Where to watch Weber State fireworks, 2016 Lindquist Pops concert off-campus
Crowds flock to the 2015 Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks show at Weber State University. Many Northern Utah residents choose alternate off-campus locations to view the event, which takes place this year on July 17.
Hundreds of blankets covered the campus of Weber State University in 2014 before the annual Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks show began. Many Northern Utah residents try to beat the crowds and watch the event from off-campus locations near the university.
Some fans of the annual Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks show like to avoid the crowds at Weber State University and watch from locations near the Ogden campus. Pictured are fireworks from the 2015 event.
OGDEN — Looking to beat the crowds at Weber State University this weekend during the annual Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks show?
Many Northern Utah residents have found some alternative places to view and even listen to the show that help them avoid the thousands who will be crowding onto the Weber State campus, 3848 Harrison Blvd., for the Sunday, July 17, event.
While still close to Weber State, the grassy area that was once the site of McKay-Dee Hospital is a hot spot “alternative.” The lawns are located directly across Harrison Boulevard from the university.
Randy Scadden of Ogden said he and his family always hit this spot, along with a good number of people. In response to a Facebook inquiry about alternative locations for viewing the pops concert and fireworks. Scadden said the music can still be heard ever so faintly and location is not so hard to get out of once the event is over.
Ogden resident Brian Nicholson said he and his family have gone to the former McKay-Dee spot as well, but once they tried out watching from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which was a great spot.
“No music, plenty of fireworks,” Nicholson said in a Facebook post, adding the crowds aren’t too large on the trail either.
Jamie Lythgoe of Eden also hits the trails with her family from the 29th Street trailhead. She said on Facebook that they hike in to Mount Ogden Golf Course and bring glow sticks for some added light in and out of the trail.
PREVIEW
• WHAT: Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks
• WHERE: Weber State University, 3848 Harrison Blvd., Ogden
• WHEN: Concert begins at 9 p.m. July 17; fireworks start at 10 p.m.
• ADMISSION: Free
Another popular viewing spot is Forest Green Park, 4398 Taylor Ave. Jennie Spendlove of Ogden said the views are good from the park but the site has been getting more crowded the past few years.
She said she and her family usually show about 8 p.m.
“We bring snacks and let the kids play on the playground or walk around the duck pond,” she said.
They also bring glow sticks for the kids to play with as well as a football to throw around.
“We don’t do a big family thing, but here are many people there that do. I think some people get there in the early afternoon and make a day of it,” Spendlove said.
Brenda Powell of Ogden and her family also go to Forest Green Park, but they get ice cream from Jake’s Over the Top just down the street from the park before the show starts.
“We look over the valley. Perfect,” she said on Facebook.
Michele Moyes and her family often go to Grandview Park, 3809 Jackson Ave., to see the fireworks. The Hooper resident said a few families go there because it’s a great viewing spot, but the crowds aren’t huge.
Kevin Foutz and his family have a special viewing spot they have been going to for years — Wasatch Elementary School, 3370 Polk Ave. The Ogden resident said he started going there years ago when his sons were little and his mom worked as the school secretary.
“It is always so crowded with people at Weber State, and impossible to get out of there when the fireworks are over,” Foutz said.
When they first started going to the school, only one or two other families went, but now the field just east of the school fills up pretty good, he said. When his kids were younger, the family went pretty early and played games and stuff. Now that the kids are older, they go a bit later.
Those who live in close proximity to the university usually watch from their homes and even invite some friends and family over for the show, like Kellie Smith of Ogden, who gets together with her neighbors in their backyard.
“Perfect spot to people watch as well,” she said on Facebook. “We get to see the people who walked and streams of cars trying to avoid Harrison.”
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