NORTH OGDEN NEWS northogdencherrydays.com
90TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION
July 4, 2022
FIREWORKS • PARADE • FESTIVAL • FOOD • CAR SHOW • KIDS GAMES • PETTING ZOO
CHERRY DAYS CELEBRATES
90-YEAR ANNIVERSARY HISTORY OF CHERRY DAYS IN NORTH OGDEN
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n 1932, a group of civic and church leaders in North Ogden formed a committee to improve the cherry market throughout the West-
ern states. They started an annual community celebration to call attention to the size and the high quality of North Ogden cherries.
LeRoy Snooks was elected general chairman of the first North Ogden Cherry Days celebration held July 14, 1932. Other committees were as fol-
Mayor Parley Spackman, Councilman Percy Randall, Councilman Wilbert Shupe, and the North Ogden Cherry Days Royalty welcome home Beverley Jones, National Pie Cherry Champion 1954.
lows: amusement sports, program parade, exhibits display, grounds, publicity.
and and and and
The early Cherry Days celebrations were tremendously successful. They attracted local displays of cherries, showy parades, highly comp e ti tive baseball games, boxing matches, horse pulling contest, dances in the evening with the crowning of a queen and attendants (the first Queen was Clara Orton in 1933), and free cherries were all crowd-pleasers. Children flocked to the concession stand for hot dogs, ice cream, soda pop, cot-
ton candy, games, etc. National recognition came to North Ogden during the Cherry Days celebration held July 4, 1955. Senator Wallace F. Bennett was the guest speaker and was presented with two boxes of hand-packed cherries. One box was a gift to him, and the other he was to deliver to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower; they were delivered to the President early the next morning. On July 4, 1957, David O. McKay, President of the L.D.S. church, was a guest speaker at Cherry Days. One of the largest crowds in North Ogden was on July 4, 1976: the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from
En gla nd . Dedication of the memorial park with Robert Redford, a famous movie star, as guest speaker, included special music and a twenty-one gun salute honoring veterans and war heroes. On a Monday, huge crowds witnessed a sunrise flag ceremony, a chuck wagon breakfast, a parade, art exhibits, contests, junior posse, the Ladies’ Boots and Saddles Riding Club drill and flag salute to the original colonies, a horse show, and, to finish the night, fireworks.
CHERRY DAYS 2022 GRAND MARSHAL BRENT AND MYRL CHUGG
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rent and Myrl Chugg grew up on farms located in Providence, Utah and Tabiona, Utah, respectively. They both learned the value of hard work and industry, which paved the way for their success. Myrl graduated from high school, attended airline school, and became a reservation agent for Delta Airlines in Atlanta, Georgia. Brent graduated from high school and enlisted in military training in the United States Army Reserves. He then served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa. Returning from South Africa, he enrolled at Utah State
University and graduated with a degree in Agriculture Economics; he did post-graduate work in Agriculture Research. His first employment was with Del Monte Corporation in production and agricultural research. Following a 23-year career at Del Monte, he was employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welfare system as a production manager for 27 years. This involved producing food and commodities for humanitarian purposes. Both Brent and Myrl have been actively involved in church leadership positions with both youth and adults.
They also served in civic responsibilities. Myrl has been on the parks committee and Brent was chairman and project manager for the construction of the public works facility. Later, he was appointed Mayor. At the present time, he is serving as chairman of the public safety building committee. Their overall greatest achievement is that they are the parents of five boys; they have 16 grandchildren and two great- grandchild ren . Brent and Myrl have lived in North Ogden for 46 years and have found it to be the best place to live and raise a family. They have been married for 57 years.