A burning sun didn’t keep the crowds off the street for Carnation’s July 4th celebration.

The day kicked off with the annual Race for the Pie, which this year was dedicated to 16-year-old Josh Ward, a local runner who was killed in a car accident on June 19. Cedarcrest High School’s cheerleading squad cheered runners into the five-kilometer race’s finish line.

After the race, knots of sweat-soaked runners traded stories from the run, while others staked out seats for the day’s grand parade.

Cam Monroe, of Lake Joy, and ‘Foo Foo’ Olson, of Carnation, watched the race’s finish from Pete’s Pub and Grill, where some patrons were enjoying a late breakfast or an early beer. Decked out in red, white and blue, the two sisters have been coming to Carnation’s parade for 25 years.

Waiting for the parade, spectators checked out hot rods and motorcycles in Bank of America’s parking lot on Tolt Ave. The lovingly waxed cars and bikes glinted in the mid-morning sun.

At the Senior Citizen Center, sister Delores Ulrich and Margaret Denton served up decadent strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, as they have for decades.

On W. Morrison St., the parade’s participants prepared for the day’s main event.

The CHS marching band practiced, while rodeo royalty corralled their horses into place.

Martin and Becky Cheney readied their banner for the 45th precinct Democrats. Martin Cheney, of Carnation, is the precinct chairman.

Behind them Snoqualmie Tribe member John Mullen stood by his pickup truck pulling the tribe’s float of two hand-carved cedar canoes. A bear skin, complete with growling face, hung over the cab.

The Snoqualmie are “bear people,” and become bears when they pass away, Mullen explained.

A hand-carved eagle adorned the truck’s grill.

“Some say when we get lost, the eagle will show us the way back,” said Mullen, a Sammamish resident.

There was no getting lost for the grand parade, which made its way down Tolt Avenue, led by local Boy Scout troops.

As it made its way down the road, there was not an empty seat to be found along the parade route.