Takoma Park Independence Day Committee, Inc. (often abbreviated TPIDC) is an independent, non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Maryland. Its members are all volunteers who are not appointed or recommended by the City and who receive no payment for their many hours of dedicated service.
The Committee seeks to provide an entertaining day of activities in celebration of the birthday of our nation's declaration of independence. We strive to make it both enjoyable and safe. We exclude no-one unless they are not in keeping with the positive, festive spirit we try to achieve. Those who are drunk, on drugs, abusive, obscene, disruptive, unruly or committing offensive or illegal acts will be introduced to the City Police Department.
The Independence Day Celebration in Takoma Park is believed to be one of the oldest along the Atlantic coast. 2022 marks our 133rd consecutive year holding some form of 4th of July celebration. It is possible that our history goes back further than that, but we have found newspaper records to back up this claim only that far. There have been years when either the parade or the fireworks have had to be cancelled, due to the weather or wartime conditions, but there has always been some celebration. In fact, one year when we were forced to cancel the parade due to rain, and after the participants left and the weather perversely cleared up, the residents along Maple Avenue held their own impromptu parade.
The Independence Day Committee enjoys a cordial relationship with the City of Takoma Park. The Police, Public Works, Recreation and City Administrative Departments all provide active support for the parade and fireworks. They take care of putting up the flags, providing the reviewing stand, cleaning the streets before and after the parade, erecting the snow fence and reviewing stand for the fireworks, direct traffic and provide crowd control. They restrict access to the parade route and assembly areas, request the permits for use of the Takoma Park Middle School and the short part of the parade route that passes through DC, provide a place for the dignitaries to assemble and their parade cars to organize in the proper order and get their signs. They also provide assistance with mailings and provide office space for the Committee to use before and during the Parade. In addition, the Mayor and Council provide limited funding to allow the Committee to pay for parade bands which are beyond the Committee' financial means.