An Ogden tradition: Lindquist Family Symphony Pops Concert and Fireworks returning this weekend
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- The Cannoneers of the Wasatch and community members gather at Weber State University for the 45th annual Lindquist Family Symphony and Pops Concert and fireworks show July 14, 2024.
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- Community members gather at Weber State University for the 45th annual Lindquist Family Symphony and Pops Concert and fireworks show July 14, 2024.
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- Community members gather at Weber State University for the 45th annual Lindquist Family Symphony and Pops Concert and fireworks show July 14, 2024.
Nearly a half-century of fireworks, symphonic music and patriotic revelry returns to Weber State University on Sunday with the 46th annual Lindquist Family Symphony Pops Concert and Fireworks.
Launched in 1978 by John A. and Telitha E. Lindquist, the free event has become a family tradition for thousands of Ogden-area residents, as well as Lindquist Mortuaries and Cemeteries President John E. Lindquist, who continues to support the celebration.
Just nine days into her role as WSU event coordinator, Kelsey Call is making final preparations for the celebration, which she remembers attending during her time as a student at the university. Since then, the concert and fireworks have become part of her own summer tradition.
“It’s been multiple years, and then finding more family and more friends every year that we would come to see the fireworks with has been fantastic,” Call told the Standard-Examiner. “Forty-six years of this event has brought multiple people together. Just the other day, I was speaking with a community member that has attended every single fireworks event. … It just speaks to how much, how ingrained this event is within Ogden.”
The hourlong concert at the Ada Lindquist Plaza, performed by the New American Philharmonic, will begin at 9 p.m. and will feature Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” The Cannoneers of the Wasatch will provide fire from a battery of 16 cannons during the overture.
“That’s such a powerful part of the performance,” said WSU News Coordinator Rachel Badali. “Hearing the blast of those cannons is pretty unforgettable, and it’s something the Cannoneers of the Wasatch have provided for years. Some of those Cannoneers have been part of the show for decades and they’re a huge piece of the tradition.”
As the skies darken around 10 p.m., one of the state’s largest fireworks displays, set to live symphonic music, will begin.
Food trucks and other vendors on site will provide refreshments. Additionally, restrooms, first aid and water stations will be clearly marked. Maps will also be made available in advance on the event website, https://www.weber.edu/fireworks/.
Parking near campus will be available but limited; interior campus roads and parking lots will be closed starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Badali said that the Dee Events Center lot will be open for event parking, with the OGX shuttle providing free rides and stopping just north of campus at 36th Street, where attendees can walk to the event.
Families will be allowed to bring blankets and chairs, but may not do so in advance to save spaces. Tarps, stakes, tents, personal fireworks and pets are also prohibited (with the exception of service animals). Beyond that, Call says it’s truly a “more the merrier” kind of celebration.
“We’ve got space everywhere on campus for people to watch this,” she said. “There’s no shortage of space to come be present, to not only hear the orchestra and to hear the cannon fire, but to see the fireworks.”
