Happy July Fourth 2026 in Review!

The Temple is a place of peace and provides the opportunity to reflect on and create lasting bonds with family past, present, and future. I am grateful to be able to enjoy many beautiful experiences at the Orem (and other) LDS temples.
Provo is a great place for children, youth and adults to enjoy hot summer days. Every Saturday in the summer the Provo Farmers Market is the venue for food, crafts, produce and leisurely strolling.

The talent and effort put into concerts, plays, musicals, dance performances is amazing. The students at the Lexington Early Light Academy (charter high school) plus a few children, put on what I think was the best performance of Les Miserables I have ever seen (and I have been to MANY over the years)...truly outstanding, very professional, so moving. BYU draws talented students from all over. Two specially added symbols from Victor Hugo's novel in this production were a red scarf, passed from one character to another (there are times when the  infamous and the unfortunate require the greatest charity, mercy, grace); and a forty sous coin: after receiving the bishop's mercy (candlesticks and the red scarf) Jean Valjean, free after 19 years of imprisonment, meets Petit Gervais who accidentally drops a coin and begs for mercy. Misunderstanding, he drives the poor boy away. After the child is gone, Valjean sees the coin and realizes what he has done, stolen from a child. This is his turning point. He weeps and chooses hope, transformation, charity for self and others. For me, this is a  perfect message as we celebrate the independence of our country, our inclusion and compassion for others which hopefully is still evolving. 

It was delightful to attend the doljabi, first birthday party in the special milestone in the life of Korean children. Children are our future.

                                                    *******

 The BYU Marriott Center was 3/4 full for Sunday evening's patriotic service.Participants included the Army Band of Utah National Guard, Gentri Trio (male singers) and young male speech contestant, and  keynote speaker Elder Ronald Rasband. Inspiring, heart-warming!

We saw the new film Young Washington...I recommend it!

As part of the Provo Freedom Festival, a favorite event is the 24-25 hot-air balloon ascent about 6 AM July 2-4...very exciting to see!

In the evening of July 3 is Nighttime Glow of about 8-10 of them (filled with light accompanied by patriotic music) as 100's of us 

 sat on the grass, chairs, stands.

The Colonial Heritage Festival is held for 3 days at the Orem SCERA park. Beautifully done workshops of colonially dressed tradesmen demonstrating the making of such products as soap, guns, barrels, violins, lace, leather, butter, paper, etc.

     and talks about people and events of the early days in America

     Squanto helped my Mayflower ancestors adapt to the New World

at the top of the Mayflower passenger list is our ancestor John Alden

A native Spaniard (with his wife) explained that Spain was as big a help to the colonists as the French and Lafayette. I didn't know that!

The July Fourth Grand Parade (largest of its kind in the western U.S.) through downtown Provo is fabulous with local bands (including 3 bagpiper groups), lots of antique cars, great floats by modern businesses and organizations and of colonial events such as the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, Mayflower, local and state leaders, Polynesian and other cultural groups, missionaries serving locally, horses, tanks, etc. 100's of 1000's of spectators line the streets to watch and cheer...very fun, and bonding for the community!

And that evening is the annual huge,very elaborate spectacle "The Stadium of Fire" in the BYU football stadium. This year there were performances by Brad Paisley, country music superstar, the Gentri Trio vocalists, Nitro Circus (stunt motorcycle daredevils), Inter mountain Choral artists, Stadium of Fire Dancers (100's), fly-overs and hang gliders dropping into the stadium, and special tributes to military and civilian heroes (standing ovation for 103 year old Eugene Metcalfe, who parachuted from his downed plane in the opening of the Allied invasion of the Netherlands in WWII, survived and rescued others from Nazi prison camps, etc.) He's still driving!

Others honored with Freedom awards were Claude Newby (chaplain),

Brent Ashworth (especially appreciated for his huge collecting and preservation of historical documents, and for public service) and 4 Pan Am flight attendants who purchased visas and transported 463 (way over the limit) terrified Vietnamese men, women and children who had to sit on the floor, in bathrooms, etc. as the last plane out of Saigon, just before the N. Vietnamese opened fire. Cudos to these and other American heroes!

And of course the very ingenious fireworks at the end are spectacular!!

              The hills behind my house are radiant as the sun sets

I hope we can feel God's love and the worth of our daily efforts and service as the sun sets each day this year. Hope, optimism and kindness are contagious! Be a part of our great nation's work to share our God-given blessings with our brothers and sisters here and abroad.

I highly recommend reading my daughter-in-law Rebecca's excellent article on religious and other freedoms published in the Deseret News: America’s Bicentennial offers important lessons for this year’s celebration - https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2026/06/27/lessons-from-americas-bicentennial/

My good friend Marilyn's grand-daughter and her new husband, part of the young generation that will help teach goodness, hard work, and faith to the next generation, so that the legacy of freedom and opportunity in America can continue, despite flaws and setbacks.

Marilyn and I love to travel and to do our part in helping out in spreading goodwill.

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