Features
Lehi teen’s float wins big at Lehi Parade
Ryann Anderegg | Lehi Free Press
When the Chappel Valley 2nd Ward needed someone to step up and build their float for Lehi’s beloved Round-Up Parade, one young woman answered the call with enthusiasm, creativity and community spirit. Anjalee Olson, who leaves for her mission to Oaxaca, Mexico, on July 28, used some of the final weeks of her summer to take on the challenge and ended up creating a showstopper that won the Sweepstakes and People’s Choice awards.
“I have always loved the parade. I love Round-Up Week,” Olson said. “It’s one of my favorite parts of living in Lehi, and it’s an amazing hometown tradition.”
Olson got involved after noticing that no one was volunteering to build the ward’s float, despite repeated announcements at church. “I was in Sacrament meeting, and my bishop announced that we have a float. … Week after week, no one was volunteering,” she said. “So I just decided this would be my last shabang before I leave on my mission: I’m just going to make a float.”
That spontaneous decision turned into a community-wide effort. Olson, with the help of her mom and many ward members, poured weeks into planning, building and perfecting the float. “My mom and I tackled the float, came up with a cute theme, and just dove in and went for it,” she said. “A lot of people in our ward pitched in. It was awesome. It was all a group effort; I just organized it.”
The theme was “Adventure Awaits: Are We There Yet?,” a nostalgic and clever family road trip concept centered around a vibrant, vintage Volkswagen bus. “We wanted to do something funny and a little different,” Olson explained.
What started as a simple idea became a showcase of innovation and talent. Olson used technology, including 3D printing, to build and detail parts of the float. She coordinated volunteers through a Facebook group and a Sign-Up Genius link, delegating tasks to different ward members who brought artistic flair and helping hands. “I’ve learned that you can’t rush artistic people,” she laughed. “They’re on their own timeline, but their artistic abilities are amazing. It all worked out better than I expected.”
Trial and error were part of the creative process. “We ended up redoing a bunch of things,” she said. “We’d say, ‘Oh, I don’t like that color,’ or, ‘That’s not working.’ So we’d just fix it and move forward. You kind of play with it until it all comes together.”
The float, with its eye-catching design and lighthearted theme, stood out among dozens of entries and captured the hearts of both judges and parade-goers. Winning awards was an unexpected bonus for Olson, who built her first-ever float from scratch. “It was better than I ever imagined it could be,” she said. “I just love Lehi, and I love that we can still do fun traditions like this,” she said. “Usually, I’m sitting back admiring the floats, and it was fun to hop in and actually build one. I truly have grown an appreciation for how much work it takes.”
Even with the short timeline, her hard work paid off not just with awards, but with memories and connections that will last far longer than the parade. “It was really fun, and I’m grateful I live in Lehi and can be a part of these small-town traditions,” Olson shared.
The float stands as a colorful, heartfelt sendoff and a symbol of what can happen when one person steps up, gets creative and brings a community together.
