With food and craft vendors, children's festivities, an evening parade, stage performances, and a 20-minute fireworks display, there will be no shortage of activities for a day of family fun.
According to Steven Ireland, marketing manager for Sandy Community Events, this year's theme, "Sandy City, Leading the Way Into the Future," stems from Sandy's recent growth.
"You get your family together, it's a family-friendly event for the Fourth of July, and with the fun entertainment in the day and the fireworks display at night, it builds a sense of community," Ireland said.
The Sandy 4th celebration at 7 a.m. with a 5K Fun Run and the 10K Sandy Classic, a sanctioned race.
Participants can win awards and fun prizes, including cash.
Throughout the day, children will be entertained by blow-up slides, an arts festival, rides and a stage performance by Radio Disney Dancers. Adults can stroll the Promenade and choose from among 60 vendors that will be on-hand selling food, crafts, and other specialty items.
Musicians will showcase their talents all afternoon, which leads up to the evening's headliners: Cold Creek, billed as "Utah's premier bluegrass band," and Charley Jenkins who was featured on NBC's "Nashvile Star."
Evening festivities begin with a parade called "Sandy City, Leading the Way Into the Future." Unique to Sandy, it's the only parade in the Valley held in the evening as opposed to the morning.
According to Ireland, "It leads up to the concert so we can get everyone settled for the concert and fireworks display."
Karin Johnstone, parade chairman, has worked to organize the parade since February.
Entrants include numerous high school bands, dance troupes, equestrians, cars from the Northern Utah Mustang Owners Association celebrating the Ford Mustang, appearances by politicians and, of course, the ever-popular float.
The parade route starts at the corner of Monroe and 11000 South streets, turns east until arriving on the Promenade's west side and continues just more than a mile. The procession takes about 90 minutes to complete.
This year, Sandy resident Tom Lewis, who was asked to create a float for The Days of '47 parade, decided to enter the float into the Sandy Fourth of July parade.
A retired Granite School District music teacher, Lewis accepted the challenge. Since July 2007, Lewis said he guesses he and a team that has often exceeded 75 people, have invested between 3,000 and 4,000 hours meeting, planning, organizing, researching, attending classes and finally building the float.
As a first-time float builder, Lewis says, "We're doing quite a bit of animation on our float."
For an LDS-themed float, Lewis and his team chose "Pioneering is Our Future" as the theme.
To reflect that sentiment, float designer Michael Christenson, a magician and illusionist for various Las Vegas productions, created a concept featuring the message.
Based on the concept, there will be three major components to the float, which require animation. The first is a ship that rocks against the "crashing" waves and a pillar that moves back and forth.
The second is a pioneer prairie schooner with wheels that turn. The wagon itself will wobble as though traveling down a dirt road.
Finally, the float will feature an old woody with wheels that turn and a top that opens revealing a spaceship.
A week before the Fourth of July, Lewis said there was still work to be done before the debut.
"These folks are doing everything they can and they want to be in the Sandy Fourth," he said. "But, we're also not going to do a haphazard job. We are ever so close but we just don't know."
Although there was an underlying concern about having to pull out of the event, Lewis said he is grateful for the experience and awed by volunteers who have helped to make the float a reality.
"As we've gone forward, people have stepped forward and answered the questions I could not answer and have said, 'We will do this,' " he said. "That has been the best part for me."
Once the parade has come to an end, guests of the Sandy Fourth of July celebration will be treated to performances by Cold Creek and Charley Jenkins, followed by a fireworks display over City Hall at 10 p.m.
Rounding the night out, Jenkins will again take stage and bring the Sandy celebration to a close. As Ireland notes, "It's such a popular event - mixing with the crowd . . . the atmosphere is very fun. It's a very family-friendly event."
The Sandy Fourth of July celebration will be today at the South Towne Promenade, located at 10000 S. 175 West in Sandy between Sandy City Hall and the South Towne Center.
Schedule of Events
7 a.m. Sandy Parks & Recreation 5K Fun Run and Healthy Sandy 10K Sandy Classic
7:15 a.m. 10K register online at www.sandy.utah.gov
Daytime Events
10 a.m. Flag Raising Ceremony featuring the Sandy Police and Fire Color Guard
10 a.m.Ð2 p.m. Youth Arts Festival
10 a.m.Ð4 p.m. Family Fire Safety
10 a.m.Ð6 p.m. Performance Stage:
10Ð10:30 a.m. Radio Disney Dancers
10:45Ð11:45 a.m. Premier Productions
10 a.m.Ð10 p.m. Rides and Activities
10 a.m.Ð10 p.m. Vendor Booths
12:15Ð1:15 p.m. Air National Guard Band
1:30Ð2 p.m. Abbie Loren
2:15Ð3:15 p.m. Slick Rock Gypsies
3:30Ð4:30 p.m. Shane Jackman
4:45Ð5:45 p.m. Benton Paul
Evening Events
6 p.m. Parade: "Sandy City, Leading the Way Into the Future"
7:30 p.m. National Anthem, performed by Miss Sandy, Lauren Robinson
7:45 p.m. Cold Creek
9 p.m. Charlie Jenkins
10 p.m. Annual Sky Concert Fireworks Display (Simulcast on The Cowboy KSOP 104.3)
10:30 p.m. Charley Jenkins: After Concert
5K Fun Run Registration Information
* Date: Today
* Time: 7 a.m.
* Cost: $18 per person
Awards will be given to first-place overall male and female racers and division winners. A prize drawing will be conducted for all participants at the conclusion of the race. Call 568-2900 for more information.
10K Sandy Classic Registration Information (Sanctioned)
* Date: Today
* Time: 7:15 a.m.
* Cost: $25 per person
Prize money will be awarded to first-place overall male and female racers. A prize drawing will be conducted for all participants at the conclusion of the race. Call 568-2900 for more information.
