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Show Page 2 OUTDOOR AND TRAVEL May 2004 City festivals bring culture, history and art to life JOANNA CORNEJO Herald Correspondent Summertime is here, and with it comes the much-anticipated traditions tradi-tions of the Fourth of July, family camping trips and summertime festivals. By definition, a festival is a special time of rejoicing, rejoic-ing, feasting and merrymaking, merry-making, often in memory of some historic event. Every year, from June through August, Utah County is home to dozens of festivals that celebrate the defining elements of its cities and residents. Attending these festivals festi-vals is appealing for the feasting and merrymaking merrymak-ing alone, but they have much more to offer than carnival rides and cotton candy. Festivals can teach about culture and craftsmanship, crafts-manship, and even a history his-tory lesson or two. An added bonus: Most of these festivals are inexpensive, inex-pensive, or even free. Freedom Festival The Freedom Festival in Provo, held July 2-5, boasts what is believed to be the largest parade in Utah. Reid Robison, former for-mer president and current cur-rent vice president of the Freedom Festival, said this year's festival will have more connection to the military than it has in the past. "We are trying to show more support for the families fam-ilies of the military who are sacrificing so much," Robison said. "The Freedom Festival is an outlet for people to demonstrate their patriotism patri-otism and their appreciation apprecia-tion to God and country. It is also a way to give service." serv-ice." Last year's festival utilized uti-lized the efforts of 2,500 volunteers who helped make the event possible. The festival consists of five main events: a patriotic patri-otic service, a student showcase, an awards gala, the parade, and the Stadium of Fire concert and fireworks show. Last year, the Stadium of Fire was broadcast to U.S. troops overseas. Reba McEntire and Sean Hannity will headline this year's Stadium of Fire. Strawberry Days Held annually for more than 80 years, the historic Strawberry Days festival in Pleasant Grove is the longest-running in the state. Frank Mills, Strawberry Days chairman, chair-man, said the festival originated as a celebration of the strawberry harvest. Due to it's rocky soil, 55 Acres of Amazing Gardens f! i.. t M, -T. tart '"ST 1 x 1! to Spectators watch as balloons Days Hot-AIr Balloon Festival. Pleasant Grove used to be the largest strawberry-producing strawberry-producing area in Utah. "Strawberry Days is best known for its rodeo, which draws world-champion cowboys to compete," Mills said. He added that it has only been in the past three or four years that Strawberry Days has expanded to include a full week of family activities. This year's festival will run from July 14-19, and in addition to the rodeo, the festival will feature a children's parade, carnival, carni-val, boutique, a breakfast hosted by the Youth City Council, a 5K run, various children's activities for Huck Finn Day, and, of course, hundreds of cases of strawberries. Utah's festivals celebrate cele-brate the history and culture cul-ture of its founders as well as the cultures of foreign for-eign lands. Alisa Allred is a Salt Lake City schoolteacher school-teacher who both attends and volunteers at local festivals. "Cultural festivals expand our ability to understand and grasp other cultures while living liv-ing on a limited travel budget. I like festivals because they remind me of places that I have been and places that I would like to be," Allred said. Swiss Days One such festival is the popular Swiss Days in Midway, which honors the original Swiss immigrants immi-grants who settled the valley. Last year, Swiss Days drew a crowd of around 80,000 people from all over the West. Don Pugmire, chairman of Swiss Days, said one of the biggest draws to the festival is the 200-plus I i J i mimm i ' E : t. 4 . are readied for liftoff during This year's festival will be June craft booths, displaying and selling some of the finest workmanship available. Awards are given to the booths best decorated with a Swiss theme. The entertainment and the food are both excellent, particularly the food," Pugmire said. "We have a broad range of music to enjoy, from the European-influenced European-influenced flugal horn or accordion performances to western and local contemporary." contem-porary." Indian festivals At the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, Utahns can experience ancient Indian festivals without ever leaving the state. Those attending the Chariot Festival at the temple June 26 will be participating in a festival that has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years in the state of Orissa, in northern India. Visiting performers from Los Angeles will honor Jugathanath, or the Lord of the Universe. The exquisitely colorful clothing of the dancers, the vibrant music and the intoxicating smell of incense contribute to the exotic atmosphere. The Chariot Festival is only one of several festivals that are hosted at the temple throughout the year, including three others oth-ers this summer. The Himalayan Fest will be held June 5. For a small entrance fee, festi-valgoers