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Pictures of the Red, White, & Blue To-Do parade

The Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee presented the second annual Red, White, & Blue To-Do celebration on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

Elijah Thomas,14, with the Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadets rides as Uncle Sam.
Elijah Thomas,14, with the Philadelphia Police Explorer Cadets rides as Uncle Sam.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Whimsical red wagon floats, marching bands, John Adams and Ben Franklin reenactors, and representatives from over 20 groups marched to commemorate a day of “pomp and parade,” as declared by John Adams in 1776. He believed that Independence Day would be celebrated on July 2 — when the Continental Congress officially voted for independence — not two days later, when he, John Hancock, and 54 others signed the Declaration of Independence.

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