11.05.2010

Sheep Parade

We spent Halloween with Kristen's parents in Cedar City, but what we didn't realize was that our trip also coincided with the town's annual sheep parade—the "highlight event" of the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival.

What exactly is a sheep parade, you ask? Well, there's the usual procession of horses fertilizing the pavement, bag pipers playing the "Books of the New Testament" primary song, county beauty queens waving awkwardly, and strangers throwing candy at you.

But for the grand finale, approximately one thousand sheep are herded down Main Street, "providing an exciting glimpse of the Old West and its livestock heritage to spectators along the route."

Coincidentally, we were situated on the parade route right across the street from the old Cedar Theatre. I had already taken some shots of the Cedar earlier this year, but how many opportunities am I gonna get to photograph a theater with a herd of sheep charging across the foreground? It has quickly become one of my favorite Cinematic Utah images.