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| FOURTH OF JULY PARADE |
Two hundred fifty years ago, 56 remarkable men signed the Declaration of Independence, fully aware of the sacrifice their decision would require. They risked everything! Their lives, their fortunes, and their honor to secure the blessings of liberty. Their unwavering commitment ignited a revolution and inspired generations of Americans to stand in defense of freedom. Because of their courage and sacrifice, we enjoy the liberties we cherish today.
Over 1.2 million Americans have given their lives in military service to preserve our freedom. We honor the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve, on the front lines, at sea, in the air, and around the world. Their dedication and sacrifice help safeguard the freedoms we hold dear.
We finally made it to see Young Washington at the Movies this week and it was a fitting end to the month of July. I recommend it for all to see. It gave me a whole new understanding of George Washington's life and the preparation it was for his later years.
UTAH SYMPHONY TOUR
It was a beautiful night with a nice drive through the Spanish Fork Canyon. We almost turned back when we saw the long line of cars making their way up the canyon to the venue. We did not want to walk a mile to get there as many were doing. We kept going thinking we would find a way to turn around and came upon the parking lot that still had
parking spaces right at the entrance - perfect for a quick get away at the end of the concert.
We are so-----o glad we did not turn around! The sound of the music was better than any indoor venue we have been to. The sounds of the instruments and the vocals were so deep and intense and so entertaining. It was a two hour concert and wonderful as we watched the setting sun and evening sky appear. I hope they do this again next year - it could become a new tradition in July.
PROVO FREEDOM FESTIVAL
Emily is so good to get the crowd involved. They give her lots of prizes - mostly gift cards and free food items from local businesses.
After a hot time at the parade I took Brian and Nora to the Lindon City Water Park and they cooled off enjoying the pools and slides at the park.
FOURTH OF JULY
It would not be the Fourth of July without Emily announcing at one of the broadcast booths at the Parade. We love this tradition and enjoy being part of the festivities.
This year was extra special with Brian in town and being her sidekick in announcing the entries. Best part is that we get to sit in the shade with front row seats.
The morning begins with the half marathon, 10K, 5K and fun run.
We arrive at 6:00 AM for setup and then the runners start coming by around 7:00 AM. For the next hour and half we cheer the runners on and start working the crowd.
This was a male competition for the most push-ups. It was amazing to see how serious they took it and it came down to two in a tight race with over 50 push ups. This was just one of many activities. She had the kids dancing in the street and chalk art drawings to name a few.
For the first time in five years the balloons were able to launch with good weather and it was great to see them in the air above us. This is an annual event for two days leading up to the fourth in Provo.
There was a fly over from Hill AFB early in the parade and then a fly over by vintage airplanes as shown below. They were much slower flying and I was able to get a picture.
Emily and Joe cooked the best Ribs and I added salads, corn on the cob, beans and all of the fixings. We had a great dinner and then got ready for a night at the Fireworks.
We had an adventurous night watching the Thanksgiving Point Fireworks Show. We have a spot we have been going to the past several years - a Church lawn just West of Thanksgiving Point. Usually there are not very many people there. This year private fireworks were banned in Utah due to the many fires in the State. As a result - so many people came to see the commercial displays. We were some of the first people there and noticed that the sprinkler system was on at the building next door. We were hopeful the grass lawn we were going to sit at had already been watered. About half way through the fireworks the sprinklers came on where most of the people were up on a hill. They all scrambled to dry ground. We laughed and said, sure glad we did not go with the crowd! We moved to the side walk, just in case and sure enough, with about 10 minutes left in the fireworks the water came on but we were OK for the most part being on the sidewalk. Not very good timing for the water on a Holiday where about 100 people were gathered.
America's Potluck is an opportunity for neighbors to join with one another to share a fun, communal meal, creating a sense of connection and belonging and fostering interactions among people from all walks of life.
That's all I needed to know to send out invitations and invite our friends and neighbors to join with us in this celebration. We provided the meat and asked others to bring the sides.
I made 40 hamburger sliders, 3 pounds of Brats with grilled peppers and onions and a few pounds of hot dogs. The sliders were a hit and they were grabbed up fast. 
