Capital Celebration of Freedom

Three times in the past four years, the forces of nature have added their own special effects -- rain, wind and sometimes lightning -- to the traditional Fourth of July celebration on the Mall. Last night it happened again, with repeated drenchings that forced people to seek shelter under trees, in museums and even inside trash bags.

By the time rockets began to explode above the Mall in searing colors to the last few brain-rattling notes of Jerry Lee Lewis singing "Great Balls of Fire," the rain had tapered off and the crowd was cheering its victory over the elements. "It has not dampened our spirits, right?" actor Jimmy Smits, the master of ceremonies, said at the start of the show. "Noooo!" thousands shouted.

Across the region, parades, concerts and commemorations filled the day. Celebrants carried umbrellas and ponchos, but most places stayed dry until evening.

Some spectators said they came to Washington instead of taking longer holiday trips to avoid high gasoline prices, and many who came to the area from far away said they were worried about the cost. Mike White, 25, was ready for the fireworks show last night after driving from Atlanta with his wife, Michelle, to be best man at a wedding today in Alexandria. The cost of the trip was something he preferred not to think about.

"It makes a big difference, and in any other circumstances I wouldn't have come," he said.

Some celebrators said they intentionally sought revelry close to home. Terri Mongelli, 51, of Frederick, often spends the Fourth of July weekend on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Yesterday, she was at a midday parade at Leisure World, the sprawling retirement community in Silver Spring, where her father lives.

"The gas prices are really bad," Mongelli said. "That just hurts. So I'm really trying to limit and combine our trips."

Mike King drove to the Mall with his family from South Carolina. "We only had to buy one tank to get here," said King, who drives a diesel truck and said he paid about $5 a gallon for fuel.

The Willis family of Troy, Ohio, traveled 8 1/2 hours by car late Thursday for a weekend getaway to Winchester and Shenandoah National Park. Despite rising gas prices, a broken GPS navigation system and a rainy forecast, the family decided to head to the Mall, where showers came just before 6 p.m.

"We bought the ponchos in Troy, " said Helen Willis, as her husband, Jerry, and son John huddled under the blue plastic. "We were told we probably didn't need them. I'm glad I didn't believe the forecasters."

The Nguyen family of Chantilly took their first trip to the Mall yesterday, 10 years after emigrating from Vietnam. They caught the afternoon parade, and then the rain caught them. By 5:30 p.m., the family was decked out in FBI-logo shirts, American flag bandanas and flag-emblazoned umbrellas as they ate a homemade Vietnamese dinner out of takeout boxes.

"We finally got a day off of work to come out here," Allison Nguyen said. "Too bad it's raining."