Festival Flashback: Freedom Festival history offers hope for America
Members of the Flying Elvi perform a number on stage after parachuting into the stadium as one of the acts of Sadium of Fire on Saturday, July 4, 1998, at BYU. Photo by Jason Olson. 7/4/98
Fireworks burst during Stadium of Fire held Thursday, July 4, 2019, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Children from 72 schools take part in the Hope of America Student Showcase at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
COBB CONDIE/Daily Herald A school child performs at the Hope of America Student Showcase on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, at the BYU Marriott Center.
MATT SMITH/The Daily Herald Hot-air balloons maneuver in the sky over Provo during the 20th Freedom Festival Balloon Festival on July 2, 2004.
Spectators at the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest watch as the LDS Singles.Com hot-air balloon is inflated, along with six other giant airships, on Freedom Field in Provo. Due to breezy conditions, none of the balloons were able to lift off. Monday, July 3, 2000 Photo by Brian Fitzgerald.
A towering hellium-filled Gumby waves to the crowd during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade in Provo, Utah Friday, July 4, 1997. Over 150,000 people came out to watch the annual event that begins a day of celebration ending in a firework extravaganza. (The Dialy Herald/Jason Olson)
A man rests as the Freedom Festival Grand Parade makes its way down Center Street in Provo on Friday, July 4, 2014. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
Amy Bauer, 1, watches a jugler on a unicycle go by during the Freedom Festival Parade along University Ave. Photo by Dan Lund. 7/4/00
Runners participating in the Freedom Run 10K head down Timpview Drive at 7:15 a.m. to kick off the day's festivities. photo by Dan Lund 07/04/01
A runner runs past a sign advertising Provo's upcoming Freedom Festival and Stadium of Fire at Lavell Edwards Stadium on Wednesday, June 25, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Country star Carrie Underwood performs at America's Freedom Festival's Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday, July 4, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
The Stadium of Fire Dancers get enthusiastic during the festivities at LaVell Edwards Stadium. 07/04/01 Photo/Kevin Lee
Stacey and his Mess of Mutts performs at the annual Stadium of Fire. 07/04/01 Photo/Kevin Lee
BRIAN WAGNER/Daily Herald Dancers performing at the Stadium of Fire. (7/2/2005)
FRANK BOTT/Daily Herald Alan Osmond with family during the Freedom Festival.
A skydiver soars into LaVell Edwards Stadium during Stadium of Fire held Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
FRANK BOTT/Daily Herald The human canon launch during the Freedom Festival celebration at Lavell Edwards on Saturday evening. (7/2/2005)
FRANK BOTT/Daily Herald Mandy Moore performs July 2, 2005 at the Stadium of Fire event, part of the Freedom Festival.
The Stadium of Fire Dancers perform for the sold-out audience at the BYU stadium on 7/5/97. Photo/Marc Lester
Cirque du Soleil preforms during Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium Thursday, July 4, 2013. Stadium of Fire featured acts from Cirque du Soleil, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kelly Clarkson. The evening was capped off with a firework display high over the stadium's crowd. ALEX GOODLETT/DAILY HERALD
The Stadium of Fire Dancers perform during Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Thursday, July 4, 2013. Stadium of Fire featured acts from Cirque du Soleil, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kelly Clarkson. The evening was capped off with a firework display high over the stadium's crowd. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
JERONIMO NISA/Daily Herald Stadium of Fire Dancers cheer Corbin Bleu, one of the performers at the Stadium of Fire, Wednesday, July 4, 2007.
Carly Rae Jepsen performs during Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Thursday, July 4, 2013. Stadium of Fire featured acts from Cirque du Soleil, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kelly Clarkson. The evening was capped off with a firework display high over the stadium's crowd. ALEX GOODLETT/Daily Herald
Fans watch Brad Paisley perform at Stadium of Fire on Saturday, July 2, 2011. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
CELIA TOBIN/Daily Herald Pop star Miley Cyrus performs at the Stadium of Fire at Lavell Edwards Stadium Friday, July 4, 2008 in Provo. The night's entertainment also included performances by the Blue Man Group, an Olympic tribute dance number which featured local athletes representing all the summer olympic sports, and fireworks. Radio and television political commentator Glenn Beck hosted the event.