What a fun week we had with Brian and Nora. We got to go every afternoon and watch Nora and her team play to show what they had learned in the morning practices. This is her second year attending the camp and WOW - what a difference a year makes. She was so confident and made friends and was a true team leader this year. She loves soccer and it was a great week for all - even with the very hot days in the sun.
Nora was one of the top scorers on her team and that was exciting!
On Tuesday night we took everyone to the Scera Outdoor Theatre to see the production of MATILDA. Nora and I had read the book together this past year over the phone at night and it was so fun getting to see the play together.
Sunday we drove to the new Wichita Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Open House will be held Sept. 24 through October 10, 2026 excluding Sundays. Hours will be 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers DUP and the Sons of the Utah Pioneers SUP sponsored Family Heritage Day on July 18 in preparation for July 24th Pioneer Day. My Sister Pam is actively involved in DUP and invited us to attend with her. We really did not know what we were attending and OH, What a Treat.
AMERICA'S POTLUCK 2026
Sunday, July 5 marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the document that tied our nation together. The tradition of Sunday dinner invites us to slow down, serve others, and connect with one another. Through dialogue and a shared meal, we can promote our common bonds and come together in a nationwide moment to honor the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.
We had over 35 people attend - several who had never been to our home and it was a great evening. Always amazing food when everyone brings something to share. Joe helped cook the hotdogs on the grill.
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| Emily's fruit flag |
We felt like it was a huge success in meeting the goal of gathering with others and fostering interactions with many of our neighbors. Everyone said they would like to get together again.
BYU SOCCER CAMP WITH NORA
Emily was not able to come with us so we invited Penny, our neighbor to join us and the girls really enjoyed the play and being together. So fun making memories together.
MUSIC THEATRE WICHITA presented elf the Musical for their premier Summer Theatre. Will was Michael (Elf's half brother) in the play. He was AWESOME! It was so fun seeing his amazing singing and acting abilities and how well he related with the other actors. We got to meet the main characters including Buddy (Chris Stevens) and the Director (Brian Marcum) after the show and they were so complimentary of William. We are so proud of him and the rising star that he is becoming. I am sure we will have many more trips to Wichita to see him perform.
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| Linda, Preslee and Penny |
WICHITA KANSAS
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| William Grimmett Bio |
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| A Star is Born |
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| Buddy and Michael |
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| Emily and Michael |
If you are in the area during that time it would be nice to visit.
Brian and Beth are on the Open House Committee and are looking forward to having a Temple in their city.
Nora has become a "Bird Watcher" and Mallards have become her favorite. While we were in Ontario, Oregon a few weeks ago we found a mallard decoy in an antique store. I bought it for her and had it on her bed when she came to our house for the soccer camp.
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| Wichita Temple |
Sunday afternoon we took her to our hotel and on the property was this beautiful lake and she brought her mallard and tied a rope to it and walked it along the shoreline. We walked around the whole lake (it was not very big). It was a beautiful evening and unfortunately it scared off the other ducks on the lake instead of bringing them closer to her.
Traveling these days is always an adventure. Between weather, mechanical problems, FIFA soccer and airline crew problems you never know if you will be on schedule. We have learned to be very flexible over the years.
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| Chicago Airport |
We were up early on Monday to catch the early morning flight. On our way to return our car rental we got a text that our flight was canceled! UGH. We went online to see if we could get a new car that we could return at DFW and drive from Wichita to DFW. We found a car so we returned our current car rental and went to the counter to pick up our new car. They said, we are sorry but we are out of cars due to the FIFA in Kansas City. Our system allows reservations but we don't have any cars. So went to the terminal and looked at our options. We ended up flying to Chicago and then from there to Provo. It took two airplanes in Chicago - broken jet bridge and then a mechanical on the airplane with a problem with the Plane Computer so we waited for a new plane to be brought in. Very long day in the airport but it was Chicago and the we had some great food. We finally arrived in Provo at 1 AM and had to be up at 5 AM to serve in the Lindon Temple.
THIS IS THE PLACE HERITAGE PARK - FAMILY HERITAGE DAY
The Days of '47 Royalty (Pioneer Day State Holiday) were introduced.
