The annual South Ogden Days festival took place this last weekend, June 16-22, at Friendship Park in South Ogden. It hosted a variety of events from a 5k run to a carnival.
“As a city, we are so grateful for all of the people that come out, the vendors and food guys. We couldn’t do much without them,” James F. Minster, South Ogden City Mayor, said. South Ogden Days attendance has grown from 5,000 to 20,000 people in the last five years.
The Rock N’ Rods Car and Motorcycle Show 2015 was held Friday, June 19th from 5-9 p.m. Treeo, a senior living facility new to the community, sponsored the car show.
“Treeo is new and very active in the community. We’re thankful to have them.” Jill Mccullough, Special Events Coordinator for South Ogden City, said.
The award ceremony for the car and motorcycle show was held at 8 p.m. with a raffle for all of the entries following. Raffle prizes included a lot of summer must-haves, such as a grill, coolers and camping chairs.
The major categories were picked by city officials. The Fire Chief’s choice was a 1965 Daytona Coupe, owned by Kellen Kerr. The Police Chief’s choice was Sherry Robins’ 1940 Coupe Deluxe. Finally, the Mayor’s choice was the 2008 Shelby GT 500 owned by Wes Goldsberry, and the sponsor’s choice was Dave Rowe’s 1930 Chevy Coupe.
The minor categories included sweetest wheels, hottest ride and even best make-out backseat. A 1968 Camaro was voted for hottest ride while a 1930 Ford Model A won the best make-out backseat. Other winners included a 1951 Willys Jeepster, a 1970 Chevy C-10 and a 1965 Plymouth Satellite.
The festival kicked off Saturday morning with a parade at 9 a.m. Parade registration was free and hosted numerous organizations in the community. The people on the floats came ready to hand out candy and other small items, like Frisbees and T-shirts. Naturally, there were float goers armed with squirt guns ready to soak the crowd.
The carnival ran on Friday from 4-11 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Discount tickets were available for purchase in advance at 50% off online or at the South Ogden City Hall and Macey’s grocery stores. Normal tickets cost $18 per 20 tickets.
“It was really great watching all of the kids running around, having fun and riding rides,” Kylie Grant, carnival attendee, said.
There were rides, games and a variety of food carts for attendees to experience. A favorite ride among the older crowd was The Gravitron, while the kiddos enjoyed the cool splash of the boat ride.
The festival also offered a water play area, complete with multiple inflatable water slides and water walking balls. The water play area charged $3 per trip down the slide and $5 for the water walking balls. However, an unlimited day pass was available for $10.
South Ogden Days wrapped up its festivities with a bang Saturday night with an Emerson Drive concert starting at 8:30 p.m. and firework show starting at 9:45 p.m.
If you missed out on the fun this year, South Ogden Days will be back again in June 2016 on the first day of summer. After all, their motto is “Summer Starts Here”.
