Fantastic 4th of July Celebrations in Bryce Valley

BRYCE VALLEY, Utah (July 3 and 4, 2023) — The 4th of July is a big event in the little towns of Bryce Valley, Utah, and almost everyone comes together to put on a good show. The community was well entertained through a talent show; 4th of July breakfast, lunch and activities in Tropic; and fireworks topping it off in Bryce.

The Bryce Valley Prevention Coalition was heavily involved in the activities this year. They hosted the talent show, the parade float competition, and the “Battle of the Families.”

‘Bryce Valley’s Got Talent’ Show in Cannonville

The prevention coalition started the holiday off early with a Monday evening talent show and ice cream social in Cannonville. Pete and Bev Peterson hosted the show with some entertaining stories and fun atmosphere, and they welcomed 15 talented musicians to the stage.

Everyone did a great job, but some of the most memorable numbers were Marshall Thompson’s “Crazy Life” by Home Free, Lindsey Shakespeare’s “Blue Shadows” by Johnny Lange and Eliot Daniel, the Gates girls’ “Mommy, I Want Mommy,” and a young girl named Ashlyn’s “You’re a Grand Old Flag” performed in sign language.

At “Bryce Valley’s Got Talent,” Lindsey Shakespeare sings and plays “Blue Shadows,” an old song by Johnny Lange — she thinks!

It was a great family activity for pre-4th of July celebrations, the atmosphere was great, and the ice cream was good. But that was not the end of the small-town Bryce Valley 4th of July!

4th of July Activities in Tropic

This 4th of July morning started off with a Lions Club breakfast and a parade. Later in the day the communities converged at Tropic Town Park for activities and more food. The Bryce Valley High School upcoming juniors — and advisors — served hamburgers and navajo tacos for lunch. Every year this lunch raises a chunk of the juniors’ money for Prom; this year they had a pretty good turnout: about 300 people bought lunch.

Juniors serve burgers and navajo tacos in the Tropic pavilion. — Bryce Valley’s juniors always earn most of their Prom money by serving lunch on the 4th of July. Our kid on the left here grinned funny, but we’ll humor him by putting it in the paper.

Girls pass out freshly spun cotton candy to customers. — Bryce Valley’s cheerleaders sell cotton candy, snow cones, and baked goods to the convenient line for lunch. About 300 people came through for navajo tacos and burgers.

The air was permeated by the sound of fun and food everywhere. Alongside the juniors’ lunch, the cheerleaders also sold cotton candy, snow cones, and baked goods. There were booths selling various goods, and a dunking booth, duck pond, fish pond, ping pong toss, bounce house and slide.

By far the coolest activity, though, was the prevention coalition’s “Battle of the Families.” The competition had three waves: a watermelon carry, a pie eating contest, and a water relay.

The pie eating contest was a huge hit, and the contestants almost ran the coalition out of pies! At least four out of the nine contestants finished their pies and had to get started on another one. The final count was a tie between Zennon and Sinclair.

A group of nine people digs their faces into pies on a stage. — Elaina Purcell runs to bring a second pie to James Lewis near the end of the pie eating competition.

After the pie competition is over, the contestants put their heads up, faces covered in filling. — The competition ends and the competitors raise their pie-filling-covered faces before the final count.

The rest of the competition was just as intense. The participating families were clearly very invested in winning the competition. In the end, the winning team was the Ahlstrom family for the prize of $200.

Fireworks in Bryce

Some pink and gold fireworks in the sky. — Fireworks light the sky on the night of the 4th of July, 2023.

As usual the fireworks show in Bryce — made possible by the volunteer firefighters — was fantastic. A good mix of locals and tourists watched, spread between the rodeo grounds, Ruby’s Inn, and the Bryce Town Park.

– The Byway