He has worked on many films as a Writer, Director and Photographer including 17 Miracles, Ephraim's Rescue, The Cokeville Miracle, Testaments, The Fighting Preacher, Escape From Germany, Raising the Bar, Forever Strong, National Geographic's Lewis & Clark, Disney's Roving Mars, The John Tanner Story, The Ben Kjar Story and many others.
He began his presentation with the story of his young life - his 5 year old Birthday Party and a tribute to his mother. He said the transforming thing in his life was his father purchasing one of the first movie cameras available for home use. He had an immediate love of filming as a young boy and continues to hone his skills. He is an amazing story teller. He shared that most people think all of his movies have a central theme of miracles. He said, "in looking back at the movies, they do seem to have many miracles in them but that was never his intention when he was writing or filming them. He shared the importance of documenting our lives and telling our stories. He told a story of the pioneers who came from many lands and places who sacrificed so much to cross the plains and come to the unknown territory of Utah - a place they would call "HOME" even before they had ever seen it. He said, all of his films ultimately are about "Coming Home". Home to Heavenly Father. Yes, miracles are a part of that journey but they are not the end result - they are what help us return Home to God, The Father of us All. It was so touching to hear his story and his thoughts about his own work - stories that have touched my heart for many years. You can see many of his movies on YouTube, BYU TV, Angel, etc.
CLIVE RONMEY, MUSICIAN (Pictured above)
He is a composer, songwriter, storyteller, Arranger, Teacher and Performer. He is a sixty plus year veteran of the music business, and Executive Director of Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts.
He presented a slide show of the many nationalities that came and helped to settle Utah over the years and sang and played his guitar while the pictures were shown on the screen. His theme was "DON'T LET THEM BE FORGOTTEN". There was not a dry eye in the audience. It was so beautiful and what a heartfelt story.
We left so filled and grateful for our Pioneer Heritage and for the knowledge that we have of Heavenly Father and His plan for all of His Children.
FRIENDS:
She is the mother of our dear friend, Mark Evans of Arlington, TX and grandmother to his children and 48 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We were able to attend her funeral and were so grateful to hear the beautiful words of her family. She was a remarkable women and I am so glad I knew her and felt the love of her family and others through their thoughts and music.
Trent Evans represented Mark's family and it was so fun to talk with him and meet his darling boys.
THE GARDEN
We have finally harvested 3 zucchini’s , 4 peppers, a few pounds of tomatoes and a little cup of raspberries and blackberries. It has been a hard year for the garden and flowers with late frost and extreme heat with less water.
My neighbor, Mke who is a master gardener gave me a head of cabbage from his garden. I have wanted to make homemade sauerkraut and this was my chance. It only takes two ingredients and about a month of fermentation.
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| Blackberries |
Just cabbage and salt and time.
After a month of "curing' it was time to try it. It is so fresh and delicious.
I made a sauerkraut, potato and sausage dinner this week and we really enjoyed it. Now that I have made a batch I am ready to make more. I think the farm fresh cabbage made a difference as well.
My next new food was Savory Zucchini Dill Relish. If you like dill and want to up the flavor on grilled meats, coleslaw and of course hot dogs you will love this easy recipe.
10 cups zucchini, shredded. I got 8 cups from 1 zucchini
3 cups onions, chopped
12 garlic cloves
3 Tbl. dill and or caraway seeds ( I used fresh dill and about 1 Tbl. caraway seeds)
4 cups water
4 cups apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup salt
Grate zucchini into a large stainless steel or ceramic bowl, then adda couple Tablespoons of salt. Give it a good stir and let it sit covered at room temperature for 8-10 hours.
Squeeze excess juice from the zucchini before getting ready to make the brine. This is really important and I just took hand fulls and literally squeezed all of the liquid out.
Chop onions and garlic, then add to the zucchini and add dill and other seasonings if using.
Pour water, vinegar and salt into a large stockpot and bring to a light boil, then add the entire zucchini mixture. Mix it well and bring mass to a low boil for 20-25 min., stirring occassionally.
Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10-15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. I got 6 pints.
May we never forget the sacrifices of those who have gone before us and may we leave a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, Truth and Love to the generations to come.
The Grimmett's
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