Orem City Summerfest

Today is the beginning of Orem City's annual Summerfest! I was just leaving the library about an hour ago when we spied the festivities and decided to drive by. The "drive by" turned into a "walk by" when we saw a large firetruck parked on the north east side with kids swarming all around it.

As we walked over from the car, we got to watch the carnival equipment being set up all around us. Good smells already filled the morning air. At the fire truck, there was a very friendly fire fighter on hand to answer all of my son's questions. My son got to sit up inside the truck and look at all the gauges (after a brief incident of falling out of the truck--luckily the fire fighter and I were both right there to catch him!)

The fire fighter walked all around the truck with us, answering all of our questions and showing us how everything worked. From hoses to pressure gauges to the first aid kit and the button that lowered the ladder down we saw it all! I learned a lot of interesting things myself and my son was soaking in information as quickly as he could. When we were done looking all around the truck, the fire fighter had us stand about 20 feet away and he turned on the lights and the siren. He asked my son if he wanted to sit inside again and blow the air horn, but my son wasn't quite brave enough for that.

An ambulance was parked next to the fire truck. An EMT was on hand to open up the doors and let me son look at everything inside. He was just about to show us the different compartments on the outside of the ambulance when they got called to help somebody. A big THANK YOU to Orem City for giving our kids a chance to get up close and learn about their community. A larger fire truck and an Apache Helicopter will be on hand this afternoon for kids to explore. (1:00 for the large fire truck and 2:00 for the helicopter.)

Summerfest officially opens at 2:00 this afternoon with carnival games, boutique booths and entertainment. Different groups will be taking the stage on the hour at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and 8:00. Starting at 2:00, there will also be a car show at the city center.

Saturday will kick off with a 5K race and Rotary Breakfast. The carnival, food and boutique booths, emergency vehicles, entertainment and car show will begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue all day.

Starting at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, there will be a children's parade, followed by the Grand Parade. (Listen online at 96.7!) The evening will conclude with a fabulous fireworks display around 10:00 p.m. The fireworks will be set off at the City Center park. You can go there to watch the display or find a spot nearby with a good line of sight.

All of this information (and more!) is available at http://summerfest.orem.org/. See you there!