Provo Grand Parade delights thousands; Provo LGBT group denied access
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Benson Miller enjoys the view from up high during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
Mayor of Provo John Curtis and his family wave as people greet him during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo.
Governor of Utah Gary Herbert and his family wave as people greet him during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
People enjoy the various fun floats and characters that make up the diversity of Utah County during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
The America’s Freedom Festival Provo Grand Parade on Tuesday was a good mixture of local bands, shimmering floats, balloons and old cars.
Utah Community Credit Union won the parade’s Sweepstakes Award for its sparkling green two-headed dragon float, and the Miss Spanish Fork float won the parade’s Grand Marshal Award. That float featured a full-size mock-up horse and trees in bloom that looked almost real.
A number of vintage military vehicles and antique cars — some of which were more than 100 years old — rode the parade route down University Avenue in Provo. The military cars honored those who had fought in every war from World War I to Operation Desert Storm. This line-up extended more than three city blocks.
As in years past, missionaries from the Provo and Orem missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also earned some of the loudest shouts of excitement. Elders, sisters and senior couples walked along the parade route edges slapping high-fives with parade-goers. Others rode a hay wagon and Entrata’s bright red double-decker bus, waving as they puttered down the avenue.
Another highlight of the parade was the floating balloons. As a large patriotic eagle drifted down the street, its handlers’ were greeted with shouts of “Spin! Spin!” Of course, they obliged, and spun the eagle in a circle to accompanying cheers.
Cookie Monster glided down the same path a bit later, but found only cheering crowds and no cookies. The Angry Birds showed up, and coasted their way down the parade route to rousing applause, ‘pecking’ at bystanders.
One event prior to the parade marred the celebration for some, though. A symbol of patriotism and freedom, the Grand Parade did not include Provo’s own Encircle LGBTQ Family and Youth Resource Center. According to Encircle representatives, the nonprofit organization had previously been approved to walk in the parade, but its application was revoked Monday by parade organizers.
According to the Provo Freedom Festival’s website, the parade is an event to ”promote patriotism and traditional family values.” Stephenie Larsen, executive director of Encircle, shared via the group’s Facebook page that the parade’s organizers said Encircle could not walk in the parade because it was classified as an advocacy group.
“As a 501c3, we dispute this classification,” Larsen wrote in the Facebook post. “We do not and never have advocated a certain political party or legal action. We maintain, as we always have, that our mission is to ‘Empower families to sustain the circle of their love, enabling each member to thrive.'”
The post continues to say that the Encircle team, having only been in Provo for six months, understands they are a newer group in Provo, and chose to respect the parade committee’s decision.
“We will always come from a place of love and intention, never fear or reaction. We are here to be a safe space for all, which means being planted firmly,” the post continued.
The parade committee did not respond to emails sent by the Daily Herald on Tuesday regarding this decision.
The full Encircle Facebook post is as follows:
UPDATE July 10, 2017: Paul Warner, Freedom Festival director said today the festival committee will be meeting Tuesday regarding this manner. The Daily Herald will be following this story.