KEYPORT — Amidst a conglomeration of Americans, riding in formation on various modes of transportation, including a kind old man on a stand-up scooter, red, white and blue llamas and Uncle Sam strapped to the back of a golf cart, Nathanyl Behrens stood proudly on Washington Street in Keyport.

A portrait of the beauty of freedom, he walked in sunglasses on a bright afternoon, displaying Old Glory at full staff. His contented smile spoke without words the anthem of the Keyport community Independence Day pancake breakfast and parade.

At the Keyport Fire Station at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, the Keyport Community Club hosted its 31st annual Fourth of July celebration. The event was an extension of the tradition that has long been a proud assembly of the community and beyond, said KCC president Ellen Strong.

“It’s gone through several eateries and locations, but the whole point is to have the community come together,” said past KCC president and Keyport resident Karol Stevens. “People come here more for the community gathering than for the menu.”

Even so, the menu at the pancake breakfast was quite inviting in a traditional sense, with scrambled eggs, ham and pancakes. But the service, smiles and social aspects of the event were just as satisfying.

Sarah Stevens, Karol’s daughter who has been attending the celebration most of her life, said the pancake breakfast and parade are fun for the whole community.

“People come and go, but this is a chance for everyone to come together and enjoy each other, it’s something we look forward to,” said Sarah, a recent Western Washington University grad. “It’s eclectic, it’s small town … it’s wonderful.”

It was a half-day affair as the breakfast feast got cooking at 8 a.m. and the parade started at 1 p.m. After two block-round processions through downtown Keyport, the event culminated with popsicles at Keyport Central Park.

“My favorite part is still the popsicles in the park because everyone is upbeat and we just have a big block party in the park,” Sarah said.

However, the entire event was a lot like a big block party in motion as the celebration migrated through the Keyport community center. The parade welcomed all ages and methods of transportation beckoning one and all to join the celebration.

An ambulance and fire trucks from both the naval base and the fire station gave the parade an official touch, while red, white and blue adorned children on bikes, skates and scooters displayed the diversity of the community. In all, nearly 50 people marched in the patriotic procession.

“It has never rained on the parade,” Strong said. “It’s rained a little in the morning or a little after, but never on the parade.”

Keyport’s Fourth of July tradition — which began with the country’s bicentennial in 1976 — is so strong that not even the weather can interrupt it. People from Keyport and beyond, like Seattle resident Pat Garrison, have been attending the event for years.

“It is so Americana. I mean these are going on everywhere, but this small town, all-volunteer event is the essence of America,” Garrison said, who has attended the pancake breakfast and parade for nearly 15 years. “When you start a tradition, you’ve got to stick with it.”