It was all about tradition as participants and bystanders streamed into downtown Nevada City to take part in the annual Fourth of July parade.

Boy Scouts trundled little red wagons loaded with ice-cold sodas and water up and down Broad Street, as a long line formed in front of Hot Dog Heaven.

At the top of the hill, longtime parade organizers George and Pat Harper were keeping the chaos under control. After 23 years, the couple said, they know how to keep the annual event — as well as the Constitution Day Parade — running smoothly.

“It's hard at first, but not once you've got it all figured out,” Pat Harper said.

“It takes a good wife,” joked George Harper.

“It's a year-round job, but a lot of things you just remember from year to year,” he added on a more serious note. “Our parades go smoother because of the continuity. We know what problems are going to happen before they happen.”

One constant?

“Everybody wants to be in the front of the parade,” he said. “But if everyone's in the front, there's no end.”

No matter what the complications might be, George Harper remains ebullient.

“It's just fun,” he said. “I get excited — I just love a parade. That's how I got involved. We went to Grass Valley one year and there was no music, so I complained and Cathy (Whittlesey) put us in charge.”

The parade switches between Nevada City and Grass Valley every other year and has done so for over 100 years, said Whittlesey, the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.

“It really brings everyone together,” she said.

Whittlesey spent more than three hours before the parade hanging up banners to thank the sponsors — an invaluable part of financing the Fourth festivities.

The parade costs about $2,000 to $3,000, and the fireworks alone cost about $8,000, Whittlesey said.

“We're really lucky,” she said. “Our businesses pulled through even in these tough economic times.”

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.