This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hurricane • Jennifer Humphries remembers being one of those kids lining the sidewalks during this town's annual Fourth of July parade.
In those days, she would run a few steps into the street when someone passing in the parade would throw a handful of taffy or suckers toward the crowd. She'd grab her share.
Monday was Humphries' turn to throw.
Now 16 years old, she wore a crown and the sash that said "Miss Hurricane." She sat in a flatbed trailer, waved and tossed candy at the kids.
"We like the tradition," Humphries said. "I liked picking up candy when I was little. I still like picking up candy."
Hurricane celebrated Independence Day on Monday the way so many small American towns do.
A parade began at 8:30 a.m. Games for kids in the park followed. Barbecues were scheduled. So was a fireworks display.
A police car led the parade, its siren blaring. Twenty-six entries marched or drove through the center of town, the street's many trees providing the crowd with shade from the southwestern Utah morning sun.
American Legion Post 100 followed the squad car, its bugler attempting to be heard over the siren.
Later in the parade, 4-year-old Brielle Clyde sat in the seat of a 1953 Oliver Super 99 tractor, holding onto the antique's steering wheel as her father stood on the hitch behind her.
The parade's ranks grew to include a string orchestra, horses, a monster truck and entries from a dentist's office, a karate dojo and Wal-Mart.
Rod Smith, who wore a red, white and blue nylon top hat near the start of the parade, said he has marched in five Rose Parades, but there's something more genuine about Monday's festivities.
"This is not commercial," Smith said. "This is all about the community."
Irme Argumedo watched the parade from a lawn chair in a driveway. She is from southern Mexico but has lived in Hurricane for 15 years. She said the patriotism displayed by Americans is unique.
"It's America," she said.
Twitter: @natecarlisle