CELIA TOBIN/Daily Herald Athletes demonstrate boxing as dancers perform an Olympic tribute number, which featured local athletes representing all the summer olympic sports, during the pre-show at the Stadium of Fire in Lavell Edwards Stadium Friday, July 4, 2008 in Provo. The evening's entertainment included performances by pop star Miley Cyrus, the Blue Man Group and fireworks. Radio and television political commentator Glenn Beck hosted the event.
The Stadium of Fire Dancers perform during Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium Thursday, July 4, 2013. Stadium of Fire featured acts from Cirque du Soleil, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kelly Clarkson. The evening was capped off with a firework display high over the stadium's crowd. ALEX GOODLETT/DAILY HERALD
CELIA TOBIN/Daily Herald Siblings Tommy Price (from left), 7, Dasha Price, 5, and Melanie Price, 9, hold signs of support for their father, who is currently serving in Afghanistan, at the Stadium of Fire at Lavell Edwards Stadium Friday, July 4, 2008 in Provo. The children were among the many military families who were invited as special guests for the night's event. The evening's entertainment included performances by pop star Miley Cyrus, the Blue Man Group, an Olympic tribute dance number which featured local athletes representing all the summer olympic sports, and fireworks. Radio and television political commentator Glenn Beck hosted the event.
Joe Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, sings "Paranoid," during the Stadium of Fire, in this file photo. LANCE BOOTH/Daily Herald
Jessica Butler, 8, of Orem watches the Jonas Brothers, during their Stadium of Fire performance, through the fence of the stadium, on Friday, July 4th. LANCE BOOTH/Daily Herald
Disney Channel star Olivia Holt performs during Stadium of Fire at Lavell Edwards Stadium on July 4, 2015. This year marked the 35-year anniversary of the event. SAMMY JO HESTER, The Daily Herald
CELIA TOBIN/Daily Herald The Blue Man Group performs at the Stadium of Fire at Lavell Edwards Stadium Friday, July 4, 2008 in Provo. The night's entertainment also included performances by pop star Miley Cyrus, an Olympic tribute dance number which featured local athletes representing all the summer olympic sports, and fireworks. Radio and television political commentator Glenn Beck hosted the event.
Stadium of Fire Dancers perform during Stadium of Fire held Thursday, July 4, 2019, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Ben Martin, left, and Sarah Meyers enjoy the fireworks show during the Stadium of Fire event in Provo on Wednesday, July 4, 2012. JIM MCAULEY/Daily Herald
Spectators at the Freedom Festival's Stadium of Fire watch as fireworks explode over and in Cougar Stadium Saturday July 3, 1999. -- Photo by Brian Winter. 7/4/99
Hot air balloons float as others take off from Fox Field during preliminary flights as part of the Freedom Festival's Balloon Fest on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Attendees of the balloon fest create a large circle around the competition area during the Ballon Fest for the Freedom Festival on Monday, July 2, 2018, in Provo. Evan Cobb, Daily Herald
Hot air balloons take off from Freedom Field in Provo Thursday making their way long Freedom Bld. It was the beginning of three days of balloon festivities, part of the Freedom Festival, 1998 . 07/02/98 Photo/Kevin Lee
A hot air balloon floats near Rock Canyon during preliminary flights as part of the Freedom Festival's Balloon Fest on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Kimberlee Bramble, age 7, helps set up the balloon before her dad pilots the craft. Thursday 07/02/98 Photo/Kevin Lee
Isabelle Bramble, 11, of Vineyard, grimaces as she holds the balloon of Dee III open while hot air is pumped into it before preliminary flights as part of the Freedom Festival's Balloon Fest on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at Fox Field in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
A Freedom Festival hot air balloon floats with balloons above University Avenue during preliminary flights as part of the Freedom Festival's Balloon Fest on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
John Leisek, from Toole, pilots the Strawberry Heights hot air balloon above Provoe during the Balloon Fest at the Freedom Festival on Monday, July 2, 2018.
