Small-Town Fun Abounds at S. Salt Lake’s Freedom Fest

By Rosemary Winters, The Salt Lake Tribune

Jun. 5–You don’t have to venture to rural Utah this summer to see a watermelon-splatter contest, Huck Finn fish-off and an old-fashioned parade.

Those are just a few of the small-town events planned for South Salt Lake’s annual Freedom Festival. It kicks off June 14 with Huck Finn Day and the juicy Watermelon Drop and culminates with an Independence Day parade on June 28 and a fireworks show on July 3.

“There’s so much diversity and so many different cultures” in South Salt Lake, said the city’s recreation director, Tim Williams. The festival “brings people together” and exposes transplants to American traditions surrounding July Fourth, he said.

For Huck Finn Day, the city pumps more than 500 pounds of brown and rainbow trout into the creek at Fitts Park. Kids 12 and younger are invited to snag fish and vie for prizes for the longest and shortest catch. At 12:45 p.m., members of the Youth City Council will hurl watermelons from an 80-foot firetruck ladder while bystanders guess how far the fruit will splat.

South Salt Lake resident Diane Black said her six children, especially her three oldest, Nathan, Samuel and Ivyllyn, love the chance to fish in the park. But Nathan, now 13, is disappointed he won’t get to cast a line this year.

Reared in the city, Black has been attending the fireworks show since she was a child and has continued the tradition with her own kids and extended family.

Another family tradition: a float in South Salt Lake’s parade.

For the past several years, Black, her husband and their kids have transformed the family’s white pickup truck into a parade-mobile. Past themes have included pirates and clowns. The kids are still brainstorming on this year’s costumes.

The parade also features marching bands, horses, antique cars, clowns and a police motorcade. At Fitts Park, kids decorate their bicycles and then cruise into the lineup.

“It’s really a nice hometown parade,” Williams said.

Black savors the festivities — and the time of year.

“I love summer,” she said. “Everybody comes out. You get to see people you didn’t see much in the cold.”

rwinters@sltrib.com

S. Salt Lake Freedom Festival

–Huck Finn Day and Watermelon Drop: June 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with watermelon drop at 12:45 p.m., Fitts Park, 3050 S. 500 East.

–Utah Lions Club chuck-wagon breakfast: June 21, 6 a.m., Ream’s, 2783 S. State St.

–Miss South Salt Lake Pageant: June 21, 7 p.m., Columbus Center, 2531 S. 400 East.

–Rotary Club breakfast: June 28, 9 a.m., Fitts Park, 3050 S. 500 East.

–Freedom Fest Parade: June 28, 9 a.m., starting at 2280 S. 300 East and ending at 3700 S. 500 East.

–Freedom Fest Fireworks: July 3, 6 p.m., Granite High, 3305 S. 500 East.

For more information, go to www.ssl.state.ut.us

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