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Molly Hans, of Klamath Falls, Ore., painted an American flag on her face to represent the American Legion on a float for the annual Fourth of July parade Tuesday, July 4, 2000, in Klamath Falls. (AP Photo)

July 6, 2000 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands gathered on the National Mall Tuesday, a day of festivities in the nation's capitol that included a parade, a concert-featuring singer Ray Charles and a fireworks show that lasted half an hour.

Red, green, gold and blue flashes streaked across the night sky and illuminated the Washington Monument, which is undergoing a dlrs 10 million facelift.

An unembarrassed young man showed his patriotic fervor with a nearly naked romp along the east side of the monument, with only a few red, white and blue ribbons to protect him from the mosquitoes and the night air.

President Bill Clinton spent part of the day in New York for an international naval review but returned before the fireworks began.

With the Statue of Liberty watching over New York Harbor, fireboats spray jets of colored water to lead the Independence Day parade of tall ships up the Hudson River, Tuesday, July 4, 2000. President Clinton watched the OpSail 2000 flotilla from the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy.The review includes 140 ships from the U.S. Navy and visiting naval ships from 40 nations. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

District of Columbia officials expected a half million visitors for the day's events, which began early in the morning with actors representing George Washington and other notables of the period moving among the crowd to explain their roles in history.

There was also a solemn reading of the Declaration of Independence, a demonstration of uniformed British and colonial military maneuvers on Constitution Avenue and a traditional parade.

Finally, the fireworks began to the strains of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." Thousands strained for a glimpse at the multicolored explosions that seemed to hover over the reflecting pool.