By EVAN BEVINS
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
NORTH HILLS, W.Va. — Take dozens of excited kids, mix with bicycles, tricycles and wagons and sprinkle it all with a generous helping of red, white and blue, and you’ve got the annual Fourth of July parades in North Hills and South Hills.
(Photo by Evan Bevins)
More than 100 children and adults paraded up and down Brentwood Drive in North Hills Tuesday, their clothing and modes of transportation decorated with stars, stripes and the colors of the American flag. It’s an event that has gone on for about 30 years.
“I just think it’s fun to get back to the old-fashioned Fourth of July, celebrating with neighbors,” North Hills resident K.C. Bashaw said as she walked behind her 3-year-old daughter Rosie.
Riding a three-wheeler sporting multiple American flags, trimmed with red-white-and-blue tinsel and dragging a trio of jingle bells in the same color scheme, Rosie won the prize as the most patriotic entry.
Megan Lake grew up in North Hills and moved back in part because of the town’s family atmosphere. Tuesday’s parade, which she helped organize for the first time this year, is a prime example of that, Lake said.
Her 4-year-old son, Carter, said his favorite part was “riding my bike,” which his mom, dad and sister helped him decorate.
“It’s just everybody pulling together on the Fourth of July and having a good time,” said Jackie Lake, Megan’s husband and Carter’s father. “The kids love it.”
North Hills resident Berylann Lewis said her 5-year-old granddaughter, Caprica Peck, enjoys the parade. But Lewis also uses the opportunity to explain to her the meaning of the holiday.
“It kind of gets in their mind what the Fourth of July’s about,” she said. “It’s a good way to start.”
Melissa Gordon’s family first organized the South Hills parade when they moved into the neighborhood 20 years ago. Starting on South Lake Drive and going around the block, the parade only lasts about 15 minutes, she said, but the decorating and preparation go on for days.
“You always drive around the neighborhood the night before and you see them decorating their bikes,” Gordon said.
Gordon said her children were little at the time the parade started. Now, many of the youngsters who once rode their bikes in the parade are grown and bring their own children back to participate.
“Our neighbors like a chance to get together. And it’s one way to celebrate the holiday,” Gordon said. “It’s good, clean family fun.”
And it’s not just the kids and their parents who enjoy it.