McALLEN — Nearly every seat was taken on a series of risers facing downtown Main Street on Monday morning. And nearly every head in the crowd was craned to the left in eager anticipation.
“They’re almost here,” the emcee said as the wail of police sirens grew louder and louder.
It was the McAllen Police Department motorcycle brigade drawing closer. Their arrival would officially usher in the city’s 94th Annual Independence Celebration with a patriotic parade that culminated at Archer Park.
The motorcycle officers executed a series of complex circles and swoops with their tricked out patrol bikes as they made their way down the street. The officers waved at the crowd, where attendees, in turn, waved tiny American flags back at them.
For one couple, the parade’s first and last participants were the best parts.
“We liked the horses and the motorcycle cops,” said Annette Zavala as she and her husband, Victor, enjoyed snacks in the shade after the parade.
“That was super exciting how they did all that show they were doing,” Annette, 48, said.
It was the couple’s first time attending a Fourth of July celebration in McAllen, and they had decided to make a day of it.
They took in the scene at Archer Park while eating elote and sipping on a pineapple agua fresca. The couple’s shirts still bore the red, white and blue paper number tags they’d worn while running in the city’s Independence 4K Run earlier that morning.
“We got here at 6:30. It was a good event, it was a big turnout, so we were excited,” Annette said.
“We decided to stay and see the parade afterwards,” she added.
“I join in what she’s doing, so I’m doing 4Ks, 5Ks,” her husband, Victor, 49, added with a wry laugh.
The festivities were also a family affair for Ronnie Morales, 48, who came to the parade with her son and his wife, as well as her sister and brother-in-law, and a gaggle of kids eager for their turn in a pop up petting zoo filled with chickens, rabbits and goats.
“We love coming here! It’s beautiful,” Morales said shortly after the family had crowded together for a group photo.
“We always come every year. We just didn’t come in 2020 because, you know,” she said, referring to the COVID-19 restrictions and fears that forced the cancellation of numerous public events two years ago.
While the pandemic continues, the day to day of life has increasingly returned to a pre-pandemic semblance of normalcy, and that was something Morales was grateful for.
“Independence Day means, to me, ‘free.’ … I know we celebrate it every year, but this one is a little more meaningful,” Morales said.
“We’re here with family. We’re able to be together now, you know, because before it was kind of hard.”
Morales wasn’t the only one glad to see the park filled with celebrants enjoying the day as they have in times past.
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos was also soaking in the community celebration.
The mayor could be seen walking among the crowd, pausing to shake hands and talk to people one on one after spending the first part of the morning waving to his constituents from his place in the parade procession.
“It’s fantastic! It’s great to see the community out here together… celebrating Independence Day and celebrating together — not as political parties of anything,” Villalobos said.
“I think (people) enjoy talking to their elected officials, so I give them an opportunity as much as I can. I think it’s enjoyable for them, and it’s very enjoyable for me when I talk to them,” the mayor added.
The city’s July Fourth festivities were slated to conclude Monday evening with the Concert in the Sky fireworks display.
