Something I love about living in Lehi is when we come together to celebrate. Another year of Round-Up is in the books, and as usual, it was a huge success. Thousands of people lined the parade routes and cheered at the rodeo. A whole week of outstanding events seemed to come together like magic! Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a virtual army of unpaid volunteers braved the heat and crowds to give the rest of us a great time. Trust me, if you’ve raked trash out from under the bleachers or wrapped up a hundred rodeo burgers, then you’ve seen how much work goes into everything.
The Lehi Civic Improvement Association has been putting on the rodeo for more than eight decades now. As Mayor Dean Prior described in an article from The Lehi Sun newspaper on May 22, 1941, “This organization is dedicated to the purpose of improving the social, cultural and economic conditions of your town and mine.” He urged others to join in, saying, “I appeal to you as patriotic men, and women, fathers and mothers to get behind this group with all your energies and push the good work along. Don’t wait to be asked, volunteer your services. You are no busier than they are and yet they are unselfishly serving to help make Lehi the place to live.”
Our world seems more divided than ever, but here in Lehi we are coming together. Our city has lots of different volunteer councils and committees, and applications to serve sometimes exceed the number of available positions. It’s something else that I really love about living here, and Mayor Prior was right 81 years ago when he said, “It is a means of letting the world know we are alive, but the value we get from working together and sacrificing far outweighs any other purpose because we become a united community.”
This community spirit will be on full display September 5, when the Historical Society and Archives will host their annual Lehi Heritage Day with a parade, displays at the Legacy Center, and a classic car show. Some of our citizens who have given outstanding volunteer service over the years will be honored with their own commemorative bricks in the, Walk of Fame. This event gets bigger and better every year! I encourage everyone to attend and honor Lehi’s history by supporting the hardworking volunteers who put it together.
– Paige Albrecht
