Small Town, Big Celebration

If there’s one holiday that people seem to go home for, it’s the Fourth of July! And Kanab is no exception. People flock into town to celebrate the birth of our country.


The Kanab celebration begins with a parade (well, there are other early-morning activities, but we’re lucky to make it to the parade on time).

Stampin’ Up! has had a simple float in the parade ever since I can remember, with employees and their children riding on the float and throwing out Stampin’ Up! taffy to the crowd.

 

The main feature of the float is usually a larger-than-life patriotic card created with a current set. I love this year’s card—it’s one of my favorites, and we heard a lot of positive comments about it.


The parade seemed hotter this year.  I was sweating bullets by the end, and I was grateful when my stepfather Paul said that from now on, his job would be to get up early in the morning and stake out a spot in the shade!


After the parade we headed over to the city park for the rest of the day. The festivities there are probably similar to ones held around the country: vendors with all kinds of food, drinks, and arts & crafts for sale; games for kids; local entertainment; and lots of visiting.


 

The park is usually packed most of the day, but by 8 in the evening, you can’t hardly go anywhere without stepping on someone’s blanket. The Dutch Oven BBQ starts at 6, and everyone just sits around, eating, visiting, and enjoying the entertainment.

This year the mayor began the evening by honoring Sterling’s Dad, U.S. Gardner, for his long-time service to the community. The ceremony included unveiling a six-foot, red sandstone monument featuring a plaque with Uke’s picture and a nice tribute mentioning all his community service. I would have taken a picture, but the plaque had Grandpa Great's name spelled wrong, so I'm going to wait until they correct that and then post a photo. 

After this touching honor, the rest of the evening progressed with the entertainment; this year's program was titled "Kanab’s Got Talent," and we watched singers, dancers, and musicians as we waited for the main event—the fireworks!

They kick off at dark and are the perfect ending to a wonderful home-town celebration! I love the Fourth of July in Kanab; I can’t imagine ever missing it!

Comments

[Wendie Waldman]

What a fun place to celebrate Independence Day! Thank for sharing your great pictures. Is this the park that has the recycled stamp rubber as ground cover? I go to visit it last year and thought it was great!

[Cindy Major]

You got better weather for your Fourth of July celebrations than we got for Canada Day - it was rain, rain, rain for us all of last week!

I really love the card you have put together for the float, it looks beautiful! The watercoloring of the image is great! I am trying really hard to remember that stamp set and I am assuming it is only featured in the US catalogue (or else looking 1,001 times at the new catalogue hasn't helped me memorize the new sets!)

It looks like your whole family had a blast this weekend! What a photogenic lot you are!

Cindy

[Kim McAlister]

My husband, who is retired Air Force, just loves all of the patriotic stamps that are in the catalogs.The float looked beautiful. I know that all of the armed sservice people love the way that you support them. The hard work and labor of love that went in to making such a beautiful card and float is deeply appreciated! Looking at the pictures of your town make me want to move there!

[Sherrie Robinson]

Looks like so much fun. Thanks for sharing!

[Donna]

Shelli, The smiles say it all. What a fabulous day that was had by all. Even in these tough times, a smile is worth a thousand. It is nice to see people come together to celebrate the country that they love. I love stampin up and will be a proud supporter.

[Sharon Bridwell]

Shelli, thank you so much for sharing your fantastic 4th with us! LOVE the float and the larger than life card couldn't be more appropriate and hat's off for the set as well. So glad to hear that Sterling's father was honored and I look forward to seeing the monument when it's ready. Looks like a wonderful day was had by all of Kanab!!

[Mary P]

The view of the fireworks is gorgeous

[Michell]

What a wonderful place to be during the Holidays. It shows how much you love your family and how much they mean to you. The park looks amazing!
Look at those beautiful mountains behind the fireworks!

[Leslie]

Would it be out of line for me to say that Sterling is a total stud?!!!!! You are a picture-perfect couple!

Love the float (I'm e-mailing everyone I know to check it out). Maybe you could bring it to convention? And I love that they honored Sterling's dad. What a great tribute.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful day with us!

[Diane McVey]

HOW FUN!!! I'm so happy you had a great day with your family....you are such a fantastic family that I admire tremendously...
Have a wonderful week. You deserve every good thing that comes your way! I think you are an amazing woman! :D

[Rosy Eckhardt]

It was a treat to see the wonderful 4th you and your family had. I so love the fireworks and have the luxury of being able to see them from our front porch. Rosy Eckhardt

[Sarah Heaton Richins]

I agree, Kanab is the place to be for the 4th. Anyways, this is Sarah Heaton Richins. I would love to get in touch with Shalae. My email is richinsfamily2002@gmail.com. If you get a chance give it to her. I know you are busy! I love your blog!

[Tammy Nelson]

We didn't see the Kanab parade (we were in Orderville), but it was nice chatting with you briefly before the fireworks. You just can't beat a small town Fourth of July!

[kimberley]

Your 4th of July description and pictures make me VERY homesick. I've been in Australia now for over 8 years and although I love it here I really miss my American holidays such as July 4th and Thanksgiving and all the festivities, and I REALLY miss my friends and family. I'm so glad you still enjoy these holidays with your family.

[Sharon Gillette]

This is the first time I have taken the time to visit your blog Shelli and I loved it. Your pictures are fantastic ooooh and those fireworks with the mountains in the background beautiful! Being able to read comments from other stampers and some of their related situations is also very neat. July 4th we had rain in Missouri, the VP Parade we went to see in St. Louis was delayed a couple of hours but still went on beautifully. My grandkids collected a lot of candy and all of us managed to receive red, white and blue bead necklaces from parade participants. The particular fair we went to closer to our home after we left St. Louis, cancelled the fireworks till the following night at the last moment due to the rain. So many disappointed families, but we managed to see them the following night - not quite the same but still a lot of fun as we still were dodging raindrops. Ha Ha. It was great to see you and your family photos at such a joyous time. The float for your hometown parade that Stampin' Up! created was so beautiful. I love all of your pics and you taking the time to share them with us. Continue to have a great summer with your beautiful family.