If there isn't an Independence Day parade in your town, organize one yourself. Invite a few neighbor kids to participate, then line your parents along the sidewalk to watch.

• Invite the best in-line skater to carry the flag.
• No need for a live marching band. Just carry a portable cassette player or boom box. Borrow a tape of favorite marches.
• Older kids can pull smaller kids in wagons.
• Put a ribbon on your cat or dog and lead it on a leash.
• Dress up in a dance recital costume and cartwheel or twirl a baton along the parade route.
• Have a bike-decorating contest. Invite a parent or teenager to be the judge.
• At the end of your route, offer refreshments to parade participants and the audience.