Christian Smith, 4 watches hot air balloons rise into the sky atop his father Christian's shoulders during the annual Freedom Festival contest at Freedom Field in Provo 07/03/01. Photo by Robert Johnson
Payton Anderson, of Alpine, performs with other fifth-graders during the first night of the 2018 Hope of America Student Showcase held Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at the Marriott Center in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
MARIO RUIZ/Daily Herald
Members of Jean's Golden Girls practice backstage at the Marriott Center for Hope of America on April 15, 2015. Under the direction of Jean Dixon Elliott, the Golden Girls perform dances to hits like "these boots were made for walking" and "dear future husband." SAMMY JO HESTER, The Daily Herald
Members of Jean's Golden Girls perform before the opening night of the 2019 Hope of America Student Showcase held Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Dancers perform at Hope of America at BYU's Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Children perform at Hope of America at BYU's Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Children perform at Hope of America at BYU's Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Fifth-graders wearing cultural clothing run out to perform "All Kinds of People" during the second night of the 2019 Hope of America Student Showcase held Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Utah Valley University's Green Man Group gestures to the crowd as they perform before the first night of the 2018 Hope of America Student Showcase held Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at the Marriott Center in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Soldiers and their families, past and present, are honored during Hope of America at the Marriott Center at BYU in Provo on Thursday, April 16, 2015. Over six thousand students from 78 school sin Utah County participate in the annual two-night event. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
A marching band plays along the route of the 2002 Freedom Festival Parade. photo by Dan Lund 07/04/02
Two elephants walk tail to trunk down the route of the Freedom Festival Grand Parade Friday, July 4, 1997. Photo by Jason Olson 7/4/97
LaPrele and Floyd of Provo John perform with the Utah old Time Fiddlers during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade Friday, July 4, 1997 in Provo. Photo by Jason Olson 7/4/97
Sister Missionaries wave as the Freedom Festival Grand Parade makes its way down Center Street in Provo on Friday, July 4, 2014. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
MATT SMITH/The Daily Herald Sam Farnsworth pulls his children Ben and Taylor Farnworth while riding a small bicycle during the Childrens Parade in Provo, Saturday morning. The parade was part of Freedom Festival activities which continue through the week. 06/28/03
Children dressed in colonial solider garb walk down Center St. in Freedom Festival's Children's Parade in Provo on Saturday, June 28, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
The drill team with the American Fork Marching Band performs as the Freedom Festival Grand Parade makes its way down Center Street in Provo on Friday, July 4, 2014. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
Winners of the Freedom Festival Baby Contest wave froma trolley in the Grand Parade Monday, July 5, 1999. Photo by Jason Olson. 7/5/99
The crowd watches as a large balloon float goes by during the 2002 Freedom Festival Parade. photo by Dan Lund 07/04/02
MATT SMITH/The Daily Herald Children ride their bicycles down Center Street during the Childrens Parade in Provo, Saturday morning. The parade was part of Freedom Festival activities which continue through the week. 06/28/03
Giant balloons and floats make their way down Provo's Center Street during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade Saturday, July 4, 2009. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
From left, MiKae Osborn, Nick Prestwich and Alex Andersen, of the American Fork High School Marching Band, hydrate and rest after finishing the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on University Avenue Saturday, July 4, 2009. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
A member of the Payson High School Pipe Band takes a breather toward the end of the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on University Avenue Saturday, July 4, 2009. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
BRIAN WAGNER/Daily Herald Makenna Norton, 23 months, and her mother Kimberly Norton, of American Fork, had the privilege of riding the Freedom Festival Baby Contest carriage in the Freedom Festival Grand Parade. Makenna won overall for her age group during the competition held late last month.
