WASHINGTON -- America was ringing in its 250th birthday in the nation's capital Saturday with a record-setting fireworks show, military flyovers, a speech by President Trump -- and a heat wave and summer storm that forced the evacuation of attendees just hours before the planned address.
The evacuation order, which organizers said was temporary, came after thousands of people descended on the National Mall to attend the Great American State Fair and the evening Salute to America, amid the hottest Fourth of July the capital has experienced.
Temperatures hit over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and some exhausted and dehydrated people were seen passing out. National Guard members distributed water. As military aircraft staged flyovers, members of the Army and Navy parachute teams jumped with giant U.S. flags over the Mall.
Kara Clark, 62 years old, traveled from Tampa, Fla., for the holiday. She said she has enjoyed the week's festivities, although she found the logistics around Saturday's events confusing. Standing in line in triple-digit heat for 2 1/2 hours, she said it was worth it to celebrate the country.
"As long as we all have enough water, ice and conversation, we can do it, " she said.
But in the evening, hours before the fireworks were set to begin, thunderstorms rolled through the area, prompting organizers to call for a mandatory evacuation. Guests were told to leave the secure areas they had waited in line to seek shelter in a building on the perimeter of the Mall, such as the museums or buildings housing federal agencies.
Earlier, amid the celebrations, masked people in gear associated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front rode the Metro and marched in front of Union Station, with some carrying Confederate flags.
Trump is set to speak at 10 p.m. Eastern time, when temperatures were forecast to be lower after the expected thunderstorms. More than 850,000 fireworks are scheduled to begin from multiple locations in a show afterward, according to event organizer Freedom 250. The fireworks are scheduled to last 35 minutes, about twice the length of a traditional July Fourth fireworks show on the mall, according to Freedom 250.
Trump has said he plans to make lengthy remarks.
"It's going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I'm going to go, and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything," Trump said Wednesday in North Dakota.
The 47th president's impact on the city for its semiquincentennial is also on display. Since Trump took office for a second time, he has embarked on a far-reaching series of renovations and efforts to clean up fountains, statues and memorials. His roughly $16 million restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool became a national news story when algae blooms clouded the water and pieces of the pool's new coating floated to the surface.
Congress created a bipartisan commission in 2016 known as America250 to plan for the anniversary. But Trump's allies created a separate group, called Freedom 250, which has taken over much of the planning for the celebration. Critics have said the Trump-aligned group has put conservative priorities at the center of the event, adding a partisan sheen to the festivities. Freedom 250 has said it created a party for all Americans.
Unlike in previous years, when residents could bring coolers and picnics to the mall, guests this year will go through security and are allowed to bring only one small clear bag. Water isn't prohibited, but metal and glass containers are, along with drink tumblers.
Freedom 250 was telling visitors to "anticipate effects on pedestrian movement, crowd management, emergency response operations, and navigation." Washington residents, meanwhile, were advised to "follow best practices to reduce indoor air quality concerns," such as keeping windows closed, using air purifiers with HEPA filters and turning on air conditioning to circulate air.
Past presidents have issued statements on Independence Day, but few have given speeches on the National Mall. In the country's bicentennial celebration in 1976, President Gerald Ford delivered a formal address in Philadelphia. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan spoke at New York Harbor before a fireworks display.
In 2019, Trump delivered an address at the Lincoln Memorial on July Fourth in a "Salute to America" celebration. His speech at the time praised the military, including the statement that the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War "manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports" -- long before air travel was invented. The president later blamed a faulty teleprompter glitch for the mishap.
Trump began the weekend at Mount Rushmore, with a speech on Friday that said the American identity is under a renewed attack and decried communism entering America.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
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