Colonial Heritage Festival underway in Orem with re-enactors, artisans, and more

OREM, Utah (ABC4) — The Colonial History Festival is underway in Orem at the SCERA park, featuring re-enactors, artisans, and craftsmen from all over the country.

It is a free event that takes place each year around the Fourth of July. If you missed it on the 3rd and the 4th, you still have time to go on July 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The goal of the festival is to help the public step back in time and experience life at the time of the American Revolution “through engaging and interactive activities and conversations,” according to a news release.

Holly White, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Information and First Aid Booth, spoke to ABC4.com about the festival and what makes it so special for her.

She said that every year, hundreds of reenactors from all over the country “that have the spirit of the founding fathers and that want to bring patriotism and their love for the history of how our country was founded” come to the festival to volunteer and share history.

She said that some of the artisans and craftspeople at the festival include a potter, a broom maker (or a cooper), a candle maker (or a chandler), and multiple fiber artists. Kids can learn to spin wool in a fiber arts exhibit that takes you through all the stages of making clothes.

“We pretty much have everything,” she noted.

There is also artillery from the British and American camps at the festival, alongside a print shop and a bake shop.

“It reminds you about the sacrifices that people were willing to make for something that they believed in, and I think our life is so easy right now, we forget that people actually decided that their life was not as important as starting a new country,” White said. “And I think that’s something that’s really important for us to remember and to reverence and to honor.”

You can find out more information about the festival on the event website or their Facebook page.