*Winterfest*

The La Verkin Royalty has several parades to participate in where a float is needed.  The Washington County Fair and Peach Days can use the same float.  Then there is Winterfest, the electric light parade.  I thought it would be a great idea if we could come up with a summer float idea that could then be adapted for the Winterfest light parade.  The theme for the Washington County fair was "Let Freedom Ring" and we decided to go with a patriotic float which encompassed stars.  Then for the December Winterfest parade, we could change the patriotic stars to Christmas stars.  This saved us from designing and building a new float!

The girls and their families worked a couple of days on the transformation.  Our idea was to replace the firecrackers on the back with a Christmas tree and presents.  We coated the green grass floor with white so it looked like a blanket of snow.  The stars were wrapped with lights and a wreath was placed on the front.  Candy canes also lined the front of the float. 

Brooklyn and I attended many city meetings in preparation for Winterfest.  The Royalty was assigned to help decorate the night before, do a fundraiser, and perform...as well as ride in the parade.

Early the next morning was the kick-off 5K.  Brooklyn decided to run in this race.  I was so proud of her.  She hadn't run for awhile, but she did great.  I love that I have a daughter who enjoys sports and athletic activities.

After that we went home for a rest.  We still had a couple of things we wanted to do before we began the evening activities.  We wanted to go see the soap box derby.  This was the first year this was included in the Winterfest and it was a hit.  Boys and men made cars out of old water heaters, wheelbarrows and car kits and raced them down the hill.  It was a lot of fun.  Then we went to the Hurricane Festival of Trees and enjoyed looking at the Christmas trees.  Our main purpose in going was to hear Melanie Wilson sing.  She is the mayor's wife and also the seamstress that alters Brooklyn's dresses.  She has become a dear family friend. 

We then headed back to get ready for the light parade.  It was so beautiful.  Our float took 2nd place winning us a $50 gift card to Farmer's Market.  The girls looked so beautfiul.  Debbie had made the girls cloaks and Tania had suggested they have elbow length white gloves.  They looked very glamorous.  We anticipated the weather to be cold and rainy, but we were blessed with beautiful weather. 

After the parade, the girls went inside to judge the Suzy Snowflake pageant.  This is for girls ages 3-5.  They do a little dance and answer an interview question. 

The city asked us to do a fundraiser that included selling hot chocolate and donuts.  Well, that night ended up being warm...and the entertainment room we were in, even warmer...so the fundraiser didn't go so good.  We had the girls take donuts out by the box full and sell them to people milling around outside.  Brooklyn ended up selling a whole box to one person!  We ended up making about $120 after expenses. 

The entertainment for the evening consisted of the royalty doing their city jingle, singing an Alvin and the Chipmunks song "Christmas Don't Be Late", the girls getting the audience involved in "Put Your Heart Up" and ending with a self-promoting song from the Polar Express "Hot Chocolate!" (in hopes people would buy our hot chocolate!).  It is always fun to see the girls perform.

At the end of the evening the girls helped Frosty the Snowman, the Winterfest mascot, greet the kids. 

The day was fun front start to finish...but the very end of the evening was sad.  I admit I got a little teary eyed as I stood in the street watching our float drive away.  The next week we would be dismantling it.  It was such a fun float and the girls looked amazing each time they were on it.  The float is a memory I will always treasure.