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Vienna will mark the nation’s 250th anniversary with a parade, a Juneteenth festival, a naturalization ceremony, fireworks and other community events during the sixth annual Liberty Amendments Month.
Festivities begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 13, with Vienna’s second Liberty Amendments Month parade. The procession will travel along Maple Avenue to Nutley Street and conclude at the Juneteenth festival at First Baptist Church, 450 Orchard St. NW.
Running until 3 p.m., the festival will include live music, food trucks, a fashion show, children’s entertainment, a mobile video game truck, bounce houses, a petting zoo and voter registration.
On Saturday, June 27, 15 foreign-born residents will take the Oath of Allegiance and become U.S. citizens during a naturalization ceremony at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. S. Family entertainment starts at 3:30 p.m., followed by the ceremony at 5 p.m. The public is invited to welcome the new citizens.
Vienna’s Independence Day celebration is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Yeonas Park. The evening will feature live music, children’s entertainment, food trucks and concessions. A 15-minute fireworks show will begin at 9:30 p.m., and attendees may bring blankets or chairs.
The celebration will recognize the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments—known locally as the Liberty Amendments—as well as the country’s 250th anniversary.
On Saturday, July 4, community members will take turns reading portions of the nation’s foundational documents beginning at 11 a.m. at the Vienna Community Center.
Other scheduled activities include Kids on the Green, the “Liberty and Legacy Panel and Book Talk,” and the VBA Mixer and Empowering Women Panel.
Liberty Amendments Month connects local history with the four constitutional amendments that extended equal liberties to people previously excluded from protections under the U.S. Constitution.