Hundreds of kids in red, white and blue flocked to Newton Centre Bowl adjacent to the Mason-Rice school on Thursday morning, ringing in the Fourth of July with ice cream, crafts and parades.

“It’s a great way to celebrate this holiday,” said Stephen Farrell, a volunteer and Ward 8 city councilor. “It’s another way to build community.”

Kids paraded around a track marked with chalk and bunting, showing off their patriotic outfits, hand-in-hand with their parents.

Others peddled decked-out bikes or raced friends around the course. Families brought pets to join in the “Grand Pet Promenade,” showing off their pets to an audience on the hill.

One Watertown resident, Betsy Goldman, said she brought her 4-year old daughter Lena to see the parade of dogs.

“We support dogs and we support parades, so we like to watch them march around,” Goldman said.

A firetruck and an ambulance parked on Tyler Terrace. and the first responders showed children around their vehicles.

Cabot’s donated 36 gallons of ice cream for the event, and volunteers scooped out free cups for a long line of families.

One Waban resident, Matthew Marshall, said the ice cream drew him and his kids to the event.

“Honestly, it was because of the ice cream,” Marshall said. “It was a big hit.”