Ogden, UT—Ogden’s Holiday Electric Light Parade and Gala will feature someone special this year. This year’s Grand Marshal, who was selected through the Make-A-Wish Foundation is Logan Knapp. He has experienced hardships with his health, but it hasn’t stopped him from having fun. Logan and his family are ecstatic to have him honored as this year’s Grand Marshal. 

Special Events Manager, Darrin Clarke, at Admiral Beverage Company said this about his experience, “Meeting with the Make-A-Wish child and their families to find out all about them, hearing everything they are overcoming, and what makes them happy is such an amazing experience. From seeing the sparkle of excitement in their eyes when they see their float, to riding on it during the parade and then turning on the lights to Christmas Village brings a smile and joy to us all. They have such positive attitudes, and their happiness is so contagious! It is a very rewarding and magical event to participate in.” 

Each year, generous businesses offer their support to help make the event special for the child being honored. For the 9th consecutive year, Admiral Beverage Corporation (Pepsi) will decorate the honorary float that Logan and his family will be on. Each year the theme of the float is a surprise and tailored to each child. A special thank you goes out to local businesses, Minky Couture, Dillard’s, and Ogden City for the wonderful gifts donated to Logan and his family during this special event. 

A little bit about Logan as told by his mother, Kellie Knapp. 

When Logan was 6 years old, he slid headfirst and backward off a slide onto his shoulder. He was in intense pain, so we took him to the ER for a suspected broken collarbone. While going over his medical history, we mentioned to the ER doctor that Logan looked a little pale, but other than that everything was normal. Several x-rays later, there was no sign of anything broken but his blood test results for his pale color revealed Logan had Leukemia. We immediately pulled him out of kindergarten to spend his days at Primary Children’s Hospital where he fought so hard to beat his cancer.

A month into treatment, Logan began to lose his eyesight from complications caused by his chemotherapy. He required emergency surgery to save his vision, which was a success. A couple of months later, he experienced a life-threatening allergic reaction to a different chemotherapy, which had him go into anaphylactic shock. He received epi injections, before losing consciousness causing a code blue. Logan was revived and made a full recovery. He is now 8 years old and after months of intense treatment, he is in remission! He still receives chemotherapy and treatment, but he’ll ring the bell in May 2024. 

This road has been bumpy, for every hard time Logan has faced, he has experienced 100 unbelievable blessings. Our entire family has been surrounded by SO many incredible people in this community. The love and generosity we have felt and received is overwhelming and we could not be more grateful. Early in Logan’s treatment, he told us " I’m so grateful I got cancer. Most people don’t know there are this many nice people in the world until they are grown up, but because I got cancer when I was 6, I get to go my WHOLE life knowing how nice people really are.” 

The holiday parade will start at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 25th. The parade begins on Washington Blvd. at 22nd and will continue south to 27th Street. The Christmas Village Opening Gala will start at 6:30 p.m. immediately following the parade. The ceremony is held annually on the Ogden Amphitheater Stage. 

Santa along with other special guests will be there with Logan to turn on the official light switch kicking off the Christmas Village 2023 season. The opening gala will be closed out by a crowd-thrilling fireworks show over the illuminated Christmas Village. 

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About Ogden Amphitheater

The facility and employees strive to offer each guest a first-class experience when visiting. Whether you are an event producer, a performing artist, or a guest in the audience we assure you that you will feel at home. With over 90 events each year ranging from major concerts to private weddings, the Amphitheater staff helps make your performance a success. The Arts, Culture, and Events team produces many signature events and welcomes artists to apply through our online artist application. We embrace diverse community programming and encourage everyone to consider utilizing this gem of a venue when planning their next event.

Contact: Regina Esparza 

Marketing & Communication Coordinator 

Ogden City Arts, Culture & Events 801-629-8703/ reginae@ogdencity.com