CEDAR CITY — Cedar City Lions Club’s “Spirit of ’76 Independence Day Parade” delighted crowds on Monday morning, with hundreds of people lining Center and Main Streets for several blocks downtown to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
For the fourth straight year, the parade featured several entries depicting key moments in American history, including Paul Revere’s ride, the Boston Tea Party and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A new float this year featured patriot spy Nathan Hale uttering his famous last words, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Following those one dozen “Spirit of ‘76” entries, the remainder of the parade had a festive assortment of floats, vintage vehicles, off-highway vehicles, horseback riders, local businesses and civic organizations, pageant royalty, little league baseball and softball all-star teams.
Some of the more unique entries included a pair of school buses, an oil tanker and even a Zamboni ice surfacing machine surrounded by young hockey players.
Multiple tributes were paid to military service members past and present, in keeping with the parade’s chosen theme, “Freedom Isn’t Free.”
According to Heather Carter of the Lions Club, the parade’s prize winners were as follows, as voted by the judges:
First place ($100): Liberty Camp.
Second place ($75): Cedar City Daughters of the American Revolution.
Third place ($50): Cedar Breaks Model A vintage cars.
Judges choice awards ($25 each): Iron County School District Bus Garage; Jason Shakespeare.
Several wailing fire engines signaled the end of the procession. For selected parade highlights, check out the video above and photo gallery below.
Photo Gallery
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Cedar City Lions Club's "Spirit of '76 Independence Day Parade," Cedar City, Utah, July 4, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.