Four-year-old Rachael Abraham held up her flag and looked at her friend. “You have to let the wind blow it, see?” she instructed.

Rachael, like many other children, danced around on Saturday waving her flag and diving for candy being handed out by parade participants. She excitedly watched as the different floats passed by.

“I like the big bus and the car that opens the thingees (doors) all by itself,” she said.

All of the parade-goers seemed to share in Rachael’s enthusiasm. Members of the crowd stood with their mouths open and eyes towards the sky as Navy planes flew overhead. They cheered when the military bands played and Grand Marshal Mike Milat drove by.

Representatives from RE/MAX Acorn Properties handed out miniature flags at the start of the parade creating a sea of red, white and blue. Friends yelled at each other from across the street and waved to familiar faces they noticed on the floats.

The Whidbey Island Rollergirls, the Girl Scouts, the Royal Canadian Legion 83 South Burnaby band, Oak Harbor Middle School and many others strutted their stuff down Pioneer Way during the parade, which lasted about two hours.

Herb Johnson and his wife Melissa were attending their first Oak Harbor Fourth of July parade.

“You expect it to be a lot smaller,” Melissa said. The Johnsons moved to Whidbey in February and brought their young sons out to celebrate. While Herb said the boys mainly enjoyed collecting candy, Melissa added laughing, “they like the bands and the animals too.”

After the parade, many headed to Windjammer Park for carnival rides, a pie-eating contest and an egg toss.

Officials from the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce worked hard planning the festivities and seemed pleased with the way things turned out.

“I think it went pretty well,” said Marcus Carney, the tourism and event coordinator. “We had good attendance for two days.”

Another huge throng attended Sunday night’s fireworks show which culminated the 2010 Fourth of July celebration in Oak Harbor.