BYU's Cosmo scooters down the road as the Freedom Festival Grand Parade makes its way down Center Street in Provo on Friday, July 4, 2014. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
Miss Provo and runners up ride a float down University Avenue during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade on University Avenue Saturday, July 4, 2009. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
Three plans perform a flyover during the Freedom Festival's Grand Parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018, in Provo.
U.S. Rep. John Curtis waves to attendees of the Freedom Festival's Grand Parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018, in Provo.
Ava Stephens, 3, visiting from Colorado, watches as the American Fork High School Marching Band passes during the Freedom Festival Grand Parade Saturday, July 4, 2009. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
Participants in the Mormons Building Bridges' float wave American and Pride flags during the Freedom Festival's Grand Parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018, in Provo.
Taggart Greenhalgh, a member of Provo's Troop 51, places a flag into the fire at the America's Freedom Festival flag retirement ceremony outside the Macey's grocery store in Provo on Monday, June 15, 2015. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
Members of the Provo Fire and Police Departments along with the Utah County Sheriff's Office keep American flags within the flames as they're retired during the Freedom Festival's flag retirement ceremony held Friday, June 14, 2019, at Memorial Park in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Utah Sen. Mike Lee presents an American flag to Paul Warner, exiting executive director of the Freedom Festival, during the Freedom Festival's flag retirement ceremony held Friday, June 14, 2019, at Memorial Park in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Eddie the Eagle greets guests as the enter the Wilkinson Center Friday, July 2, 1999 for the Freedom Festival Awards Gala. Photo by Jason Olson. 7/2/99
Former First Lady Laura Bush gives a keynote presentation at Freedom Festival's Patriotic Service at the Marriott Center on Sunday, June 29, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Jim Evans, president of America's Freedom Festival, holds up the Freedom Award during the Freedom Awards Gala held Saturday, June 30, 2018, at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Jeff Olsen, a driver for Waste Management in Chicago who collects improperly disposed American flags to retire them properly, speaks to an audience while being recognized at the Freedom Awards Gala hosted by the American Freedom Festival, at BYU in Provo Friday, July 2, 2010. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
Olympian Noelle Pikus-Pace waves to the crowd at Freedom Festival's Patriotic Service at the Marriott Center on Sunday, June 29, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Teto A. Momen accepts a 2014 Freedom Award from America's Freedom Festival President Steven Shallenberger during the awards gala at America's Freedom Fest at the Utah County Convention Center on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Freedom Award recipient Joshua Holt speaks during the Freedom Awards Gala held Saturday, June 30, 2018, at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
David Osmond (center) and the 2nd Generation sing selections written by Senator Orrin Hatch from their album "I Love America" during the annual America's Freedom Festival Patriotic Service on Sunday, June 28 2009 at the Marriott Center at BYU. ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald
Utah Valley University President Matthew S. Holland gives a speech during the annual America's Freedom Festival Patriotic Service on Sunday, June 28 2009 at the Marriott Center at BYU. ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald
Young peformers sing on stage in downtown Provo during the Freedom Festival Art Festival on 7/4/98. Photo/Marc Lester
Maddie Arnold, 5, stretches in her cardboard oval office on a float before America's Freedom Festival Children's Parade in Provo on Saturday, June 27, 2015. GRANT HINDSLEY, Daily Herald
Participants in the Freedom Festival volleyball tournament meet at the net during a match Friday, July 2, 1999 at Scera Park. Photo by Jason Olson. 7/2/99
Angela Roneril, right, and Brett Hunt hand out water to runners as they pass by during the Freedom Festival 10K Friday, July 4, 1997. Photo by Jason Olson 7/4/97
Kassi Hulet, in green, and Laurel Krauel share a laugh at the Heritage Park Living Exhibit, part of the 1998 America's Freedom Festival. The girls dressed up in period costumes representing the Mormon settlers wagon trail. Friday 07/03/98 Photo/Kevin Lee
America's Freedom Festival Baby Contest 2001 draws a crowd of parents and children at the Provo Towne Centre Mall. 06/23/01 Photo/Kevin Lee
America's Freedom Festival Baby Contest 2001 judges Trisha Swensen, left, and Lori Rasband try to get contestant Kaitlin Boyd to show her charm at the Provo Towne Centre Mall. 06/23/01 Photo/Kevin Lee
Mayor John Curtis is presented with a golden 2013 Freedom Festival pin at his office in Provo Monday, April 15, 2013. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
LuJean Livingston speaks at the Provo Tabernacle about the life of George Washington to area school children, as part of the Freedom Festival. 02/22/01 Photo/Kevin Lee
Firewworks at orem city center park 07/03/98 Photo/Kevin Lee
Pedro Vargas helps disassemble a ferris wheel along with other workers as the City of Fun Carnival tears down after Freedom Days held Friday, July 5, 2019, in downtown Provo. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Celebrating Independence Day in Provo is much more than a July Fourth morning parade and evening fireworks.
