Story
by Linda East Brady
, Standard-Examiner staff
- Jun 29 2012 - 1:46am
Ready or not, July is coming at you like the business end of a Roman candle.
The Top of Utah celebrates the heart of summer and Independence Day with numerous community events. Fireworks and music are one of the favorite ways to celebrate the nation's founding. Below are a few of the musical and pyrotechnic happenings around the Beehive State in and around the July 4 holiday.
Have a blast!
Tuesday, July 3
Freedom Fire -- Logan is presenting classic rock, orchestra music and dance in a celebration at Romney Stadium. Gates open at 6 p.m. at 800 East and 1000 North on the Utah State University campus. The stadium will rock with the sounds of Cache Valley's own Mile Marker 6 and the American Festival Chorus as well as America Sings.
Headlining the night is Kansas, a progressive rock band from the Sunflower State that delivered eight gold and three multiplatinum albums. The band is most remembered for the megahits "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry On Wayward Son," still standards of the classic rock canon today.
Craig Jessop, head of USU's Caine College of the Arts, will lead the American Festival Chorus, a 270-person choir that draws singers from a 50-mile radius, through a patriotic program. John Jacobson, who directs America Sings, will lead more than 300 area youth dancing and singing along with AFC and Kansas.
Mile Marker 6 will perform country hits and classic rock standards. Other acts in performance include Old Lyric Repertory Company and the Utah Festival Opera. A color guard, salute to troops and flyover by the Utah National Guard will add to the excitement. A fireworks display will end the evening.
Tickets are $10 to $25, and can be purchased online by going to arts.usu.edu or by calling 435-797-8022.
Wednesday, July 4
Hot Rock'n 4th -- For the 12th year, Ogden gets together for a day of family fun courtesy of the American Dream Foundation, an organization that uses the event to help raise money for local charities. Gates open at 1 p.m. at Ogden Stadium, 668 17th St.
Events include a classic car show, a demolition derby, fun and games for the kids, food booths and more. The evening culminates in a fireworks display.
Tickets are $13 in advance or $16 at the gate; $7 for ages 3 to 12 in advance, $10 the day of the show. Advance tickets can be purchased from Smith's Tix, 800-888-TIXX. For more information, go to ogden.cc/hotrockn4th/.
Stadium of Fire -- The Beach Boys, the band that spun the sunshine and sand of sunny California into hit records, are the headline attraction at the annual celebratory concerts and fireworks, kicking off at 8 p.m. at Brigham Young University's LaVell Edwards Stadium, 1700 N. Canyon Road, Provo.
The surviving Beach Boys, including band founder and main songwriter Brian Wilson and original lead vocalist Mike Love, will reunite for a 50th-anniversary tour. Get ready for favorites like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations."
Kicking off the show is country singer Scott McCreery, who won season 10 of the Fox singing contest "American Idol" in 2011. His debut album, 2011's "Clear As Day," sold more than 1 million units in the United States.
Fireworks will follow the concert.
Tickets are $25 to $120 and can be purchased at www.freedomfestival.org or 801-422-2981.