Why politicians can't resist a July Fourth parade

"So many are held at the same time," Gingrey, 69, explained by phone from Washington, D.C. "There's no way you can get to every parade in every nook and cranny and town, so you have to pick and choose."

For Gingrey, that means marching in Wednesday morning's hugely popular Marietta Freedom Parade for the 18th time, then hoofing it over to Cherokee County for Canton's parade. For fellow congressman Lynn Westmoreland, a Coweta County Republican, it means pounding two parade routes. The 62-year-old will appear in Peachtree City and Newnan — with a stop in between at a festival in Moreland.

Democratic congressman John Lewis is "only" parading once today — at the July Fourth Pied Piper Parade in Decatur — but don't dare call the 72-year-old Atlantan a slacker. He's fitting the 6 p.m. parade into a 15-plus-hour public day that begins with a 6:30 a.m. stop at an Atlanta Track Club breakfast and is scheduled to end with a visit to the massive fireworks extravaganza at Lenox Square.

"We can't keep up with him," said Brenda Jones, Lewis' communications director.

Think of it as social networking, 1776-style.

"His district is comprised of 15 counties, so he tries to do things like Facebook, Twitter and tele-town meetings where he can reach as many people as possible," said Westmoreland communications director Leslie Shedd. "Marching in Peachtree City, there'll be a large group of people from surrounding counties [there] at the same time."

There'll also be a symbolic line stretching all the way back to America's earliest dabblings in citizen democracy. Nothing says July Fourth more than seeing modern-day descendants of the men who sweated over drafts of the Declaration of Independence marching (and probably sweating, too) along a flag-festooned parade route.

"Our forefathers were putting everything on the line to have representative government and not be dictated to by any king," Gingrey said. "For those of us who've followed in their footsteps — people want to see you."

And vice versa. Ironically, so many elected officials and candidates want to "march" in Dunwoody's annual parade (nearly 20 this year) that organizers now require them to ride the 2.7-mile route in cars.

"Politicians like parades ... It gives them access to many voters!" parade coordinator Pam Tallmadge wrote in an email. "It is human nature to stop — talk — shake hands, etc. This holds up the parade."

Indeed, political considerations hover like red, white and blue bunting over July Fourth parades — especially in an election year. Gingrey's newly redrawn 11th Congressional District includes Cherokee County, a fact he admits influenced this year's marching orders.

"You want to have an opportunity to meet and greet as many constituents as possible in an election year," said Gingrey, who has two challengers in the July 31 Republican primary. "What's fortuitous is that the city of Canton will hold their parade in late afternoon."

And yes, Dunwoody notwithstanding, most politicians do parade on July Fourth. Some even, uh, work both sides of the aisle: U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., 67, will walk the entire Marietta Freedom Parade route Wednesday, "crossing over and darting from side to side to talk to everybody, which counts for more [mileage]," quipped press secretary Lauren Culbertson.

Congressional recess? What congressional recess?

Westmoreland, who also has two primary opponents, was scheduled to debate in Lamar County Tuesday night, then be in Peachtree City early this morning for Parade No. 1.

"It starts at 9 a.m., but he has to be there at 7:30 a.m. to line up," Shedd said. "They don't care that he's a congressman. He has to follow the parade rules like everybody else."

Score one for democracy.

Where to see them

9 a.m. Wednesday. Steps off from the intersection of Mount Vernon and Jett Ferry at 9 a.m., proceeds west on Mount Vernon to Dunwoody Village Parkway. www.dunwoodyga.org.

9 a.m. Wednesday. Begins on Peachtree Parkway South (near Braelinn Golf Club) and will proceed north to McIntosh Trail and end at the Recreation Complex/Huddleston Elementary School. www.peachtree-city.org.

10 a.m. Wednesday. Starts at Roswell Street Baptist Church and travels west on Roswell Street, north on East Park Square past Glover Park and the square, down Cherokee Street and ends at North Marietta Parkway. www.mariettaga.gov.

6 p.m. Wednesday. Riverstone in Canton. www.canton-georgia.com.

6 p.m. Wednesday. Begins at Veterans Memorial Plaza at Jackson Street and Temple Avenue. The procession will lead to Drake Stadium at Newnan High School on LaGrange Street. www.mainstreetnewnan.com.

6 p.m. Wednesday. Begins at the First Baptist Church of Decatur and ends at the Community Bandstand on the Decatur Square.