One of the annual celebrations in Cedar City is the Livestock and Heritage Festival which occurs near the end of October. The festival is a celebration of the ranching and farming heritage of the region – marked by a parade through the middle of town on Main Street, followed by a variety of demonstrations and vendors’ booths at the Cross Hollows Event Center. For Dave and Jan this was their first exposure to the festival – beginning for them with a six-block walk to Main Street through beautiful Veterans’ Park.

Patriotism is strong in Cedar City, so it was refreshing to see the arrival of the nation’s flag recognized by salutes and hands over hearts as it passed down the parade route through town.

The city was decorated for the festival with bales of hay, scare crows attached to light poles, and plywood sheep decorated by various businesses around town as a fund-raiser in recognition of the fact that hundreds of sheep would be parading through town toward the end of the parade.

The parade included a number of the mobile housing units which shepherds occupy throughout the warmer months when their flocks are grazing up in the mountains above Cedar City at around 10,000 ft. elevation.

Some musical cowboys shared their musical talents as they sang of thousands of sheep parading through town for the festival, and a group of young people demonstrated their square dancing skills as they passed.

There were many classic cars and tractors in the parade, along with some large farming equipment – including an interesting steam unit which dampens downed hay in a dry climate so it will bale correctly – and baling hay is serious business to support the livestock raised throughout the area.

The arrival of the sheep is always a highlight of the Heritage Festival.

At the Cross Hollows Event Center there were tractor pulls (to see whose tractor could pull an increasing amount of weight the farthest) and draft horse pulls (to see whose team of beautiful and hefty Belgian horses could pull a weighted wagon the fastest.

It was a fun, full day of heritage celebration – one of the many interesting features of the Cedar City area which Dave and Jan are enjoying very much – thankful for the Lord’s leading to their new “Life Elevated” location!