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PROVO — Twenty years ago, Terry Kennard and his family went to the America's Freedom Festival Grand Parade and he noticed his neighbor was riding a golf cart in the parade. He reached out to the neighbor and "that was the beginning of the end."
The neighbor invited Kennard and his wife to come a parade meeting the next year and he was asked to serve — and he hasn't stopped since.
As the head of the parade, this year will be Kennard's 19th parade he has volunteered for.
"It gets in your blood," Kennard said about volunteering for the parade. "I love what it stands for most of all. When you talk about a Freedom Festival parade, the parade stands for this country, it stands for the freedoms we enjoy, it stands for God and families."
He said his service in the parade warms his heart because it is such an uplifting and enjoyable event. The work starts in January when the parade committee of about 45 people meet to begin preparations.
"It's one of the most amazing ways that we as a community can come together and celebrate our country. I love this country with all my heart," he said. "This is one way we can celebrate and show our appreciation for all those amazing folks who went before us. It's a fun way, but it's also a very poignant way."
The Freedom Festival Grand Parade is one of the largest parades in Utah with about 300,000 spectators and it requires a lot of volunteers to run smoothly. Since his first few parades, Kennard said the parade has increased in size and quality, and the amount of volunteers has grown from 50 to more than 500.
Kennard's daughter Tara Catmull is the vice chairwoman of parade entries and has volunteered in some capacity for almost as long as Kennard. She said it's because of Kennard's efforts that the number of volunteers has grown.
A few years ago, Kennard started reaching out to local businesses to get coupons and free items to create a swag bag that people receive if they choose to volunteer. Catmull said it adds up to almost $100 worth of stuff and with Kennard's efforts, "we have more volunteers than we know what to do with, which is awesome."
Kennard said his committee deserves the credit for the parade as it is such a huge undertaking and he is leading everyone to help it come together. The volunteers don't get "paid a dime" for their service, Kennard said, and so to show his appreciation to all the volunteers, he hosts a barbecue for them later in the summer.
"It's an opportunity to see each other in a more relaxed, natural setting. They love it. It's fun, good food, good friends, good music, good activities and just an evening of letting them know how much I appreciate their hard work."
Catmull said the parade is a small way she gets to celebrate what the country's armed forces have fought for.
"To be able to celebrate them and all those who came before us for this wonderful country and just to give back to my community and make it an enjoyable event for everybody who comes. Hopefully they leave feeling a little bit more proud to be an American," she said.
Getting better every year
Paul Warner was the executive director of the Freedom Festival for 12 years and is the vice chairman for the board of trustees. He has worked with Terry for many years and has become good friends with him.
Warner also said "it gets in your blood" in reference to the love of volunteering.
"The Freedom Festival just grows on people and they don't like to let it go because it means so much to the community and means a lot to families that are involved. It's a very uplifting, positive thing for all of us who are volunteers," he said.
The values of the Freedom Festival — freedom, God, family and country — are crucial around the nation right now, Warner said, and Kennard embodies those values.
"He loves the parade, he loves the country, he enjoys very much serving and being part of the festival," Warner said. According to Warner, Kennard is a dependable, organized and positive worker who is a great leader and is always striving the make the parade better.
Catmull said each year Kennard focuses on an element of the parade to improve upon, whether it's the number of floats, which celebrities are in the parade, or the organization of it all.
"He sees a need or something that we could do better and he really tries to brainstorm how he could do better and how we as a committee could do better," she said. "He's pretty great at just working hard and changing, innovating. Whatever needs to get done, he does. He pulls us all together."
Kennard loves serving people and has a great love for the Provo community, Catmull said.
"He's always trying to think of what else he can do to make things better and bigger and more exciting. I think he does that for the people who come and for the families this has become such a tradition for," she said. "It all stems from his love of this country and of freedom and for this community that he has grown to love and serve."
Catmull has been following in Kennard's footsteps, taking over his positions whenever he moved up in roles.
"It has created a lot of fun memories and a lot of great things I will look back on," she said. "Just that me-and-him time, something we bond over a lot."
What to look for this year
"If you want to celebrate the country's Independence Day in a fun way that your kids will love, then come," Kennard said. "If you want to have a fun, family opportunity to share your patriotism and let your kids see your patriotism, this is absolutely the best way to do it."
The Freedom Festival parade is one of the largest parades in the western U.S. It will have large self-propelled floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, equestrian units, local government leaders, performers and celebrities such as the cast of "The Chosen", the original cast of Studio C and Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band.
Kennard said the floats this year are high quality and "beautiful."
"(The parade) is a celebration of July the Fourth and our independence as a country ... and it's just a good reminder that this is a great county," Warner said. "For me, every year, there's just an enthusiasm and interest and people are more happy and appreciative after they've seen the parade. "
The parade will start at 9 a.m. on Tuesday with an entertainment pre-parade starting at 8 a.m. The parade will last an hour and a half as the floats travel the 2 mile route along University Avenue and Center Street.
The parade is free to watch, but reserved seats on bleachers set up along the route are available for purchase. Warner said he is so grateful for the support the parade gets from all over the county and city.
Kennard said he loves the parade so much and doesn't see an end in sight for his involvement.
"I enjoy it so much. I enjoy the people. I enjoy the opportunity of serving," he said. "I love it."
