
Parade goers praised the group for being unique and enjoyed seeing a different culture in their community celebration.
“I think that it’s fantastic. It’s a different type of meditation we don’t have…People celebrate in ways based on their culture and what they feel is free. I think it’s beautiful,” said Alisha, a mom of three living in Kingwood.
11-year-old Marshall came with his father to the parade for the first time and said “the culture was fun and they deserved to be represented.”
For more information on the Kingwood parade, visit http://kingwoodcivicclub.org/4th-of-july-parade.html.
