Mt. Pleasant 4th of July Parade

Showing Respect For the Flag during the July 4th Parade in Mt. Pleasant, UT. Photo courtesy of Mikayla Ryan

All I can say is WOW!   I have never experienced something as wonderful as the 4th of July in Mt. Pleasant, Utah.   Being abruptly awakened first thing in the morning we were greeted with the report of the cannons paying tribute to the very reason we celebrate July the 4th in the United States.   Loud booms, some very close and others farther away, echoed up and down the valley of Sanpete, as the cannons were firing their rounds for a cannon salute.

Enjoying the Mt. Pleasant, Utah July 4th Parade Photo courtesy of Mikayla Ryan

Next was breakfast in the park, followed by the Mt. Pleasant 4th of July Parade.

Mayor David Blackham “Ringing the Bell For Freedom!” Photo courtesy of Mikayla Ryan.

During the parade, Mayor David Blackham’ s horse drawn carriage stopped in front of the Relic Home at 150 State Street, to officially “Ring the Bell for Feedom!” The Relic Home is part of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, on the Historic Utah Highway 89.  This is now the location of the Hamilton School bell.  It sat proudly in the bell tower to be rung for the commencement of the school day and the time at night to announce curfew in the town. Many personal histories that are housed within the Relic Home mention how they had wished that they could have rung that bell.  As a special celebration for the 4th of July the Relic Home made the bell available for anyone to ring, and sign the official document that will be preserved in the Home for generations to come.  If you missed ringing and signing the document this activity will continue until the 24th Of July Days of the Pioneers.

An Unexpected Adventure With Pirates

Our daughter had a migraine one day and needed us to take her little girls.  On the spur of the moment we contrived a pirate treasure hunt.  Within the time it took for my husband to go pick them up and bring them to our house, we had all the makings for a fun adventure in our backyard. It is amazing how the girls really got into the pirate adventure when they saw the props to help them along.  Thankfully Poppa, with his great style of storytelling adventure they were all set.  A treasure map had been drawn to keep them searching, as they traveled through the jungle, rowed down the stream, looking for the various signs on the treasure map.

It’s Not Here, We Have To Keep Looking.

I quickly designed the pirate hats that I made out of construction paper.  The stuffed parrots were used to sit upon their shoulders came from the puppet theater, which I will blog about in another post.  We had a treasure chest that was filled with jewels, left over from past projects, eye patches, that came from past Halloween goodies, the swords were quickly made from wrapping paper rolls secured with masking tape.  The biggest prop to make the Pirate King believable was a gold earring.  Now  Poppa who is ultra conservative, was a bit dubious about this one so I had a clip on gold hoop that worked perfectly. After the treasure was found, we had a pirate’s bountiful lunch with grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, lemonade, and popsicles.

Recently this little adventure was remembered by our daughter and granddaughters and they posted to their social media.  It was so heartwarming to hear after all these years they remember a special moment.

Come Ring The Bell For Freedom

Photo Courtesy of Mikayla Ryan

Let Freedom Ring by participating in the first annual “Ringing the Bell for Freedom” event.  Leading the Annual 4^th of July Parade, Mt. Pleasant Mayor, David Blackham will kick off the festivities with the first ring of the bell.  Following the parade, take a stroll down State Street to the Relic Home to ring the bell that once sat in the prestigious bell tower of the Hamilton School.

The historic bell is now housed at the Relic Home, 150 South State Street, Mt. Pleasant, UT  on Highway 89 and in the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.  This event is scheduled to commence on July 4^th and running through the July 24^th Pioneer Days.  Everyone of any age is invited to come ring the bell.  Not only will the number of rings be recorded, but the signatures of each person as well.   For those who are unable to ring the bell, it may be rung in their honor, with their names added to the historical document.  This document will be preserved within the Relic Home to be displayed for years to come.

The Relic Home is maintained and renovated by donations, you can become a member for a $1.00 donation.  Come be a part of history and “Ring the Bell For Freedom”.

Be a Part Of History; Ring The Bell At The Relic Home

 

Photo courtesy of Mikayla Ryan

During the July 4th celebration until the Pioneer Days on July 24th in Mt. Pleasant anyone wanting to be a part of history in the making is invited to ring the bell at the Relic Home  and place their name on an official document that will become a part of the collection of the Relic Home.

Today that very sturdy bell is now a treasure of the Relic Home.   This historic bell will once again ring out loud and clear to all who wish to be part of history.  According to Arla May Stansfield Simpson the bell was rung precisely at 8:00  am by “Old Man” Ellertson, then again at 8:45 am to alert the coming of the hour 9:00 am and then again at curfew which was 9:00 pm.  The children would terminate their game of Kick the Can, Run Sheep Run or helping themselves to apples or cherries from a nearby yard, and make a dash for home.

For 75  years the bell of Hamilton School rang for the commencement of the school day.  It was also rung for the warning of fire, danger, calls to all within the sound range to come to town.

A wonderful blog titled, A Day At School ~ written by Talula Nelson ~ taken from History of Arla May Stansfield Simpson’s History presents us with  glimpses into the past for the many school children that attended Hamilton School.

Photo courtesy of Mikayla Ryan

For a $1.00 donation you can become a lifetime member of the Relic Home. Donations help to fund the upkeep and renovations required to maintain this historic treasure.

http://www.mormonpioneerheritage.org/

http://sanpete.com/pages/mormon_pioneer_heritage

http://hamiltonelementaryschoolpictures.blogspot.com/

 

Are You Competing With Electronics for Your Grandchildren’s Attention?

What do you mean take a walk with Grannie, I’m too busy doing my work.

In today’s world practically everyone is connected to some electronic device.  If you are like many grandparents that want to spend time  with their grandchildren; it may be a struggle to have them shut down their Ipad, Iphone, tablet, cell phone, or any number of applications to spend time with you.  According to the American  Academy of Pediatrics, children spend and average of seven hours per day on some form of electronic entertainment.  http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx

Today’s children are spending an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpufhttp://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx “

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

Children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-quality content. It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies, and using their imaginations in free play. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

The AAP recommends that parents establish “screen-free” zones at home by making sure there are no televisions, computers or video games in children’s bedrooms, and by turning off the TV during dinner. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

The AAP recommends that parents establish “screen-free” zones at home by making sure there are no televisions, computers or video games in children’s bedrooms, and by turning off the TV during dinner. – See more at: http://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx#sthash.qDAPRe9v.dpuf

My husband and I have a simple little rule, when the grandchildren come to visit us, in the car all electronics are turned off.  Simply put,  they can do that any time,  this is your time together and you want to spend it just with them.  At first, this was a difficult concept to grasp, but after a few minutes, everyone was engaged with each other.  We found that if you establish the criteria as to why there is no electronic engagement, things flow so much better.

The children look at the landscape instead of watching a movie and we take turns making up stories  from our imagination.  Usually we have done our homework and found out interesting facts about the area we are traveling through.  We also tell stories and just when we are getting to a very exciting part we turn the story over to someone else to take up where the last one stopped.

We told our grandchildren that they can do those things when they are home alone, but this is our time to spend with them.  We want them to know we are interested in them. We begin the trip or visit with activities we have in mind.  Asking what they would like to do helps them feel engaged in the activities.

We tell stories about relatives, events, history, or share their heritage with them.  They love hearing funny stories, especially if they are innocent stories about their parents.  If financial resources are a challenge, check your local area for free activities.

We like to stop at the Historical Markers, we read the marker and learn about the local area. We found a wealth of information recently driving on Utah Highway 89.

Look for these signs for a wonderful adventure into your heritage.

The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area is a wonderful place to begin a travel into your own heritage.