Provo doesn’t celebrate many things.
With the exception of a few strands of lights in December and a handful of window displays on Valentines day, holidays seem to comeand go rather imperceptibly in Utah County—but not the Fourth of July.
As the Fourth approaches, smoke from barbeque grills will waft through the air, Old Glory will begin sprouting out of the woodwork, downtown Provo will be filled to capacity with booths selling ethnic cuisine and homemade Americana, faces will be painted, roads will be closed, traffic will be jammed, and the chirping of crickets will be joined with the cacophony of whistling explosives.
Typical of any American town? Perhaps. But for Provo this is truly a spectacle to behold.
With the sudden advent of so many festivities it may seem overwhelming to choose where to go and what to do, but having a game plan should help. Here is a list of some major (and some minor) events that you should be aware of, though the Freedom Festival site has information on all of the official community-sponsored activities in Utah County, including parades, marathons, historic tours, art competitions, craft fairs, symphonic concerts, and hot air balloon launchings to get you started.
Following the festivities in Provo, American Fork hosts “Steel Days” from July 5-9th.
In 1945 when the close of World War II invited the celebration of American Industry, Steel days became a community tradition and have b
een held annually since 1945. Activities include a carnival, craft fair, and of course, plenty of steel work.
Other exciting activities include rafting the Provo river, (the river passes through a few small trailer parks and the locals always seem toput on
a show. Getting soaked with a garden hose from a laughing grandmother on the bank is a common occurrence.)
and finding creative places to watch fireworks from. Personal favorites include rooftops, roundabouts, and Y mountain. Fireworks from the Stadium of Fire (held at the LaVell Edwards stadium on BYU campus) will be launched on Saturday July 2nd at 8:00pm, and fireworks from Lehi’s Electric Park will be launched Monday July 4th at 10:00pm.
In this community the Fourth of July is one holiday that simply can’t be avoided, so you might as well get outside, eat a hot dog, light some fireworks and bask in the unique patriotic revelry that only Utah county can offer.
