With ComFest 2008 now merely a memory, the streets of the Short North have quieted down, but only for a few days. The small Columbus community is gearing up for its 4th of July festivities.

One of the most famous Independence Day traditions in the Short North is the celebration that mixes sarcasm, wit and current events, affectionately known as the Doo Dah Parade.

The Doo Dah Parade is held annually on July 4, starting on Park Street and weaving its way through the Short North and Victorian Village. The culmination of the event is a large block party at the parade’s end. It’s so large that High Street is closed between Buttles and Russel so revelers can frolic freely in the streets.

This year marks the parade’s 25th anniversary.

“Doo Dah stands for merriment, whimsy, irony and freedom. All of these you get for free,” said Greg Carr, the parade’s founder. “But more importantly, it is an exercise of free speech through humor.”

The purpose of the parade is also to bring the community together. It encourages people to get involved in any way they can, whether through marching, volunteering or simply watching.

According to the official parade blog, Blogging Your Nogging, the Doo Dah Parade is best described as “a political satire parade celebrating liberty and lunacy.”

The unique structure of the parade is that there is no real structure. Anyone who wants to participate in the parade can do so – registration is not required.

“All you need is your presence, courage and some endurance to shoe up and march,” Carr said. “No cost to participate, just guts and imagination.”

The sardonic humor of the parade can be seen on flyers adorning storefronts and telephone poles throughout the Short North – reading “The Doo Dah Parade, July 4th (Rain date: July 3rd).”

“The parade is hilarious, especially the political scandal floats,” said Travis Case, a junior in engineering who attended the parade last year. “There’s so much going on at once – it’s just crazy shenanigans and so much fun.”

Case said some of the highlights of the parade were the notorious “Marching Fidels,” a cavalcade of Fidel Castro look-alikes; the hat-wearing politicians; and the block party after the parade.

“It was so fun to just chill in the middle of High Street, watching all the people, and not have to dodge cars or anything,” Case said.

Carr said his favorite part of the parade is simply watching the crowd gather along High Street.

“High Street is empty at 10 a.m. on the 4th, but by 12:30 p.m. there’s thousands [of people] lined up to watch, laugh, hoot ‘n’ holler and enjoy that year’s parade,” Carr said.

Carr said the celebration began in 1984 as a whimsical contrast to the complaints that “there’s nothing going on in Columbus, Ohio, on July 4.”

At that time, Carr was part owner of the Short North Tavern, and business on Independence Day was historically low because there really was no celebration in the city on July 4. Carr decided to change that and, along with a few friends, the idea for the Doo Dah Parade came into formation.

However, Carr said admits he had a bit of help with the idea.

“It was an unabashed rip off of the Pasadena New Year’s Day Parade, also known as the Doo Dah Parade, which makes fun out of the Rose Bowl Parade,” Carr said. “Our intent was to make fun of ourselves, the city, the country and the rest of the world.”

Although it was much smaller, the original Columbus Doo Dah Parade was a success. Now in its 25th year, it is a full-blown parade and block party extravaganza.

One of the famous traditions of the parade is the Less-Than-Grand-Marshal, the chosen leader of the Doo Dah festivities. This year, that person is former Columbus mayor and Ohio State alumnus, “Buck” Rinehart.

The Doo Dah festivities kick off with the parade at 1 p.m. July 4, followed by the block party at 3 p.m.

“I do know that this is the greatest event in the history of western civilization, but, outside of that, don’t expect too much,” Carr said.

Jennifer Farmer can be reached at [email protected].