With ice popsicles dangling, paraders Annie Wildgen, left, 12, Claire Limesand, 11, and Sophie Tate, 12, play hand-clapping games in Watson Park following the 2004 Old West Lawrence Fourth of July neighborhood parade.

Rich Brown, 10, from left, Sofie Frydman, 9, Sophie Tate, 10, and Lilly Ruttinger, 9, lead the 2005 Old West Lawrence Fourth of July parade through their neighborhood.

The annual 4th of July parade in Old West Lawrence looks like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. Wide-eyed children — decked out in red, white and blue — pedal festooned tricycles down historic streets while patriotically garbed adults follow, waving flags.

It’s a scene that’s played out — in one form or another — in neighborhoods all over town in celebration of Independence Day.

“This year is our 14th annual parade,” says Laurie McLane-Higginson, who started the OWL parade with her friend Jennifer Glenn.

“Both of us had little ones at the time, and the kids loved it because they got to take over the street and march in it. They would take their dogs and decorate their bikes or wagons or whatever.”

The parade begins at 10 a.m. every year; 1 p.m. if it rains. Beginning at Seventh and Ohio, it snakes around the block and ends in Burcham Park with a popsicle-for-all finale, a perennial tradition.

“Jennifer’s husband, Larry (Hoyle), buys those push-up pops every single year,” McLane-Higginson laughs. “He buys about a million of them, freezes them all and puts them in a cooler. He gets to the park before we do with his scissors and a little trash can to put the plastic in. It’s the cutest thing.”

Residents of the West Hills neighborhood have gathered for a parade and potluck picnic almost annually since the early ’80s.

“I think it was around 1980 when it started,” Kathy Davis says. “We had a big bunch of kids in the neighborhood at that time. Now, they’ve all grown up and we’re the old people around here. We’ve had a few interruptions, but we’re pretty good about having it every year.”

Jack Ziegler, son of Brad and Debbie Ziegler, relaxes after the Foxfire Fourth of July parade in 2006.

Customarily, Kathy’s husband, Ray Davis, prints and distributes lyrics to “America the Beautiful” for neighbors to sing while raising the flag on the island in the street across from their home.

“We don’t do the national anthem. ‘America’ is easier to sing, and everybody knows it,” Ray notes.

“It’s kind of special because not every neighborhood has a flagpole,” Kathy adds. “Usually, we’ll say the Pledge of Allegiance, too.”

On the west side of town in the Firefox subdivision, the proceedings are less formal.

“Our parade is about as low-key a neighborhood parade as you can find. We’re not that spectacular,” says Firefox resident Debbie Ziegler, laughing.

Laurie McLane-Higginson and Jennifer Glenn, OWL parade organizers, lead the way around the block in the 2008 parade.

“But, that’s what my kids have grown up knowing. I’ve got four children and two dogs and we keep track of who walked what dog which year and they take turns. It’s a great little family fun thing, but it’s nothing elaborate. My kids don’t plan what they’re going to wear until the day before or morning of,” she says.

The Fourth of July parade is one of several events planned throughout the year by the Clinton Pointe neighborhood association in west Lawrence.

“People sit out by the sidewalk and blow their horns. They’re not as good as the World Cup soccer horns — or bad, depending on how you look at it,” Eric Hyler says. “We always have a nice turnout.”

The parade ends at the subdivision’s community pool where neighbors, their extended families and guests enjoy an old-fashioned cookout and friendly competition in the water.

“We always have to do the watermelon races,” says Pam Kaufman, one of the original organizers of the event.

“It started with greased watermelons but that got too messy, so now we put two regular watermelons in the pool. The kids split into teams and have to push them to the end of the pool and back.”

Another traditional must-do contest is the wet T-shirt relay.

“That sounds kind of bad, doesn’t it?” Kaufman chuckles. “But it’s for the kids. They have to swim a length of the pool, then take off the wet T-shirt and give it to next swimmer to put on.”

While some neighborhood celebrations grow or, at least, persist, year after year, others have gone by the wayside due to an ordinance passed in 2002 prohibiting the possession and use of fireworks within city limits.

“Our neighborhood had some really great Fourth of July affairs, complete with readings of the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence,” Kathleen Morgan says.

“Ever since the fireworks ban was instituted, they’ve kind of fizzled out. Instead, we head down to the (Jaycee’s) fireworks display. It’s sad that our party centered around the pyrotechnics, but that’s the truth!”