festi-valgoers can experience a taste of Indian culture through food, music, and dancing. Caru Das, who organizes the festivals at the temple, Baid visiting entertainers will perform Charat Natayam, a classi OPEN NOW! during summer - 7 photo courtesy of Art City Days the annual Sprlngvllle Art City 10-12. cal dance style of north ern India. mere will also be a drama performed about Lord Shiva, and a comedy based on the Bhagavad Gita, Das said. In addition to the entertainment, visiting devotee Jai Viiaya will be presenting a slide show of his time in the Himalayas and selling signed copies of his book about the holy Ganges River. Llama Fest. oerhaDS the most well-known fes tival at the temple, is scheduled for July 17 at 4 p.m., and is an attraction for animal lovers and music fans alike. Das said most early arrivers to the festival spend the afternoon after-noon enjoying the llama competition or watching a spinning and weaving demonstration while listening lis-tening to the live folk music. At dusk, the college col-lege students come to dance to the beat of the salsa bands. Das said that the Good Karma Fest on Aug. 7 will draw on western spiritual influences. Entertainment will be provided by comedy come-dy groups and musicians performing reggae, blues and gospel music. All festivals fes-tivals at the Krishna temple tem-ple will have delicious vegetarian meals for sale. World FolkFest The World FolkEest in Springville is one of the country's largest festivals of folk dance and music. This June, for the 19th time, Art City will welcome wel-come performers from all over the globe. "This year, seven countries coun-tries will be represented, including Ghana, Mexico Continued on page 5 i k J III 1)1! I I I s it. ft" s ' f -f & presents photo courtesy of Sundance Two bikers ride along a mountain trail at Sundance Resort. Sundance has wealth of summer events, activities JOANNA CORNEJO Herald Correspondent Well-known for its famous film festival and fantastic skiing during the winter months, Robert Redford's Sundance Resort is an ideal summer retreat as well. Nestled at the base of Mount Timpanogos, Sundance is an easily accessible day outing via a beautiful drive up the canyon. With attractions ranging from hiking, biking bik-ing and fishing to outdoor concerts, art workshops, spa services and fine dining, din-ing, Sundance has something some-thing for everyone. With its striking view of Mount Timpanogos, a ride on the scenic lift is an experience in and of itself, but it can also be used to access miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. May 19 marked the first of the weekly mountain bike races that will take place at Sundance and at Soldier Hollow through out the summer, accord ing to Sundance's Web site. Sundance will also hold four Super D races. which are a challenging combination of cross country racing and downhill down-hill racing. Also planned for this summer is a return of last year s Sundance Hill Climb, which is an eight- mile climb from the bot tom of Sundance canyon to the Alpine Loop Summit. First to reach the top in each category will be dubbed "King of the Mountain" at an awards ceremony following follow-ing the race, according to the Web site. There are three skill categories to race in: Beginner, Sport, or Expert. Sundance offers mountain biking clinics for the beginner or intermediate rider looking look-ing to hone their skills. A class at the Sundance Art Shack is a ereat o MUSICAL No No tdh Ma., 7- 7:30 SLv TicUs $8.00 ; Dinnef $10.00pp acUilipnal (U, 5)' Served of 6:30 pm (24 lip. oJvancaJ Resepvaljom for Dinnef onlq) Call 764-0535 177 West Centerk, Provo change of pace from the rigors of biking the mountain. moun-tain. For experienced .artists or those wanting to discover their talent, Sundance Art Shack caters to the needs of each individual. Classes offered include wheel-thrown wheel-thrown pottery, photography, photogra-phy, watercolor painting, charcoal or pencil drawing draw-ing and jewelry making. "When possible, the classes are held out on the mountain," said Susan Spaeth, Sundance resort photographer. "Exceptions to this would be pottery or jewelry-making jewelry-making classes, which require equipment inside the studio." Single-session workshops work-shops last two hours and registration costs include supplies and instruction. The classes are taught by professional artists whose work is displayed in the Sundance gallery. Thomas Fleming will be at Sundance on June 26 with his book "The Louisiana Purchase," as a featured author in the Authors & Altitude series. July 10 will bring Eleanor Clift and her book, "Founding Sisters and the Nineteenth Amendment." Authors & Altitude is brought to Sundance through a partnering with John Wiley & Sons, Inc., for the High Tea Literary series. "The High Tea includes discussion with the author, a signed copy of their book, and delicious sandwiches, ' tea, and dessert," said Lucy Ridolphi, Sundance marketing mar-keting manager. The Tree Room Author series also will bring award-winning authors to Sundance, including John Stossel, Molly Ivins, and Jimmy Carter. Reservations to all events are required and tickets can be purchased by calling call-ing Sundance or visiting Continued on page 4 THEATRE L i Nanette June 5 '. pm |