SANTA CLARA – This year Santa Clara’s Swiss Days celebrates the town’s 150th anniversary.
From Sept. 22-24, Santa Clara will be honoring its Swiss heritage with a combination of family-friendly events and activities.
Swiss Days officially kicks off with Opening Ceremonies at Santa Clara Town Hall at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept 22. A community dinner will be served and a concert will be performed by the Swiss Bell Ringers of Midvalley.
Festivities will continue at 2 p.m. on Friday, and will feature a plethora of events, including the return of world renowned Alpine yodeler Kerry Christensen. Christensen made his Swiss Days debut last year and will be yodeling away this year’s appearance at 8 p.m. on the main events stage.
On Saturday, the day starts off with a 5k run/walk at 7 a.m., followed by the Swiss Days Parade down Santa Clara Drive at 9 a.m. Entertainment for the day will include a performance by Alex Boye, a renowned gospel and blues singer and member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He will be on the main events stage at 2 p.m.
Other special events held during Swill Days include the 14th Annual Red Rocks Car Show at 1400 Santa Clara Drive, hands-on pioneer crafts and other activities for children, heritage displays, food and vending booths, a pie eating contest and repeat performances by the Swiss Bell Ringers and Kerry Christensen.
According to Kathleen Neilson, the coordinator of the Swiss Days celebration, the event was originally conceived in 1990 as a way to teach the youth of Santa Clara about their heritage. Since then Swiss Days has become a popular community happening.
Santa Clara was settled in 1861 by families the belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These families were primarily made up of Swiss immigrants who Brigham Young asked to settle the area and, as Neilson said, “grow grapes like they had in Switzerland.”
More information on Swiss Days events can be found at http://www.sccity.org/
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