As we approach our annual festivities to celebrate Independence Day, I would like to share with you a North Ogden , Utah
Cherry Days is very similar to Tilton/Northfield Old Home Days. The town gathers, local and new, we eat an overpriced early morning breakfast sponsored by the local Kiwanis. The Kiwanii (plural for more than one Kiwanis) of the North Ogden Chapter are a testy bunch. Imagine veterans from every era gathered in one location. Kiwanni are assigned "stations" at the annual breakfast. These stations are not given to just anyone, they are inherited as fellow Kiwanii die. Dad was a Kiwanii for a short time and he inherited being in charge of the eggs one year because Earl, who had been doing the eggs for about a billion years, died suddenly. As next on the list of most able-bodied Kiwanii, Dad inherited being in charge of the "eggs station". The whole family shared a proud moment as we watched Dad scoop pile after pile of runny, half-cooked eggs onto paper plates at 6 a.m. Yes, I said 6 a.m. Everyone in town has to eat fast, because at 8 a.m. the parade begins and only the rookies have not already laid out their lawn furniture the night before to save a “spot” on the parade route.
The children's parade precedes the actual parade. All kids have to make sure their bikes, wagons, roller skates/blades, tough wheels, scooters, and/or any other child riding paraphernalia is set and ready for their debut down main street. Assorted riding devices come complete with children in costumes (bearing pictures of cherries and patriotic themes) lovingly made by mothers with to much time on their hands. These same mothers coordinate their child’s clothes with the attached balloons/streamers, and electric battery powered flashing lights literal months in advance of the Cherry Days children's parade. I have been in the children's parade, many, many times and have suffered the indignation of the news that I was too old to continue one more year. It was very sad ... no one could tell me that I was too big to dress up my baby blue, flowered banana seat bike, complete with streamers woven carefully throughout the wheels that I was too old to ride. Think suburban Harley Davidson’s. What a rush … the parade starts at the top of the "big hill" in town and continues down to the valley below. You ride your bike, streamers screaming in the wind behind you, and make sure you turn towards your parents and their awaiting cameras as you hiss by in a blind streak powered only by your own racing heartbeat and a super charged adrenaline high at being in THE Cherry Days Parade! Kids finish the parade route, then ride back to Mom and Dad to watch the official parade ... which is always the same, every year.
The parade begins with "Little Miss Cherry Days". This is always some 6 year-old snot with really big ratted hair ... usually the by-product of the head cheerleader and local football legend from High School. Their grinning little one's tooth optional smile further enhances itself by to much blue eye shadow and ruby red cheeks and lips. The name of "Little Miss Cherry Days" was changed a few years ago to "The Self-Esteem Pageant", so that our town appears politically correct. Every other snot with big hair is the Queen’s "court", and they all sit on their "throne". The throne is the back end of daddies brand new triple cab 4X4 with the "slamming sound system" pumping tunes from their High School glory days. The older, "Miss Cherry Days" winners from the pageant held a few days before the parade, stands on her "throne" flanked by her two runner-ups in "push the envelope between white trash and prostitute" dazzling, form fitting gowns. This "scholarship pageant" is held annually at the local High School. I have only ever seen a couple of Miss Cherry Day queens that deserved the scholarship or the title. Let's be honest, a classical pianist being ousted for the crown by a former drill team dancer who was spot on in her interpretation of the 1988 Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance moves (yes, moonwalk included)? The classical pianist had to drown her sorrow in the free ice-cream for a year at Country Boy Dairy runner up prize.
The High School band plays followed by about a hundred 4x4 trucks and truck beds filled with teenagers wearing matching shirts. North Ogden Junior High Student Body Officers! North Ogden Junior High 7th Grade Officers! Weber High School
There is always a very old "belly dancing shriner" of the “Shriners Band”. He not only shakes his maracas, he leads the 12-man band sitting on some old flat bed (pulled by said 4x4) with wobbly chairs and music stands, AND the same homemade banner they have been using for 40 years. No matter how many years you have been to the parade, one still stares in awe watching the band follow their leader's girating hip movement to some random beat of music. He is a heavy set fellow, and we all cheer, not sure why, perhaps because we have been cheering for the same fat man shaking his bon-bon in a bejeweled belly dancing outfit for as long as we can remember. The non-musical shriners ride around in little motor powered "clown car" type things. One year a car tipped over right in front of us. I think the Shriner was celebrating the Cherry harvest before the parade with a little homemade cherry wine.
My favorite is the local nursing home "float". Their float is quite fancy. It is a short bus from the nursing home used for "outings". Inside the short bus are select privileged residents of the nursing home. aka: it's their day "out" that day. Some are quite entertaining, (I think these are the dementia patients) with large hats and even more colorful fashion faux pas disasters. Others have to sometimes be sedated and told by the white coated staff that they will not have parade privileges next year if they can't stop flipping off the public and screaming that they want to exit the bus and die. Most of them smile, I am certain heavily medicated, and go to the happy place as they are carted down main street in their bus posing as a parade float. The nursing home float precedes the local mortuary owner that drives some horse driven antique casket hauler decorated with streamers. Yes, the irony is staggering.
The cheer leaders from the Junior High, High School, and local drill teams all show off their new outfits for the fall ... and the fact that they were chosen to be a cheerleader and/or on the drill team at the prior spring try-outs. Trust me, this is huge. In a High School with graduating classes boasting numbers over 2,000, being one of the precious chosen "few" into this elite circle of cheering and dancing is of the utmost social climbing status symbols. Mothers prepare their sweet little daughters (mostly contestants from Little Miss Cherry Days) to be cheerleaders/drill team from infancy with dance lessons, cheer lessons, gymnastics, etc. Tryouts are rigorous, making Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders tryouts look like child's play. We don't cheer for them, we mostly make snide comments. So, horsey's are last, followed by the pooper scooper. Then, and only then, you know the parade is over and you follow your fellow chair/blanket toting parade goers back to North Ogden park. This is when we spend way too much money on overpriced booths and games and listen to the questionable local "talent" screech out their favorite show and 80's love/country tunes at the performance tent. It's like prepared Karaoke with costumes, sometimes be-jewled, always special, and performers convinced their talent is just waiting to be "discovered".
At the end of the day, everyone either gathers at the high school stadium for the fireworks where the mayor says a few words about the local Cherry harvest and the Cherry Days "royalty" are re-introduced … again. Of course, in our family grandpa and grandpa were planners to a fault. They built a new home when I was 12 years-old a block from the High School. Planners those two. Our family has the best seats for fireworks planted on the lawn in their front yard, eating "snacks", and all oohing and aahing at the appropriate moments. And, as tradition would entail, listening to grandpa’s comment that this year’s display is much better than last years, because, of course, the city did raise property taxes this year so such a display should be expected with all that extra money.
Now, click on the Cherry Days LOGO and review festivities and dates. The 4th of July is not Independence Day in 
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