It was a misty morning as paraders gathered in the early hours of September 29 but the remnants of hurricane Helene dispersed in time for the 8th annual Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival.
 
More than 500 people walked in the parade led by the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad Color Guard, a piper, Sam Carson, from the Maryland Youth Pipe Band, and the Titans Marching Band of Albert Einstein High School. Carpe Diem Arts was there with Munit and z Lovebugs singing and playing their ukuleles. There were dance groups of all variety including the Wheaton Studio of Dance, the Akhmedova Ballet Academy, the Mom-entum Dance Troupe, Roda Movements, the Einstein High School Cheerleaders, and the Pom Teams from Northwood and Wheaton High Schools. There were community groups who made art just for the parade, including dozens of Girl Scouts and Brownies wearing masks of animals, the Citizens Climate Lobby carrying art made of recycled and discarded materials, and the Chamber of Commerce with Laura Leigh Palmer’s Peace Dove.