The parade featured some familiar sights: 70 entrants in all, including the Frog Prince art car, Park City Fire District, local law enforcement and the Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band.
Parley’s Park Elementary student Emma Pihl said her favorite float was the WILS Foundation, which promotes safety in sports. It featured a band with fellow Park City School District students followed by a fleet of Park City Miners mountain bikers.
“I liked the song,” Pihl said, which her mom mentioned was “You Shook Me All Night Long” by Australian arena rock icons AC/DC.
The parade took the same route as it does on Miners Day, turning left on 15th Street and right on Park Avenue, ending at City Park where the traditional rugby exhibition games were in full swing.
“We just want to take advantage of the crowd,” Haggis Rugby Club hooker Dan Unes said. “This club started in Park City years ago, and we kind of come back to our roots every Fourth. With the crowd here, we run the fundraiser; we got the live music and the beer tent. We just like to put on a show for the boys.”
Kim and Rick from Florida, who have a part-time place in the Park City area, got spots early on lower Main Street. They started the day at Park City Ski and Snowboard’s 41st annual Fourth of July 5k and Fun Run that morning.
“We try to do that whenever we're here, and that was fun,” Kim said. “Then they have festivities a little bit after that, the awards and things. And we just walked up … and squeezed into a little spot that we found.”
The Stein Eriksen Lodge float won the Best in Show award with their “Ski-Cret” garden float at the parade.
The nonprofit National Ability Center won the Community Spirit award, while Crosspoint Presbyterian Church won the Humor and Funk prize with its patriotic float.
The Park City Ice Miners youth hockey club took the Youth award, while the Elks Lodge won the Heritage award.
The WILS Foundation won the Crowd Engagement award for its float with the live band.
It was standing-room only across the parade route, and the Park City Transit trolley sounded the final bell at the rear.
