BLAINE — Children frantically scrambled to pick up candy being thrown from floats as one of numerous renditions of “God Bless America” entertained a crowd awash in red, white and blue Friday.

Peace Portal Drive was a slice of small-town America Friday as hundreds lined the street to kick off Blaine’s two-day Fourth of July celebration.

Although the parade featured several bands, none attracted quite as much attention as Blaine residents Mike Dahl and Aaron Tuski and Bellingham residents Andy Marshall and Ryan Allen, who performed with violins and accordions entirely on stilts.

Several members of “Guys on Stilts” have performed in past parades, but Allen was new to the art of stilting, having constructed his stilts from scratch that morning and practiced for about five minutes before the parade.

“Once we got him on his feet he took to it like a duck takes to water,” Marshall said.

Although their catalog currently only includes three songs — “Grand Old Flag,” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “God Bless America” — the group has its eye on expanding both its repertoire and number of musicians.

Behind the stilted troubadours were Thunder, 18, and Licorice, 15, two miniature horses decked out in red, white and blue. Their owners, Bellingham residents Kami Smith and Trisha Adelstein, said their pets love the attention from the younger parade goers.

“It’s cool to be able to let them interact — especially with the younger kids who aren’t as scared because (the horses) are smaller,” Smith said. “The kids and the horses are so good about it.”

In addition to the parade, street vendors sold their wares and dozens gathered to show off their refurbished vintage cars and trucks. The festivities continue today.