Friday, July 10, 2009

Come Celebrate Utah! July 18th Thanksgiving Point

Bringing together many local Utah businesses, artists, entertainers and families, the 2009 I Heart Utah Festival focuses on, “celebrating the state of Utah and her treasures…the people, places, and products that make Utah great.”

The Festival takes place on Saturday, July 18th just prior to Pioneer Week, Utah’s own holiday and is FREE to the public. At a central location between Utah and Salt Lake counties, Thanksgiving Point’s Electric Park will be the picturesque location of a memorable day full of shopping, sampling, winning, entertainment, education and activities for the entire family.

With the current economic situation, Festival producers saw a need to do what they could locally to help support small business within Utah cities and throughout the State, and help encourage Utah citizens to do the same. “We found such an impressive amount of quality products and services offered by individuals or small businesses right here in our own back yard, and an exciting amount of nationally recognized companies that are founded or run from our great 801 or 435 area codes!” (Melynda Valgardson, Vyking Media & Entertainment)

Festival vendor categories include health and wellness, travel and tourism, sports and recreation, home and garden, businesses catering to women, preparedness, education, ‘Greening” Utah, arts and entertainment, and will include a local Farmers Market. Any business or organization that is based in or originated in Utah qualifies for involvement in the Festival and can reserve a vendor or nonprofit information booth space for a minimal fee.

Festival Schedule: The I Heart Utah Festival begins at 10:00 am with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon cutting will be done by special guests and local Utah heroes that will be escorted in by motorcade and helicopter, (please contact for details). Krispy Kreme donuts will be available while supplies last. The first 5,000 Festival attendees will also receive a pearl necklace courtesy Overstock.com.

Throughout the day attendees can walk the Festival grounds including theme areas: (1) Pink Street sponsored by Window Fashions with vendors catering to women, (2) Green Street sponsored by Utah Valley University including businesses and organizations that focus on ‘green living’ and taking care of Utah, (3) Red, White, & Blue Street hosted by Vyking Entertainment representing businesses throughout Utah with a patriotic theme, (4) Kids Korner sponsored by Sunshine Generation of Utah County with businesses catering to children including numerous inflatables from Goose Jumps, (5) Sports Park sponsored by Supa Fly Mobile Detailing and representing local sports and recreation organizations, (6) Front Parking Lot sponsored by Fun Share Rentals including boats, ATV’s, motorcycles and a Utah Trikes demo, (7) and a Farmers Market reflecting Utah cuisine, food and beverage as well as local artists and crafters. Additional activities and displays include a karaoke contest at the Talent Quest booth, hang gliding display by Wings over Wasatch, a sailboat from Bonneville School of Sailing, a helicopter by Universal Helicopter, and an airplane from UVU Aviation plus many more prizes, activities, demos, and education at over 100 “I Heart Utah” vendor and informational booths. All Festival attendees can visit the information and prize booth to vote for their favorite Utah businesses and sign up to win a number of prizes throughout the day including our grand prize courtesy JetBlue Airways.

A full day of entertainment will be available on Ebay’s Green Stage which is powered entirely by the sun and captured by Green Tow’s mobile solar power trailer. Entertainment includes local artists and musicians (Shaun Barrowes, Jarrett Burnes, Justin Williams, Ryan Innes), performances by the Talent Quest karaoke competition winners, dance performances, and even performing dogs trained by Arrow Kennels Dog Training.

For a complete list of vendors, sponsors and event and schedule updates, please log on to www.IHeartUT.com


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