Rather, America’s Freedom Festival at Provo is an internationally recognized celebration that is a months-long cavalcade of activities that culminates in one huge day filled with hot-air balloons, a grand parade, carnival, military, colonials, food and the grand finale Stadium of Fire.
Thanks to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Freedom Festival and Stadium of Fire for the most part have been put off a year. It appears, however, that not even the coronavirus can stop the fireworks.
On July Fourth, the Freedom Festival will hold a triple-threat synchronized fireworks extravaganza at 10 p.m. from LaVell Edwards Stadium, Footprinters Park, and Orem’s City Center Park. The fireworks will be twice as high in the sky and may be seen from throughout Utah Valley.
Festival history
If you dig back into the history of Provo far enough you’ll find that residents celebrated just about any event, July Fourth being no exception.
Provo has been celebrating the July Fourth holiday since 1877. For a majority of those years, it has been members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations that have taken on the organizational role of the yearly festivities, according to Marlo K. Jensen a former executive with the Freedom Festival.
Jensen notes that for years there were celebrations down at Utah Lake, at Pioneer Park and North Park and other spots around the city. Much of the festivities included parades, picnics, bazaars and athletic events always topped off with the traditional fireworks.
For more than 20 years, four of the LDS stakes in Provo were in charge. About the same time Provo changed its form of government in the late 1970s from a commission form to a mayor-council, the Freedom Festival started growing up as well.
The festival was turned over to the city in 1981 under then Mayor Jim Ferguson. However, the festival picked up a notch or two with Mayor Joe Jenkins and his administrative assistant Raylene Ireland.
The Mayor’s Ball and Awards Gala, once a luncheon, became a major evening event with over 1,000 attending each year. Dinner, dancing and the bestowing of The Freedom Award was all part of the evening. Several notable international and local freedom fighters were honored over the years.
At the same time, the festival was growing with more events, one year as many as 29 filled the docket, and a few of Provo’s resident celebrities had a new idea.
Joining the July Fourth celebrations as an independent event was the new kid on the block: Stadium of Fire.
The Osmond Effect
“I remember performing with Wayne, Merrill and Jay at Kewanee, Illinois, the ‘Hog Capitol’ of the world,” said Alan Osmond in some notes he had kept about the beginnings of the Stadium of Fire.
“It was raining and thundering terribly,” Osmond said. “There was a full crowd in the bleachers waiting for a show. All dressed in our country outfits, we were told to go get into a small trailer near the stage and wait until the rain stopped.”
When lightning hit close by the trailer that was their cue to go home.
“We were risking our lives being on concert tours while missing our wives and our children back home,” Osmond said. “After expressing our feelings, we all agreed that this was going to be our last show. We were going to quit and put our families first.”
Alan and Merrill Osmond and Tommy Walker formed Osmond Entertainment. They had a wild idea of a stadium filled with performers and a lot of fire.
