JULY 4TH

JULY 4TH. CELEBRATION IN THE NATION CAPITAL AND OTHER EVENTS. America's 2006 Independence Day Parade will take place late morning on July 4th, right on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street before a street audience of over 300,000 spectators. The Parade consists of invited bands, military and specialty units, floats, and VIP's and is a patriotic, flag waving, red white and blue celebration of America's birthday.

*B eg in ning a t 11:45 a.m ., lasti ng a ppr ox imate ly 2 hou rs Tu es day , Ju ly 4 , 2006 Co ns titutio n A ve . mo vin g we st betw ee n 7th a nd 17th St ree ts , N W Wa shin gto n, D C The 2006 Parade celebrates the 230th birthday of the United States of America at the dawn of the new millennium. The parade marches west along Constitution Ave. between 7th and 17th Streets NW. The parade consists of over 60 units including national personalities, designed floats, national marching bands, giant helium balloons, favorite costumed characters, and unique specialty groups. Come help the National Park Service celebrate this time honored tradition in the heart of the Nations Capital. It is a patriotic, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue celebration of America's liberty.

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ro to Op er at e Sp eci al Servi ce o n J uly 4 th .

Fourth of July festivities on the National Mall combined with a Washington Nationals day game at RFK Stadium are expected to result in large crowds in the Metro system on July 4th. Free shuttle buses will be used to help get people home after the fireworks.

Metrorail will be open for service from 7 a.m. to midnight, however the Smithsonian Metrorail station will be closed all day for security reasons. Special routing of trains has been designed to get people to and from the

National Mall and RFK Stadium as quickly as possible.

Highlights of the plan include: ⇔ Operating the Yellow Line between the Franconia-Springfield and Mt. Vernon Square/7th Street-Convention Center Metrorail stations, and encouraging riders to exit at L’Enfant Plaza and Archives-Navy MemorialPenn Quarter Metrorail stations to get to the Mall;

⇔ Providing Blue Line service between Huntington and the Rosslyn Metrorail stations;

⇔ Seeing the Orange Line serve both Largo Town Center and New Carrollton Metrorail stations; and

⇔ Providing extra Green Line service with every other train turning back at the Fort Totten Metrorail station starting at 6 p.m.

⇔ Providing extra Red Line service with every other train turning back at the Silver Spring Metrorail station starting at 2 p.m. ⇔ Metro will operate free shuttle bus service from the National Mall to the Pentagon parking lot following the fireworks. Buses will be located at 7th and Maryland Avenue, S.W., near the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station to shuttle customers to the Pentagon parking facilities.

Because the National Park Service will fence off the Mall area and provide limited access points where security screening can take place, and because the Smithsonian Metrorail station is inside the secured area, the Smithsonian station will be closed all day.

On the afternoon of July 4th, the Washington Nationals will host the Florida Marlins at 1:05 p.m., at RFK Stadium. Metro will operate 14 extra trains before and after the baseball game. Metro station managers and employees who volunteer their time on July 4th to serve as Metro Information Persons, will direct customers to alternative downtown Metrorail stations other than the Smithsonian. In addition, Metro Transit Police will be at the busiest downtown and end-of-the-line stations to patrol and monitor the crowds.

Metrorail system “Walking Maps,” which provide information on how best to get from a Metrorail station to a particular destination in the downtown area, will also be available for July 4th. Metro’s Web site will have additional information at www.metroopensdoors.com. The Customer Service Call Center (202-637-7000 or TTY 202-638-3780) will be in operation that day for those who need to call for information on riding the Metrobus or Metrorail system. Customers are reminded of the following tips: ⇔ Parking is free at all Metrorail stations on July 4th. ⇔ Have enough money on your SmarTrip card or purchase a One Day rail pass if making multiple trips or buy a round-trip farecard when first entering the rail system to avoid long lines when going home. ⇔ Individuals should use the Passes/Vendors farecard machines to make simultaneous purchases of multiple farecards for individuals traveling in a group.