5 ways to have fun with your family in Utah County this week
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
Josh Philpot, Connor Nielsen and Cornbread Jackson, First Maryland Continental Line re-enactors, stand among spectators at America's Freedom Festival's Colonial Heritage Festival at SCERA Park in Orem on Thursday, July 2, 2015. The festical returns this year on Tuesday and Wednesday. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Have fun at the Freedom Festival
It’s the week of the Fourth of July, and in Provo, that means it is time for the Freedom Festival. There are several family-friendly events through Wednesday, events that help those of all ages celebrate independence.
Take the whole family out from 6 to 8 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday to see the Balloon Fest. Enjoy the Freedom Days Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., where the whole family can enjoy vendors, food and “Adventure Street.” The Grand Parade will take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and will include floats, balloons, and local and national performers.
Freedom Days will end with the Stadium of Fire on Wednesday evening, with its well-known fireworks display and a performance by OneRepublic.
More info: http://heraldextra.com/citycelebrations
Get colonial
If you are looking for a way to celebrate the Fourth of July in a historical way, head to the Colonial Heritage Festival. The event will include artisans, exhibits, demonstrations and storytelling that will take you back in time to the Colonial Era. There also will be a Mayflower Replica, colonial school, colonial games and daily children’s chores for kids.
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday
Where: SCERA Park; 600 S. State St., Orem
Enjoy fireworks
If you aren’t headed to the Stadium of Fire and still want to take in a professional fireworks show, you can head to Lehi or Pleasant Grove.
Pleasant Grove will have its annual July 4 fireworks show at Discovery Park when the sun goes down. In Lehi, Thanksgiving Point will celebrate independence with its annual fireworks show. The Thanksgiving Point show, at Electric Park, will include music, games, prices, concessions and vendors. The gates open at 4 p.m. with music, games and prizes from 7-9:45 p.m. and fireworks at 10 p.m.
Both fireworks shows are free to the public.
See an outdoor movie
Summer is the perfect time to pop some popcorn and enjoy a movie in the great outdoors. Thanksgiving Point will kick off its Summer Movie Series on Friday at the Waterfall Amphitheater at Thanksgiving Park’s Ashton Gardens by airing “Ferdinand” at dusk.
In Spanish Fork, you can see “Spiderman Homecoming” behind the Spanish Fork Library at 7:30 p.m on Friday. Monday, Springville will air “Despicable Me 3” at Spring Acres Arts Park at dusk.
See ‘Big River'
“Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” will begin its two-week run at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre on Friday. The play will tell one of Mark Twain’s classic stories as Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom. This production turns the classic tale into an enjoyable musical.
When: 8 p.m., Friday through July 21
Where: SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre; 699 S. State St., Orem
Cost: $10-$16