The newest attraction in Virginia�s Shenandoah Valley offers visitors a glimpse of Presidential Inaugural pageantry � and much more. American Celebration on Parade, which opened at Shenandoah Caverns on July 1, 2000, includes parade floats, props, and settings from important events in America�s entertainment and political history. Floats from numerous Presidential Inaugural parades, including the 2001 parade for George W. Bush, are part of the exhibition. The collection also contains spectacular floats from the Rose Parade, Miss America pageants, Thanksgiving parades and other prestigious parades across America. �Normally, parades pass quickly by, but at American Celebration on Parade you can take all the time you want to view these exciting floats with their playful movement and animation,� said Joe Proctor, general manager of Shenandoah Caverns and its newest attraction. Among the floats featured in previous Presidential Inaugurals are a giant American flag, a magnificent bald eagle float, a colonial soldier, a Wyoming scene featuring a 1,000-gallon mountain stream, a colorful steam locomotive train float, and a saxophone-playing band of pelicans. Lots of information about America�s inaugural tradition is also available on the attraction�s web site, www.americancelebrationonparade.com. From the 60-foot long American Flag float that has served in three Presidential Inaugurals since 1985 to the famous, playful polar bears that won Rose Parade honors, there�s something in the 40,000 square foot collection to fascinate visitors of all ages. Adults will recognize some of the famous floats from nationally televised parades while children will enjoy the fanciful movement float designers build into the huge creations to bring them to life. Families can take the opportunity to take photographs of themselves standing where presidents have stood on inaugural floats or where beauty queens have stood on the prize-winning Sphinx float. Everyone wants to climb aboard the 100-foot long train float, the longest in the exhibition. There�s even a float that�s been cut away to show the driver and engine positions and an exhibit on the floatmaker�s art. A silhouette float of the famous Iwo Jima Monument, used in the 1991 Homecoming Ceremonies for Operation Desert Storm troops, inspires a reverent pause. However, the stunning parade floats are only part of the attraction. Everywhere you look, props and settings line the walls � in some cases literally. The walls of Freedom Hall were originally constructed for the 50th anniversary NATO Summit in Washington, DC. as was the stage in front of the American Flag float. Overhead is a floatbuilder�s version of Charles Lindburg�s Spirit of St. Louis, while props ranging from dragons to Disney characters are perched along the walls. Where did all this come from? Earl C. Hargrove, owner of Shenandoah Caverns, operates a Maryland trade show and special events company that has had an important role in every Presidential Inaugural since the 1949 inauguration of Harry S. Truman. �I�ve been a collector all my life,� said Mr. Hargrove. �I thought it would be wonderful for people to be able to see these magnificent floats and to be able to touch some of the genuine pieces of American history we�ve constructed over the years. �This is not a museum. It�s a changing exhibition of floats and Americana that everyone can enjoy, whether you�re interested in craftsmanship, beauty, history, or entertainment,� he said. American Celebration on Parade is fully accessible and is conveniently located, along with Shenandoah Caverns, just two minutes from Exit 269 of I-81, five miles north of New Market, Virginia. The attractions are open at 9:00 a.m. every day except Christmas. No tours begin after 4:15 p.m. November 1-April 14; 5:15 p.m. April 15-June 15; 6:15 p.m. June 16-Labor Day; and 5:15 p.m. Labor Day-October 31.

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Contact: Marvin A. Bond 301-306-4665