Cedar Fort enters county-sponsored decorative bull contest

  September 3, 2017, 10:56 am

By Charlynn Anderson

The Utah County Fair on August 16-19 will not only fill the Spanish Fork Fair Grounds with the traditional prize-winning produce and livestock, but will also host a new community-themed contest featuring painted plywood bulls. Utah County Fair organizers provided the plywood cutouts to each city and town along with the challenge of decorating the bulls to represent their unique communities.

Alisha Anderson designed Cedar Fort's entry for the bull contest and painted the bull with the help of local artist Cheri Jensen and family members Ewan Anderson and Charlynn Anderson. Their creation rode in the back of Mayor Howard Anderson's truck in Cedar Fort's July 24^th Parade.

The artists' concept for Cedar Fort's bull entry emphasizes the wide expanse of the Western sky. The tiny town of Cedar Fort, as the farthest west community in Utah County, is lighted by the Oquirrh sunset. On its right side, the bull features the Oquirrh Mountain skyline silhouetted against a brilliant sunset. Representing the farmers and ranchers of Cedar Fort, a field of world-renowned hard winter wheat angles toward the mountains surrounded by the native sage brush.

On its left side, the bull showcases horses and a horseshoe, symbolic of the townsfolk's' passion for horses and rodeo. The horses are framed by the native juniper trees that the pioneers dubbed "cedars." Early settlers used the "cedars" to build a fort, giving the town the name Cedar Fort.

The bull's chest and legs represent relics of the area's past, showing Native American petroglyphs and stones from the old stone wall that formed part of the pioneer fort. Both antiquities are still visible in Cedar Fort.

The bull's hindquarters are branded with the Cedar Fort town logo. Overarching the mountains on both sides and extending to the bull's head is the starry night sky. The swirling galaxies and the sprinkling of stars highlight the country town's unparalleled night views where star-gazers can escape the city lights and contemplate endless space.

The bull will be displayed at the Utah County Fair, August 16-19 at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds on South Main Street, Spanish Fork. A photo of each bull along with an option to vote for your favorite is available at the Utah County website: www.utahcounty.gov/bulls.