2006 American Fork fest will be known as American Days

AMERICAN FORK — A week after the razing of Geneva Steel, American Fork put another nail in Utah County's steel-era coffin by deciding to drop the name Steel Days from its annual festival.

Members of the committee that organizes Steel Days voted June 30 to change the festival's name to American Days. The change will take effect next year.

"We've celebrated Steel Days for 60 years, and the community and the Steel Days committee felt it was time for a change," said Kelly Sobotka, chairman of the committee. "With Geneva Steel being torn down over the next year, we felt it was time."

The event has been known as Steel Days since 1945, when Columbia Steel was the largest employer in Utah County and the cornerstone of the American Fork economy.

Sobotka said the committee has been discussing a name change for a few years, and a number of options were considered.

In the end, though, American Days made the most sense, he said.

"There are only four cities in the United States that have the word American in their name, and American Fork is by far the largest of them," Sobotka said. "We thought it was a tribute to our city, and we're all Americans first, before anything else."

American Days will be the festival's fifth name in its 140-year history. It began in 1865 as Timber Day, a one-day celebration named after The Timbers, a grove on the edge of town where the town picnic was held.

From 1914 to 1926, the celebration, called Liberty Days, was on the Fourth of July. By 1927, the poultry industry had become the dominant force in American Fork, and the festival was rechristened Poultry Day.

But despite the changing name, the festival itself has been a constant in American Fork history. Since 1865, there have been only six years when it was not observed: from 1932-34 because of the Great Depression and from 1942-44 because of World War II.

Sobotka said the newest name has had a favorable reception in general.

"There have been some members of the older generation who have expressed concern, but most of the general public welcomes the change," he said. "A lot of people have asked why it's called Steel Days."

The farewell installment of Steel Days continues today with a carnival at Robinson Park, 100 E. Main, and a performance by Diamond Rio at the American Fork High School football field at 7 p.m.

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Plenty of activities at Am.F. Steel Days