Paonia’s Cherry Days Parade has been a homey lineup of rodeo queens, 4-H floats, tractors and veterans for more than a century — until it became the scene of a human-vs.-military-tank protest this week.

A standoff between a sign-wielding hairstylist in flip-flops and an anti-aircraft tank during the annual parade held every Fourth of July has generated social-media buzz about comparisons to China’s Tiananmen Square protests and the iconic image of a lone protester standing in front of a line of tanks.

This time, it was hairstylist and former town councilman Sid Lewis stepping alone in front of — and temporarily halting — a line of rumbling military vehicles as they passed the judges’ platform in downtown Paonia, a small farming and coal-mining town nestled in the North Fork Valley.

“I thought it would be a good chance to speak up about democracy,” Lewis said, a day after his parade protest.

The tank with two mounted 40mm guns pointing down the parade route is owned by Bill Koch, a billionaire energy magnate who also owns Oxbow Mining Co., Gunnison Energy Corp. and a growing list of ranches around Delta, Pitkin and Gunnison counties.

Koch has made Colorado news — along with some enemies — by proposing a land swap with the government to cut off any public access to land that intersects his Bear Creek Ranch on Kebbler Pass. He has made national headlines for using his wealth to fund political campaigns and causes.

Koch is also known for his huge collection of Western memorabilia that includes a “cowboy town” on his ranch. Koch’s collection of military gear was less well known, until the latest parade.

“We were all like, ‘Wow, he has military tanks too? What else does he have?’ ” said Paonia business and life coach Chip Meneley.

Lewis said when he got wind that Koch would have tanks in this year’s parade, he made a cardboard sign that read, “Buying the planet or just taking it” on one side and “Democracy bought & sold?” on the other.

The big tank, known as a “Duster,” two smaller military craft and a Hummer were driven by veterans and Koch employees. One of the men with the military vehicles pushed Lewis out of the way of the tank. A YouTube video captured the standoff between man and machine.

Lewis said some people, such as the woman in the crowd who yelled, “Run him over,” misunderstood and thought he was being disrespectful to veterans.

“I have very high respect for veterans and their families,” he said.

But he, and many others who commented on the Paonia message-board page on Facebook, don’t have as much respect for Koch. They thought the tanks were a ploy to rally more conservatives to support his land swap and energy development.

“Tanks are a symbol of power and control and did not belong in our ‘hometown’ parade,” wrote Elaine Brett. “Last year, Koch pointed a shotgun into the crowd. This year he entered his tanks under the guise of the American Legion. Draw your own conclusions.”

Other writers referred to Lewis as “Tiananmen Sid” and “Paonia’s Tank Man.” They called for Lewis to be named citizen of the year or mayor.

A spokesman for Koch at his West Palm Beach, Fla., headquarters was not available to talk about the parade protest. A woman who answered the phone there said no one else was able to comment on the matter.

Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957, nlofholm@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nlofholm