The Park Cities celebrated America’s 250th birthday during a July Fourth parade filled with patriotism, music, and candy galore.
Highland Park High School athletes helped crowds gathered along the route stay cool by enthusiastically spraying water guns, new float additions mixed with familiar favorites, and bikers joined the fun at the Moody Family YMCA on Preston Road.
The 2026 parade was led by Grand Marshal retired U.S. Navy Adm. Patrick Walsh, who has dedicated his career to service of his community and country.
This marked was the 23rd year that the Rotary Club of Park Cities has brought the parade to residents. The North Texas Food Bank has been the parade’s primary beneficiary since 2016.
Club President Mark Kashar announced in Centennial Park that the Rotary Club of Park Cities had met its goal of providing 3 million meals to North Texans in need early. The club has raised that goal to 5 million meals, he said. This year’s parade alone with matching gifts provided more than 724,000 meals.
The day also marked the anniversary of the devastating Hill Country floods, which took the lives of eight young girls from the area — Lila Bonner, Hadley Hanna, Blair Harber, Brooke Harber, Janie Hunt, Hanna Lawrence, Rebecca Lawrence, Wynne Naylor, and Eloise Peck.
The girls were remembered throughout the morning, including during remarks from community leaders in Centennial Park.
America was built on the values of freedom, service, and community — values that are also reflected by University Park and its neighbors, University Park Mayor Randy Biddle told the crowd.
He said that University Park city council members had ridden in the parade in honor of the young girls’ memory, and that their hearts go out to those affected by the flooding, adding that “their memory reminds us of how precious our community is.”
Those who lost their lives during the flooding were also remembered in a ceremonial flyover in the skies above Highland Park by U.S. Air Force fighter jets the evening of July Fourth.
Readers can find more photos of the Fourth of July festivities in the August issue of Park Cities People.
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