Tales From Utah Valley: City celebrations herald the beginning of summer
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- The Pleasant Grove City Strawberry Days Float waits its turn in line before the start of the traditional Strawberry Days parade in Pleasant Grove in 2005.
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- Laura Giles
FRANK BOTT, Daily Herald file photo
The Pleasant Grove City Strawberry Days Float waits its turn in line before the start of the traditional Strawberry Days parade in Pleasant Grove in 2005.
School is out for many of us and summer weather has arrived. While it’s not actually summer yet, we know it’s getting closer because summer city celebrations are beginning. This is a time that many look forward to all year, and people often travel back to their hometowns to celebrate during these special days.
Volunteers who donate so much of their time — many working and planning throughout the year — are gearing up for city and county celebrations that will be happening all summer. In fact, before summer officially starts on June 20, many of our community celebrations and festivals will have already begun.
My own community of Pleasant Grove will kick off Strawberry Days on June 15. This year’s theme is “Strawberry Days: The Heart of Pleasant Grove.” While this particular city celebration is in its 103rd year, a newer tradition that coincides with it is the giant lighted strawberry on G mountain. This year, two lighted strawberries are planned to be on the mountain, thanks to the Illuminate Hope Foundation.
“Our mission is to enlighten communities with vibrant light designs, promoting unity, compassion, and supporting women and children in need. This year, our goal is to provide support to single moms in need in the PG area. Go to our website (illuminatehopefoundation.org) to nominate someone in need. We also hope to get more lights to create the Strawberry Days logo with two berries together,” it reads on a recent Facebook post.
Of course, Pleasant Grove isn’t the only city that holds a summer celebration. Provo’s Freedom Festival has already kicked off and will continue for the next few weeks. Vineyard Days and Eagle Mountain’s Pony Express Days began this past week. The rest of the summer months are full of city celebrations and we can look forward to the Utah County Fair, always a fun few days, in August.
Courtesy Jeremy Hall
Laura Giles
Parades, rodeos, family parties in parks, live entertainment, food, city histories and fireworks are just some of the ways that we can come together, connect with neighbors, meet new people, learn about the places we live and just have fun. Be sure to check out your community’s Facebook page or website to find out where and when the excitement will happen. Going to a neighboring community’s festivities is also a great way to spend some time. There is something enjoyable to be found at all of them and many of the activities are free. Happy summer!
