Bicknell Town held Bicknell’s 24th of July celebration the Saturday before the holiday on July 20. There was a 5K race, a kid’s bike parade, dinner by the town council, live music and various games and tournaments put on by the high school clubs.
“We ended up with good weather. We thought we were going to be rained out,” said Bicknell Mayor Noreen Johnson, who together with the town council planned the fun, small town event. Luckily, the clouds held their peace for the day, allowing for lots of outdoor activities.
Noreen was especially proud of the turnout of the kid’s bike parade. All the kids in Wayne County were invited, and the 60 little kids racing around the park was not a sight to miss!
As the town council served dinner, The Band From Last Night, a great little band of two hometown boys from Bicknell and Lyman, performed live music.
The town had also done a 5K that morning, which had 27 participants. This was the second year for the 5K, skipping last year when the park was too torn up to host anything.
The mayor said many people were happy with the small town feel of Bicknell’s 24th of July. “I had several people tell me they really enjoyed it because it was a low-key, old fashioned 24th,” said Noreen. “It just feels homey,” someone else told her.
Bicknell’s 24th of July is unusual in that it is not really catered to tourists. “It’s pretty much our locals that’s here every day,” said Noreen, “from Hanksville to Fremont.” That was okay, she said, because Bicknell Park really was not big enough to handle much more of a crowd.
And next year the town council plans to keep the celebration mostly the same. Most events, including the band, are already scheduled.
Noreen would like to thank the town council for all the hard work they put in planning this event as well as all the high school clubs for hosting such fun games.
Other celebrations along the Byway, such as the Escalante (July 27), Panguitch (July 27) and Marysvale (July 23-24) celebrations, will be reported here online.
– by Abbie Call, The Byway
Feature image courtesy of Bicknell Town.
Read more about Byway small town holidays in Circleville Pole Decorating Contest Begins the Festive Season.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].