Photo by bjackrian

President Obama has been sworn in, so next up in the inaugural festivities is the parade from the U.S. Capitol to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier will lead the procession, and Mayor Vince Gray will also take part. Over 2,800 applications were submitted from groups seeking to participate; 58 were approved, including some notable locals.

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company B
Silver Spring, Maryland

The District of Columbia is home to the B Company of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The company was formed in 1988 as a National Park “Service Volunteers in the Parks” unit to commemorate the Union army’s first military unit made up of free black men. The company is dedicated to preserving and authentically interpreting the life and sacrifices of the enlisted men and officers of the historic regiment. Members are dressed in the uniform of the period: sack coat, sky blue trousers, Jefferson brogues, forage hats and Enfield muskets.

Ballou Senior High School “Majestic” Marching Knights
Washington, District of Columbia

The Ballou “Majestic” Marching Knights is an award-winning high-stepping marching band. It is sure to have your hands clap­ping and cheering for a group of young people that continues to positively change a school, community and city with outstanding musicianship, discipline and pride. The Knights have performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the Kentucky Derby Pegasus Parade, President Bush’s Inaugural Parade, the Ellen Degeneres Show, Good Morning America and the Today Show. They will be performing “I Feel Good” by James Brown and the Ste­vie Wonder version of “Happy Birthday” as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, District of Columbia

Many of the groups in today’s parade have traveled hundreds – even thousands – of miles to be here, but this group has been all the way to outer space. NASA is represented today by two floats – the Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle, and the Mars Curiosity Rover. The Orion replica is 16.5 feet in diameter, and 16 feet tall, and it is joined in the parade by NASA astronauts. This replica of the Mars Curiosity Rover is 10 feet long, nine feet wide, and nine feet tall.

University of Maryland Mighty Sound Marching Band
College Park, Maryland

The University of Maryland had its humble beginnings in 1856 as a land grant college, known then as the Maryland Agricultural College. Since that time it has grown to be the flagship university in the Maryland System of 12 Universities and Colleges. From the beginning of the university’s history, the Cadet Band played during cadet marches and parades. As the band continued to grow in size, the members of the band were dubbed “The Musical Ambassadors of Maryland.”