B.B. walks along on a beautiful Summer morning, over rolling hills and cool valley streams, through thickets of trees and brush, and across wide grassy fields. He feels the warmth of the sun and the shade of passing clouds overhead. As he stomps his way along a mountain trail, he sees a human town in the valley ahead. B.B. excitedly wonders what fun new things he will discover here!

As he makes his way into the town, B.B. sees many, many people lining the streets, sitting on blankets and chairs, some with canopies and umbrellas to shade them from the sun. B.B. notices that many of the humans are dressed in colors of red, white, and blue, and that many are holding little flags in the same colors.

Just then, B.B. hears a loud siren wailing nearby – he thinks back to his adventure at the Fire Station, and worries that there may be a fire somewhere nearby! B.B. hears a human nearby chuckle. He looks up to see a tall human man dressed in a uniform. “Don’t worry,” says the tall human, “that’s just the signal to begin the Independence Day Parade. Watch the road!”

B.B. peers up the street lined with humans, and sees a flutter of flags and a group of humans marching toward him. Then, he begins to hear a deep thumping sound, “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,” growing louder and louder. As the marching humans with the flags get closer and closer, B.B. can see they are all dressed in uniforms, just like the tall human. Then, just as they pass in front, B.B. sees the crowd of humans lining the street stand up at attention. B.B. looks up at the tall human and sees that he is saluting. B.B. stands as tall as he can as the flags pass by.

“BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!” B.B. hears the big sound get louder than ever, and looks to see a flash of brass as a big marching band breaks into a tune. The crowd of humans clap and cheer, and they wave their flags excitedly. B.B. thinks to himself that he would love to have his own little flag to wave along with them, just as the tall human taps him on his furry shoulder. “Here you go!” says the tall human, as he hands B.B. his own red, white, and blue flag. B.B. hops with joy as he gladly accepts the gift. Now he can get a better look at the flag, with red and white stripes, and a blue field with little white stars. B.B. excitedly waves his flag as the parade passes in front of him.

B.B. sees so many different things in the parade: cars and trucks, horses pulling wagons, even more marching bands, big trailers loaded with humans of all shapes and sizes, and so many, many tractors. He even thinks he sees a Bigfoot like himself, riding in the back of a big pickup truck! And everywhere B.B. looks, he sees decorations of red, white, and blue. 

Lastly, B.B. sees a line of fire trucks rolling along the street, lights flashing and bells ringing. 

“That’s the end of the parade,” says the tall human. “Follow me to the picnic grounds!” B.B. follows the tall human up the edge of the street. He sees much of the crowd has picked up their blankets and chairs and are walking in the same direction. B.B. can smell wonderful food on the breeze ahead!

B.B. and the tall human eventually come to a stop in a grassy park, surrounded by shady trees and filled with many humans sitting at picnic tables. The tall human walks over to a shiny cart under an umbrella, and comes back to B.B. carrying something in a long bun. “It just wouldn’t be the 4th of July without a hotdog, now would it?” he says, handing the bun to B.B. He can now see a delicious smelling sausage in the bun. B.B. takes a big bite. Mmm-Mmm! The tall human was right, this is the perfect food for a day like today.

B.B. reaches out his furry paw and happily shakes the tall human’s hand, just as the big brass band begins playing from the far side of the grassy park. B.B. and the tall human wave goodbye to each other, as B.B. marches off down the street, munching on his hotdog, and keeping step in time with the “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM” of the big brass band.

Later that evening, as B.B. is getting ready to snuggle into his nest for the evening, perched high on a wooded hill, he hears pops and booms coming from the valley below. B.B. looks to see bright bursts of colors shooting up over the valley from the human town. Red, Blue, Green, Purple, streaming rockets and big balls of stars that burst, twinkle, and crackle in the night sky. B.B. sits and watches the lights until they finish in a flourish of all sorts of colors. B.B. hears a distant cheer rise up from the town in the valley, and he joins in, clapping his paws with delight.

As he finally curls up for the night, B.B. thinks back, and dreams of all the new sights, sounds, and friends he made, on the day of the Big Parade.