Neighbors lined Church Road on Friday as neighborhood schools, churches and other organizations took part in the annual Lake Highlands Fourth of July parade.
EXLH organizers told the Advocate they were expecting over 1,000 participants. Photo by Austin Wood.
Despite some early morning showers as Exchange Club of Lake Highlands members set up for the event, most of the weather seemed to clear up in time for the parade’s 9 a.m. start time. This year, the parade was led by retiring Northlake Elementary School Principal Mary Kellagher, who proceeded down the route in a white convertible. She was followed by NLE students and members of the PTA.
Many organizations taking part in the parade were returning participants from previous years. The Lake Highlands Military Moms group made their customary appearance, proudly holding photos of their veteran and active-duty children. Feed Lake Highlands also made a return with its Bookmobile, a free mobile library that stops at three underserved locations weekly.
LH Military Moms. Photo by Austin Wood.
District 10 council member Kathy Stewart appeared with her husband in a silver convertible. Stewart won reelection in May with more than 90% of the vote.
“[My kids] loved it,” Mark Holsinger, who drove Stewart, said. “Really love any kind of community, all their friends are here.”
From the high school, members of the Wranglers, Bell Boys and Highlandettes squad participated in the parade. Members of the football team also took part in a truck decorated with a banner celebrating back-to-back district championships.
“I thought it was great,” Lisa Marie McCormack said. “It’s fun. Every year we go.”
Burger Schmurger, which announced its plans to move to the area at last year’s parade, tossed ‘Schmurgers’ to onlookers from a flat top grill laid on a trailer bed. The brick-and-mortar on Buckner Boulevard is now open on Tuesdays, it announced after the holiday.
The Shriner in question can be seen on the right-hand side of the photo.
One of the zanier inclusions has historically been members of Shriners International zipping down the road — sometimes erratically — in go karts. This year was no exception, with one fez-wearing individual even taking the wheel of his kart and spinning in circles to make ‘doughnuts’.
Afterward, the attention shifted to the carnival in Lake Highlands North Park, where there were bounce houses and a live DJ until about noon.
The Exchange Club’s next major event is Oktoberfest Dallas, which is scheduled to take place at Flag Pole Hill on Sept. 25 this year. A performance lineup has not yet been announced. Last year, the event was headlined by a Taylor Swift tribute act.
A short photo gallery from the parade is available below. Photos by Austin Wood.
The Burger Schmurger float, complete with a grill churning out smashburgers.