Perhaps one of Alan Osmond’s best-kept secrets is that he was a closet pyrotechnic maniac, according to his own words.
“The exciting part for me of course is the fireworks,” Osmond wrote. “I love creative ‘idea-ing’ lighting fireworks, etc.”
He gives credit to friends Paul Austin, Eric Krug and Brad Bone, who had the knowledge to paint the sky with fire and synchronize it to music. “We set new standards on the 4th of July,” Osmond said.
That was in 1980. For the first few years the Osmonds did the show for free.
While the celebration will be put off until next year, 2020 would have been the 40th anniversary of Stadium of Fire.
Of all the ideas Osmond had, the most outrageous was trying to beat a world record, which he did.
“One day I came up with a crazy and wild idea. What if we light 1 million firecrackers,” Osmond said. “Well, it became a reality.”
The firecrackers went up in six seconds, according to Osmond. To make the Guinness Book of Records he added an extra 30,000 firecrackers.
For those watching in the stands, they could feel the wave of heat and see a mushroom cloud float across the stadium. Many didn’t notice that the stage had caught on fire nor did they see the melted face masks on the firemen standing by.
“After 25 years, and because of my primary progressive M.S. (multiple sclerosis) which was starting to creep up on me, I decided to pass the baton,” Osmond said. He turned the Stadium of Fire over to the Freedom Festival.
During the 1980s, the Stadium of Fire was designed as a variety show with entertainers that included Lee Greenwood, Crystal Gale, Bob Hope, Rich Little, Willard Scott, Wayne Newton and a host of others.
In the 1990s, the Stadium of Fire became more of a concert-style show and featured the Beach Boys, Kenny Loggins, Oak Ridge Boys, Natalie Cole, Huey Lewis and the News, Gladys Knight, Alabama and many more.
The glitches
There have a been a few times when America’s Freedom Festival at Provo has made the front page not for the entertainment but problems. What caused the Freedom Festival some of its most notable problems was being perceived as an organization with ultra-conservative political views.
Some people complained when talk show radio host Sean Hannity was the Master of Ceremonies at the stadium for not one, but two years. He was followed by Glenn Beck.
News articles and editorials spanked festival organizers for inviting Iran-Contra co-conspirator Oliver North to the program. At the time, North had become a commentator on Fox News Network.
More recently, festival parade organizers denied LGBTQ organizations from entering the parade. It started in 2017 when the Encircle group was denied entrance.
According to Encircle representatives, the nonprofit organization had been approved to walk in the parade, but its application was subsequently revoked.
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.
The argument grew louder when people pointed to the more than 200 LDS missionaries that walked in the parade each year as an advocacy group for the LDS Church.
In 2018 the Utah County Commission, which gives $113,000 in taxpayer money to the festival each year, threatened to withhold the money because of the previous year.
Eventually negotiations settled the issue and Encircle marched in the pre-parade. Steven Shallenberger, Freedom Festival board of trustees member, offered to pay for their entry as a gesture for the hurt feelings from the rejection of these groups in recent years.
Hope of America
Every May, thousands of fifth-graders and their families cram into the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University and celebrate the Hope of America, the first large event of the festival.
In 2018, Jim Evans, executive director of the festival, then president of the festival, shared his hope in the festival events magazine.
“Two of their (the children’s) songs that left a deep impact on my heart as I left the Marriott Center were about ‘All Kinds of People’ that make up our country and also ‘We Can Be a Light’,” Evans said.
“Our nation has been built upon the backs and sweat and toil of so many different groups and individuals who love freedom and have worked and sacrificed to make the United States of America the land of freedoms that we enjoy today,” Evans said. “We too can and must work together for our country to remain a great beacon of hope and opportunity that will bless individuals and families of all races, creeds, and beliefs, as afforded and espoused under our founding Constitution.”
America’s Freedom Festival at Provo’s vision is to “promote love and unity in our communities and across America.”
