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Diana Kohn is TP's unofficial historian. As Education Chair of Historic Takoma, Inc., a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of Takoma Park, MD and Takoma DC, she helps ensure that Takomans are aware of our rich local history. Learn more at www.historictakoma.com. Diana is also a longtime environmental activist who works at the Institute for Environmental Energy Research. |
The Belle of the parade
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Photo courtesy of Ziegler Family
Belle Ziegler, riding in Takoma Park's Fourth of July parade, one of the rare occasions when she did not walk the parade route with her playground kids
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When the Azalea Awards cel-
ebrated all things Takoma last
month the Fourth of July Celebration was honored as “most representing the community spirit” of Takoma Park. This July marks its 117th year, making ours one of the longest, if not the longest, continuously running celebrations in the region.
This record is even more remarkable (or perhaps typically Takoma Park) when you consider that a Citizens Committee organized the first observance in 1889 before the city incorporated, and citizens have been in charge ever since.
This requires volunteers, of course – people like Belle Ziegler whose forty years on the Committee make her the personification of a Takoma Park Fourth. Accepting the Azalea Award, she underlined that point: “It’s not a city project. The funding doesn’t come from the city budget. We rely on community donations and on willing volunteers.”
Belle herself represents the volunteer spirit that distinguishes Takoma Park. She arrived here in 1956 with two small children. Joining the city staff as Deputy City Clerk in 1960, she also found time to volunteer. In those days, Takoma was affectionately referred to as “Tacky Takoma” and was less than upscale, but civic life was abundant and thriving, run on volunteer energy.
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Belle’s first foray as a volunteer was innocent enough, “They asked me to judge the Halloween costume contest.” Then she signed on for the Sister City Committee, which grew out of the city’s affiliation with Jequié, Brazil. After her daughter Delores spent a year in Jequié, their house became one of the favorite hangouts for subsequent Brazil exchange students. Meanwhile, part of Belle’s city job focused on recreation, another of those areas that straddled the hazy line between volunteer-run and city-run. Although Mayor George Miller set up a quasi Recreation Department in 1953, it did little more than oversee basketball and roller skating in the basement gym at the Fire Station. |
Belle took on the task of coordinating with Montgomery County and Prince George’s County to organize an expanded summer recreation program at six neighborhood parks. More than 1000 kids played a variety of sports, staged bike rodeos and carnivals, tried handicrafts, went on hikes and field trips, and of course, decorated their bikes for the Fourth of July parade.
Belle was everywhere. A profile in the city newsletter from that era decribed her as having “the patience of a saint, the wisdom of Solomon and the tact of a diplomat.” Those skills continued to serve her well over the years.
By 1965, something more was needed to pull together all the diverse recreation activities. In addition to six playgrounds, year-round sports, and the Takoma Recreation Center (Darwin at Grant), there was an Easter egg hunt, a Halloween parade and haunted house, “Christmas in July” and Santa’s visit.
The solution was a Recreation Council made up of key volunteers like Lee Jordan of Boys and Girls Club fame, and Ed Hutmire, the “brains” behind the Haunted House design and Belle herself. Although Belle was officially declared Recreation Director two years later, the Council, like the Fourth of July Committee, remained autonomous with Belle as liaison.
At that time, Fourth of July included more than just the morning parade and evening fireworks familiar today. Baseball games for adults and kids filled the afternoon with a 12 K race at 5 p.m..
The field now called Wilhelm was used as the staging ground for fireworks, until the first high rise apartments were built on Maple Avenue in the 1970s. For safety reasons, fire marshals forced the fireworks display to relocate to the Junior High (read: Middle School).
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You never know what you'll see at the Takoma Park Independence Day Parade |
Sadly, by 1990, the afternoon sports events had disappeared. Families were making other holiday plans and the runners decided it was too hot for an afternoon run.
When Belle retired as Recreation Director that year, she turned her full attention to the Fourth of July Committee.
The major push has always been fundraising. In addition to door-to-door campaigns, the Committee relies on sponsorships and the annual raffle. The fireworks display alone costs $9,000, more than half of the $15,000 budget.
Now Belle sees an equally serious need to recruit new members willing to replace the old-guard who run things year-round.
For 116 years the Fourth of July has reflected the community spirit of Takoma Park, but that tradition can continue only as long as the community supports it.
Note: In the interests of full disclosure, Voice editor Eric Bond’s selection as grand marshal for Takoma Park’s 2006 Independence Day Parade had no bearing on the subject of this particular column.
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