For the small farming town of Vale, Ore., the annual Fourth of July parade is one of the biggest events of the year. The Vale Church and the Timberline Church School collaborated to enter a “Noah’s Ark” float, entitled “Education—the Ark of Safety.” The back of the float read: “Vale Seventh-day Adventist Church and Timberline Elementary School."

The smaller children dressed in animal costumes and masks, while some of the older children played the parts of Noah’s three sons and their wives. Noah and his wife, Daniel and Cheri DeLaRosa, accompanied the ark, walking, one on each side, dressed in biblical-style robes.

As the float proceeded down the road, the children threw candy to observers, and some older children handed out invitations to the Vacation Bible School, which was held three weeks later.