Hope Of America

I had never been to Hope of America before this year. Most likely because I did not have any kids who participated before and I am still a newbie to Utah. Wait...do they do Hope of America in other states?? I still am mostly clueless as to the origins and reach of the program. I do know that lots of kids participate, and it is a LOOOOOOOOONG program. June brought home a CD ages ago and I know she learned most of the songs. I just followed along like a good mom and made sure she was ready on time. 

Even better, there was a mom from her class who was working at the show, so she volunteered to take a car load of kids early. Perfect. Now there was no chance that I could do something wrong and make her late. I packed her a lunch/dinner and sent her on her way.

Good thing too. The flyer warned about heavy traffic and they weren't kidding. But I stressed less, because performing child was already there.

Arriving on the scene, we found some suitable seats and I went to locate June to give her a general idea of where we were sitting. (Very general, since she really couldn't see anything from where she was. After all, the lights were shining on them.) She got to sit by her bestie.

Notice June was wearing a pink jacket. When they were getting ready to take the pictures, they were making sure everyone looked right and they announced that someone had pink in their lap. Not sure if that was June, but I noticed she took off her jacket in a hurry.

Okay. They are all ready to go. Take your picture and let's get this show on the road!

The songs sounded great and the kids did such a good job. They weren't the hardest moves to learn, but there were still plenty of songs to get right. 

There were other numbers between the kids singing. My favorite was a group of older ladies. (54-96 years of age. Sorry I can't remember the name of the group.) They did a fun number and then came back later wearing ears and fox tails. Bet you can't guess what music they danced to.

My other favorite number was the finale. They turned off all the lights and all the kids took out their flashlights. This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it is cool nonetheless.

It was a bit of a long evening, but worth it over all. Those are some great kids. They certainly are the hope of America.

*A big thanks to Tyler who brought the binoculars. And a reminder to bring both pairs next time.