Happy 4th of July, my American friends! Do you love a good old small town Independence Day parade as much as I do? The rodeo queens, and the vintage cars, and the candy throwing, and the water spraying, and the country music blasting kind of parade that just brings a smile to your face is my kind of parade (though Mr. Ray could do without the country music blasting). And we just happen to live nearby a little old Utah town with exactly that kind of party.
Let me introduce you to Oakley, Utah – a small town nestled in the hills of Summit County, somewhere between the slightly less small town of Kamas and the even smaller town of Peoa. Oakley has everything you think of when it comes to small town American, complete with, not just one, but TWO, locally “famous” Mom & Pop diners.
Several years ago, we ended up at the Oakley parade by default. We were tired of the more crowded, more advertisement-centered parade in Park City, where we were living at the time. So we made our way to the next closest parade, which happened to be Oakley. And it only took once to get us hooked.
When we first started attending the Oakley parade, we happened to sit near a family who was serving juevos rancheros to the lucky parade goers on their street. It was a delicious breakfast. Mr. Ray lived for those juevos, and we looked forward to them every year. Sadly, they stopped serving them a couple of years ago (or moved to a new spot we don’t know about). We won’t hold it against them, though. It’s still a great parade.
Every year we sit in the same spot. We just happened to sit there the first year and it is such a great spot that we go back every year. Don’t mess with a good thing, y’all.
The reasons it’s such a good spot (even without juevos rancheros), is because #1- It’s at the beginning of the route (though it was the end the first year we went), and #2- It’s right by a park and bathrooms (that are unfortunately not always open), and #3- we always seem to get our spot, even without arriving ridiculously early. We drive in from Heber Valley and try to arrive 30-45min before the parade starts, and we have always been lucky enough to find parking and claim our same spot. It’s beautiful, really.
And did I mention a park? Because there’s a park. With the park near our spot, there’s a perfect place for the kids to play while we wait for the parade to start.
After the parade, we also take advantage of the park. We hang out and throw a frisbee (usually one that we got from the parade), and kill time for a while so the traffic can clear out before we head back to our neck of the woods, loaded up with patriotism, family fun, and salt water taffy.
If you’re interested in more activities, there is a Patriotic Program held after the parade every year, and then lunch and other festivities. The big Oakley Rodeo is always held over the week of the 4th as well. I can’t tell you much about these activities, though, because we’ve never actually stuck around for them, and we’re not really rodeo people. If you’ve been, though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these festivities, so share with us in the comments!
A few tips for attending the Oakley Independence Day Parade:
1- Try to be at the front end of the parade if you’re willing to stick around and wait out the traffic, or the tail end if you want to enjoy the post-parade festivities. But don’t take our spot, okay?
2- It’s usually sunny and hot, so hats and sunscreen and water are a must!
3- Soak up that small town feel! Dress in your red, white, & blue! Cheer on the rodeo queens! Dance in the streets! Talk to your “neighbors” while you’re waiting for the parade to start!
Do you prefer small town or big city parades? What is your favorite way to celebrate the 4th? Or whatever similar holiday you have in your country? I’d love to hear all about it, so please share with us in the comments!
And let Freedom Ring!
