This summer, the Heber Valley is marking our nation’s historic milestone not just with fireworks, but with paint, music, and storytelling. As the country approaches its 250th birthday on July 4th, our corner of Utah is bursting with arts events that invite every resident and visitor to participate in the celebration.

Free concerts in the park, patio shows at local restaurants, intimate backyard sessions, and ticketed concert events — it adds up to something for almost every night of the week.

This year, the Wasatch Back Art Festival comes to two locations. The Midway festival runs May 22, 23 & 25 at the Midway Community Center, and the Heber City festival returns July 24–26 at Heber Main Street Park. All work on display is original, created by the artists themselves.

Growth brings opportunity — but it also brings a question every fast-growing community eventually has to answer: what do we want to hold onto?