Written by DCist contributor Shauna Miller

Mayor Adrian Fenty joined a Michelle Obama, a Cindy McCain, at least five Sarah Palins and much of the British royal family (living and dead) in Dupont Circle last night for the 23rd annual High Heel Race. The event packed 17th Street between Church and R streets despite the evening’s windy chill.

The pre-race parade started out near JR’s Bar and Grill, where general manager David Perruzza serves as de facto organizer each year, obtaining the parade license and approval from the mayor’s task force, as well as organizing more than 100 volunteers and paying around $3,000 for niceties like post-race street cleaning. Perruzza has seen Fenty preside over the event for the past couple of years, calling him “one of the most popular people there.”

The competition was certainly heavy, with two Chers, one Princess Diana, a Washington Monument toting a purse, and the real Patrick Mara making the scene. A drag Carol Schwartz valiantly pushed her write-in campaign. “Everybody knows me!” she beamed to a group of potential supporters.