- Provo's July 4 parade, celebrating America's 250th birthday, promises significant expansion.
- Parade chair Terry Kennard highlights a longer route and 100 entries this year.
- The event includes historical floats, military displays and attracts thousands of spectators.
PROVO — People showed up early on Friday to claim their spots on University Avenue for the Independence Day grand parade the next morning.
The parade, which is sponsored by America's Freedom Festival at Provo, aims to honor America's 250th birthday.
"It is bigger this year than, I think, we've ever had before," said Terry Kennard, the parade chair.
He said organizers started working last October to make sure this year's event is worthy of the significant milestone in the country's history.
"We recognize, as the whole country seems to be recognizing, that this is a very critical year, an important year – 250 years since our country began," Kennard told KSL. "We're trying to pull all the stops out – make it bigger and better than it's ever been – because we want to celebrate 250 years with the rest of the country."
The parade is always a hot ticket in Utah. It's one of the largest in the western United States and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year, many of whom camp out the night before to save their spots along the parade route.
"It can't be beat," said Annie Thayne, of American Fork, of the July 4 festivities in Provo. "It's the best in the nation."
This year's route, Kennard said, will be a few blocks longer than last year. The parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday.
KSL got a sneak peek Friday at some of the floats that will be featured in the parade. One of them depicts the signing of the Declaration of Independence. People dressed as the founding fathers will sit on chairs reenacting that moment from 1776.
Other floats pay tribute to the Boston Tea Party and George Washington leading troops across the Delaware River.
"Those three floats that will be in the parade tomorrow depict the founding of our country," Kennard said.
All told, there are around 100 entries in Saturday's parade, Kennard said. It will also feature a military tank, a military and civilian flyover, the Utah National Guard 23rd Army Band, and several dignitaries, he said.
"It's going to be a fun day," said Kennard.
