Cove Fort Days

In June, on our way to Las Vegas, we stopped Cove Fort for a break. First, we watched a brief video on the history of the fort, then a Senior Missionary gave us a tour of the Fort, then of a replica of the Hinckley home in Colesville. The boys were given a souvenir: a wooden disc stamped Cove Fort 1867 with a braided cord that goes through two holes in the middle. It's a fun toy. It was a pleasant experience, and a nice break from our trip.Next Weekend the fort is having a two day celebration: Cove Fort Days!
August 7 & 8 (Friday & Saturday)
8:00 am to 7:30 pm

It sounds like it's going to be lots of fun with

• Free hots dogs & drinks
• Stage Coach Rides
• Wagon Rides
• Entertainment
• Living History
  

Location

Cove Fort is located immediately northeast of the junction of I-15 and I-70, in the southeast corner of Millard County, twenty miles south of Kanosh and twenty-four miles north of Beaver. (Click here for a detailed map of Utah.)

Fort History

The fort was built to offer protection and refreshment to the traveler. Beginning in 1847, pioneers began settling the high mountain valleys stretching from Idaho to California. They came here to worship in peace and to build homes and communities. The fort is made of lava rock, which workers hauled from west of the property. The fort is 100 square feet, 18.5 feet tall, 4 feet thick at the footings and 2.5 feet thick at the top.

In 1867, the prophet Brigham Young called Ira Hinckley and his family to come and direct the building and operations of the fort.

Cove Fort has been restored to bring the past a little bit more to life. This is the only fort built by the Latter-day Saints in the 1800's that still stands.

August Events

I created a Google Calendar to post a variety of events in the Valley and beyond. Over there on the right hand side is a list of some of the upcoming events. I don't recommend clicking on the links, it messes things up. So I included a link to the Calendar itself in the Pleasant Grove section, so you can look over the events of the month in a more user friendly fashion.

I'm looking for a better gadget/html/whatever so it'll work better and not be so lame. I appreciate your patience and welcome any feedback you may have.

What fun things will you be doing this month?

PG to LV

Since July of 1994, I've driven I-15 at least once a year between Las Vegas and Provo or more recently Pleasant Grove. Until the last few years, I didn't really notice the brown road signs. You know, the ones that tell you about the cool stuff to see.

One of those brown signs was Cove Fort. We saw it a few times, before we finally stopped. On the drive back from Vegas, I couldn't get over how much I enjoyed stopping there. I thought it would be fun to have a list of places we could check out and take a break at, as we venture down I-15 to Vegas. I jotted down a few names on the brown signs (you know, driving being my top priority and all), as well as places I remember going to when I was growing up.

South Ridge Farms aka The Big Red Barn (Santaquin, UT) - when ever we drive by I wanna stop by to get some apples or cherries. Annually, they hold a Cherry Pit Spit.

Great Basin National Park (Baker, NV) - not some place we'd stop by along the way, but it's nice to know that it's out there. I think we'll to hit all the spots here in Utah first befoe considering that trip.

Young Living Farms (Mona, UT) - The lavender fields are so beautiful! I love the smell of lavendar.

Territorial Statehouse State Park (Fillmore, UT)

Capitol Reef National Park (near Torrey, UT)

Arches (Moab, UT)

Canyonlands National Park (Moab, UT)

Bryce Canyon National Park (Bryce Canyon, UT)

Shakespearean Festival (Cedar City, UT) - One summer, the youth in our ward went to the Festival. We saw The Tempest. It was awesome. I loved the atmosphere, and the whimsy of it all.

Zions National Park (Rockville, UT)

Rosenbruch Wildlife Museum - Before Kai was born, browsed through during some down time while attending a Mental Health Conference. In fact I got Kai's very first book there: James Balog's Animals A to Z.

Lost City (Overton, NV) - I remember going here when I was a kid. I thought was so cool! In the middle of the courtyard, there was a hole with a ladder to climb down into a dwelling. I hope I'm not thinking of some other place (My memories are getting hazier every year)

Valley of Fire (Overton, NV) - I thought Petroglyph Canyon was amazing!

Hoover Dam (Boulder City, NV) - Another cool place to visit. It's neat to see the lake on one side, then this huge dam on the other. It was fun to ride the elevator all the way down and see the power plant generators. I need to take my kids to see this.

Do you notice a trend? I don't have anything to say about the National Parks. I'm not outdoorsy. I dislike dirt, or more specifically having dirty hands. I've been very adamant with Jake about not wanting to go camping.

