Help!
Could you tell me if my sentences sound natural? What would you change?

1 "The villagers traditionally chose the village square as the spot in which the parade would come to a halt. Everyone had to put their shoulder to the wheel(or should I say 'do their bit'?) by setting the tables, hanging up(or should I use lining up??) flags across the square, making the bonfire..."/
2 "However there was a young lad who was like to be idle and (or should I say lazy?) he didn't have the slightest intention of lending a hand when asked to and the few times he did, it was in a half-hearted way, grumbling and dragging his feet. He used to say, cheeky as he was, 'I'm not an octopus!'.