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Lively and stylish volunteers donned Freedom Without Walls T-shirts desigend by the German Information Center USA at the German Embassy in Washington to wave to onlookers and toss mint candies their way from the Freedom Without Walls float.

(© German Embassy)

Americans and Germans celebrated 20 years of Freedom Without Walls together at the 52nd annual Steuben Parade in New York on September 19.

The annual parade, a celebration of German-American heritage and friendship, marked two historic milestones this year - the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 60th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Colorful floats and groups ranging from German-American clubs to schools to fire brigades were joined by 25 groups from Germany, among them some of the best marching bands, carnival troupes and regional associations dressed in traditional Trachten costumes.

They wended their way through the parade's historic route along 5th Avenue from 67th Street to 86th Street in midtown Manhattan. A Freedom Without Walls float sponsored by Germany's Federal Foreign Office and the German National Tourist Office in New York formed a festive focal point, as did banners touting the 2009 Freedom Without Walls campaign spearheaded by the German Information Center USA at the German Embassy in Washington via a special outreach program geared towards American college students.

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Freedom Without Walls banners designed by the German Information Center USA lined the entire parade route.

(© German Embassy)

Four US citizens with German heritage served as grand marshals at this year's parade, including the award-winning Fox 5 News reporter Linda Schmidt and Christian Haub, executive chairman of the Board of Directors of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P), a Montvale, New Jersey-based operator of more than 436 supermarkets in eight states and the District of Columbia.

US Representative Michael E. McMahon (D-NY), who was elected to the 111th Congress in 2008, also served as a 2009 Steuben Parade grand marshal. McMahon, who represents the 13th Congressional District of New York, has always maintained strong ties to Germany, where he studied for two years at the University of Heidelberg.

"As the son of a German mother, and a proud German-American I was honored to be asked to be a Grand Marshall of the Steuben Day Parade in New York City. Marching down Fifth Avenue 60 years after the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany and 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and unification was something I will cherish forever. As a Member of Congress and a Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs I am proud to serve on the Europe Subcommittee where I work to strengthen the US-German partnership," said Congressman McMahon.

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Masked revelers bring historic southern German carnival traditions to life.

(© German Embassy, Washington)

Also among this year's grand marshals was Steuben Parade co-founder Theobald "Ted" Dengler, a distinguished lawyer who has served the German-American community in a variety of capacities for nearly three decades, including as chairman of the German American Committee of Greater New York. The Bronx-born Dengler, whose grandparents emigrated from the Rhineland, along with his father were one of a small group that founded the Steuben Parade in 1957.

The New York parade is the largest German-American event in the world and is named in honor of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben (1730-1793), a Prussian general who came to America to support General George Washington in the American Revolution.

Nearly 43 million people in the United States identify German as their primary ancestry, according to US Census Bureau statistics from 2004.

The Steuben Parade is set within a broader cultural framework, the German-American Friendship Month, which was kicked off this year on September 2 by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Organized by the German-American Steuben Parade Committee under the direction of its tireless General Chairman, Lars Halter, the New York parade is one of three major Steuben celebrations held each year in September. Similar parades and related festivities are also held annually in Philadelphia and Chicago.

For the third year in a row the Empire State Building was lit up in the colors of the German flag - black, red and gold - a new tradition continued this year for three nights in a row to mark a weekend of festivities surrounding the parade.