Parade Added To Vienna's Liberty Amendments Month Celebration

VIENNA, VA — Liberty Amendments Month will return to Vienna with a month filled with events, and one of those will be a new parade.

Liberty Amendments Month celebrates Constitutional Amendments that extended rights to people previously excluded from the Constitution — the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments. Town Manager Mercury Payton had the idea of starting Liberty Amendments Month in 2021 as Juneteenth became a Virginia state holiday.

This year's event will run from June 14 to July 14. It kicks off on June 14 with a Liberty Amendments Month parade down Maple Avenue. The parade will start at Maple Avenue and Mill Street, continue to Nutley Street and end at First Baptist Church, 450 Orchard St., NW. First Baptist Church is hosting its annual Juneteenth festival where the parade ends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 14 with live music, food trucks, children’s entertainment, a car show, bounce houses and voter registration.

Another returning event is a naturalization ceremony on June 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. S. Fifteen people from diverse backgrounds will renounce allegiance to their native homeland and take the Oath of Allegiance to become naturalized U.S. citizens. The public is invited to attend and congratulate the new citizens. Live music from Mark H Rooney- Taiko: Japanese Drumming will start at 3:30 p.m., and the naturalization ceremony will start at 5 p.m. Vienna Mayor Linda J. Colbert, USCIS Washington Field Office Section Chief Juan Wood and a special guest will provide remarks, and Vienna Girl Scouts will present the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Next up is the Vienna Independence Day event with fireworks on July 2, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Yeonas Park, 1319 Ross Dr. SW. Attendees can enjoy live music, food trucks and concessions before the 15-minute fireworks show starting at 9:30 p.m. Attendees can bring picnic blankets or chairs.

On July 4, residents can join a reading of the United States' foundational documents at 11 a.m. at the Vienna Community center. Participants will read the documents in a round-robin style to reflect on the legal framework that the Founding Fathers created 250 years ago.

There are numerous other events and activities throughout Liberty Amendments Month.

Here is a full schedule:

June 14: Juneteenth & Liberty Amendments Month Kick Off Parade

June 14: Juneteenth Festival

June 15 and ongoing: Our American Liberty Stories

June 17: Kids on the Green and Storytime

June 18: Restricted Vienna Panel & Workshop

June 21: Naturalization Ceremony

June 24: Kids on the Green and Storytime

June 25: Goodbye Liberty Amendments Month Mural at Patrick Henry Library

July 1: Kids on the Green and Storytime

July 2: Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks

July 4: Public Reading of Foundational Documents

July 8: Kids on the Green and Storytime

July 9: Vienna Business Association Mixer and Empowering Women Panel

July 10-12: VA250 Mobile Museum Exhibit

July 11: Summer Concert and LAM Children's Readers Theatre