But the stop at Cove Fort inspired me to seek out the wonderful experiences that can be had in the great outdoors. I feel like I can set aside my dislike and enjoy the other things that came from camping. I've even gone so far as to invite myself on the boys camping trip.

Utah State Park Passes

Pleasant Grove City Library is pleased to announce that three Utah State Parks passes are now available for checkout. These passes have been made possible by the Utah Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with their Reach Out and Connect Kids In Nature program (Rockin Utah). The goal is to provide opportunities for and encourage children and families to explore the natural world.

Checking out a pass will allow you and up to seven guests in the same private vehicle day-use entrance to all Utah State Parks (excluding This Is The Place Heritage Park and the Davis County Causeway fee at Antelope Island; this pass is accepted at Utah State Parks only and cannot be used at National Parks such as Zion, Bryce, or Arches). For more information and a list of state parks you can visit and discover, click here to go to the Utah State Parks website.

Read more about it here, Check availability and complete the reservation form here

Jake is taking the boys camping and will be able to take advantage of this deal.

Dollhouse Cakes

Raven Haymond has just started a business called Dollhouse Cakes. These cakes are just darling. What a fun and cute little treat for any occasion! To get things started, Raven is having a Grand Opening Giveaway. You have to check it out!

Free admission to 391 National Parks

The National Park Service is offering FREE admission to all 391 National Parks on August 15-16. Click HERE for more information.

Cannery

The Lindon Welfare Services Center houses the Home Storage Center - aka: Dry Pack Cannery, and is only available on Tuesdays & Thursdays for individuals to can items to purchase from 9-7 on a walk in basis.

940 West Center, Lindon, UT 84042
The west end of the building in the back.
(801) 785-0997

Special Guest - Raven Haymond

This year, Bryce and I decided to brave the early morning wake up call and take our family to the Hot Air Balloon Festival that was part of Provo's Freedom Festival on July 3rd. We were so excited about seeing these larger-than-life balloons up close that we didn't hit snooze when our alarm went off at 5 a.m.--not even once! We managed to get our toddler and our baby ready and out the door by 6 a.m. The balloon festival was slated to begin at 6:30 and we wanted to allow time for parking, so this worked out perfectly.

When we got down to Provo, there were lots of parking lots offering paid parking, but we were able to find a free spot right across from Bulldog field. We were amazed by the crowd that had already gathered on the field. It was great to be part of this early rising community as balloons were rolled out and inflated all around us. They had spirited music playing over the loud speakers and people wandered around, chatting with the pilots and engineers. Everyone involved with getting the balloons ready and flying them seemed eager to share their hobby with all of us. Their excitement about the upcoming flight rubbed off on the whole crowd.

Once all the balloons were inflated, they started lifting off, a couple at a time. There's just something magical about hot air balloons soaring in the sky right over your head. There were some gorgeous balloons made up of bright patchworks of color. My toddler's favorites were the shaped ones, like Tony the Tiger, Smokey the Bear, and a bright pink pig. As we watched, the pilots competed to see who could throw a beanbag closest to an assigned target and who could pop some helium balloons stationed above the landing area. Who knew there were actual hot air ballooning competitions?

Overall, it was a magnificent experience and one that we are definitely planning on making a tradition for our family. It's not every day that you get to stand inches away from a balloon as it's being inflated, the flame bursting into the silky fabric, and then watch it lift off and fly right over your head. My toddler is still talking about the "big balloons". What better way to teach her that the world is full of wonders, friendly neighbors, and a little magic?
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Thanks Raven, for sharing your adventure! Have any of you had an experience, with events and places mentioned in this blog, that you would like to share with us? Let me know!!

Pioneer Day Classic 5K/10K

Date: July 24, 2009
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Location: Timpview High School
3570 North 650 East, Provo

5k: $20 (before July 23)
10k : $25 (before July 23)
(tech shirts are only guaranteed for the first 500 runners to register)

You can register online here

Prizes
Overall 10k Winners - $100
Overall 5k Winners - $50
Medals will given to the top three in each age division

Giveaway!!! $700 dollars worth of Coupons

On the SavvyShoppers blog, they are having a coupon giveaway.


Carrian usually trade coupons with a friend, who has moved and another friend is gone for a month! She was wondering what to do with $700 dollars worth of coupons and decided hold a giveaway. Everyone has a fair shot.

Make a post on your own site and link back to The Savvy Shoppers blog.

Make a comment about how long you have been clipping coupons here under this post. Let her know that you made a post about the savvy shoppers and she'll give you an extra entry!

The winner will be announced on Thursday and she'll send you over $700 dollars worth of coupons!! WOOT WOOT!!

Thank you Carrian!!