A boy enjoys the 2015 July 4th parade.

A boy enjoys the 2015 July 4th parade.

Exchange Club volunteers have plans to make this year’s Fourth of July parade a particularly LH affair, with “The Real Boss of Lake Highlands High School,” Karen Clardy, as Grand Marshal and plenty of Wildcat student groups leading the charge. The event is Lake Highlands’ flagship community celebration and will be held on Monday, July 4th.

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The parade begins at 9 a.m. in front of North Highlands Bible Church (across from the LHHS tennis courts) and proceeds down Church Road in front of the high school. Though the parade route is short-and-sweet, lasting about an hour and ending at the Lake Highlands North Recreation Center, that’s where the fun begins. A carnival with food trucks, face painting, balloon animals, dunking booth, fire truck, police helicopter, petting zoo, games, musical performers and entertainment for all ages continues in the rec center parking lot until noon.

Neighborhood participants and organizations are encouraged to enter “floats” in the parade (which vary widely from decorated cars to flatbed trailers), and awards will be given in various categories. (Judging begins at 8:30.) Young children with bikes and wagons decked out in red-white-and-blue are a traditional part of the fun, as well as fire engines, antique cars, clowns on tiny bikes and Uncle Sam on stilts.

You can see my photos from last year’s parade here.