101 THINGS TO DO

History Tour Of City Park 33

Run A Race 31

A variety of road races are held each year in the Spanish Fork/Salem area. They include:

June 17: No One Left Behind - Team Half Marathon, 13.1 miles long, run on the Spanish Fork River Trail.

July 24: Speedy Spaniard River Trail 10K, begins at Canyon View Park and continues along the Spanish Fork River Trail, finishing at the Sports Park Complex. Part of Spanish Fork’s Fiesta Days celebration.

July 24: Speedy Spaniard Mile Run, for 12 years and younger. Begins and finishes at the Spanish Fork Sports Park. Part of Spanish Fork’s Fiesta Days celebration.

August 12: Salem Days Family Fun Run 5K, starts at Knoll Park in Salem.

August 12: Salem Days Family Fun Run 1 Mile Run, starts at Knoll Park in Salem.

Sept. 9: Addict II Athlete 5K, around and near the Spanish Fork Sports Park.

SPANISH FORK’S GOT TALENT 32

Both Spanish Fork and Salem include talent shows during their annual city celebrations. The Spanish Fork’s Got Talent Competition has become one of the most popular Fiesta Days events. Auditions of individual performers and groups are done through electronic submission and are due June 30; the finalists will compete on the City Park Stage on July 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. The top three winners receive cash prizes. So, get your act together — literally — and join the show!

Several monuments marking notable places and people in Spanish Fork’s history can be found in City Park at 49 S. Main. Stroll around the park and you will find the Old Fort marker, which indicates the location of an adobe fort built by settlers of the area. Nearby is the Escalante marker, which honors Franciscan priest Silvestre Velez de Escalante as the first white man to see Utah Valley. Also in the park is the Lush Valley of the Timpanogotzis monument, which also commemorates the 1776 visit of Father Escalante and his companion, Father Francisco Atanasio Dominguez, to the valley. A statue depicting the two fathers as well as a Native American can also be viewed in the park.

Skate Park 34

The Spanish Fork Skate Park is located at 491 S. 600 East and offers concrete skate features, several benches and an adjacent open lawn area. It’s open to skateboarders daily from dawn to dusk, although it closed to school-aged youth during school hours. The use of protective equipment, including helmets, wrist guards, knee pads and elbow pads is strongly recommended here. No bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed.

Play Pickleball

Play one of the nation’s hottest sports. Pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, has swept the nation and is growing in popularity internationally. Here, new pickleball courts have been constructed in both Spanish Fork and Salem. Sixteen new courts were added to the Spanish Fork Sports Park in 2018, and in 2022, new pickleball courts opened in Salem’s Cole Park, located at 600 S. 300 West, and Loafer View Recreation Complex, 600 E. Canal Road.

Spanish Oaks Reservoir 36

Created to help provide Spanish Fork residents with pressurized irrigation water, the Spanish Oaks Reservoir is perched on a mountainside near the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. Its location provides a fantastic view of Utah Valley. While it’s worth visiting just for the view, residents can also enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities at the reservoir. It’s popular for swimming, kayaking and fishing, and a sandy beach provides a great place to relax. There’s playground equipment and restrooms, and a variety of hiking trails can be accessed from the reservoir site. Camp sites and RV spots are available. The reservoir opens March 1 and remains open through November (weather and conditions permitting).

Play In A Real Rock Band 37

Real Rock Band is program established in 2008 by Paradox Entertainment and Boothe Bros. Music and held at the Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork. Participants are placed in bands with other people of compatible age, experience and music preference. Students perform live in a concert at the Angelus Theatre at the culmination of the program as well as participate in various performance opportunities along the way. Band members meet weekly during the summer in a two-hour session with bandmates and a coach to learn and perfect their songs.

Visit Some Yard Sales 38

Rise early on a Saturday morning and start combing your local neighborhoods for unexpected finds. As soon as the weather warms up in south Utah Valley, people start cleaning out their homes and garages and putting items up for sale, often at extremely cheap prices. Don’t miss out! Or, hold your own sale and turn your unwanted goods into money. The websites for both Spanish Fork and Salem cities have pages where the public can list yard sales for free and see where sales are taking place.

Volunteer Where You See A Need 39

Local schools, churches, community organizations — there are needs everywhere, and volunteers are the answer. Find one that suits you and/or your family and help build the community and your local quality of life. You’ll feel great about yourself, plus, as an added benefit, you’ll meet new friends! If you need ideas for where help might be needed, visit justserve.org or contact your local city offices by scanning the QR codes.