Seats along curbs of shady streets in the town of Kensington, Maryland, were at a premium on Monday for this year’s Kensington Labor Day Parade and Festival.
Families chose their spots in the neighborhood, which is just east of Connecticut Avenue, before the scheduled 10 a.m. start, on a day where temperatures were expected to near 100 degrees.
Marching bands from Montgomery County high schools, fire trucks, scout troops, and local politicians strolled along the parade route.
Montgomery County high school bands marching through shady Kensington on this hot Labor Day. pic.twitter.com/2cXbwTGuFu
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) Sept. 4, 2023
“We love being part of the Kensington community, and we look forward to this every year,” said a mother who secured a seat along Carroll Place with her husband and two young children. “We have been in this spot the last two years for the parade — there’s nice shade coverage, and we brought lots of water, and snacks, and other options.”
Several parents of young children attached battery-powered fans to strollers.
“We’ve got water bottles and changes of clothes,” said one mother, with a child in a stroller.
Montgomery County high school bands marching through shady Kensington on this hot Labor Day. pic.twitter.com/2cXbwTGuFu
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) Sept. 4, 2023
Two young girls, wearing matching cheer squad uniforms were excited to march in the first parade they had ever attended.
Their mom said she was loaded with water, and that her daughters were slathered with suntan lotion.
Asked how they planned to perform in the heat, the girls said, “Smile! We’re gonna smile and do some cool moves, and make it all cool.”
After the parade, food trucks, vendors, and activities lined nearby Armory Avenue.
