krose wrote:Where I grew up, both days were celebrated evenly (flag-raising and prayer ceremony, dime races and watermelon bust in the town square), with the exception that there was a parade on the 24th, and none on the 4th. I think it's still pretty much the same (but unless you work for a Utah-based company you're not likely to get the 24th off).
It's a fairly divisive day, because instead of it being an actual statewide holiday, it's really a Mormon holiday observed by the state, which annoys many non-Mormons I know, and makes them feel like outsiders.
The weird thing about Utah is that very few people consider January 4th to be a day to be celebrated, if they even know what the day is. (Hint: Statehood Day)
The last time I was up that way about two years ago, there was a parade on the 4th in Tropic (which consisted of a fire truck, and 4 cars ;-)).
I admittedly don’t think I’ve ever been up that way around the 24th though (if I have, it would have been when I was still in school, which means I was too busy hiking to even know what day it was).
And of course, when I was up that way I made sure to participate in a 4th of July race at the H-ville park (they've upgraded to toys, candy, and quarters)… and naturally my cousins (and brother), with more Johnson genes than I, won.