Alpine Day Parade

My cousin Sara forwarded this to me... The Crown Jewel of the Parade! In the back of the car: My dad (with the hat... always!), My Aunt Clink and her oldest son Damon! What a fun picture!

Alpine woman celebrating 100th birthday as parade grand marshal

This is my darling, sweet Grandma Adams...
Bertha Adams sits on her front porch overlooking the Utah Valley. Bertha has lived in the same home in Alpine for the past 80 years and plans to live there many more. One week before her 100 birthday she is being honored as Alpine City's Grand Marshal at this Saturday's parade.
By Ashley King

Story:

Alpine City was established in 1860, and while much has changed during that time, there aren't many residents who have personal memories of the area before it grew to its current population of more than 10,000.

Longtime resident Bertha Adams has lived in Alpine for 80 years though, so she has witnessed more than half of the city's history with her own eyes. This month marks Adams's 100th birthday, and as a fitting tribute, Bertha Elthera Brems Adams will celebrate her century status as Grand Marshal of the Alpine Days parade on Saturday.

Adams was born on Aug. 21, 1910, in Lehi, Utah to John and Margarett Wilcox Brems. Her maternal grandmother crossed the plains with the Mormon pioneers as a baby and her father immigrated to Utah from Germany at the age of 8.

Adams lived her first 20 years in Lehi before moving to Alpine in 1930 after marrying Alpine resident John Quincy Adams in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.

They traveled alone on the interurban streetcar that traveled from Provo to Salt Lake City and were married in the Salt Lake Temple.

"On the way back they stopped at a drug store where their wedding luncheon cost them 35 cents for both meals, and when the waitress found out they were newlyweds she brought them a piece of cake to celebrate," said neighbor and friend Peggy Dowse.

The couple arrived back in Lehi and then walked the two and a half miles to her in-laws' property, where Adams still resides.

"My father built me two rooms of a house because he didn't want me to live with the in-laws," Adams said.

Her dad said if John could get some property he would help them build a one-room home, and from then on they saved and bought one board at a time to finish each room as their family grew, Dowse said. They never went into debt for anything.

The couple eventually added on to the house to accommodate their six children -- Vivian LuDene, David Morrell, Francis Delaine, Margaret Jane, Cleora Elthera and John Brems Adams <-----That's my Dad!

In addition to being a mother, Adams is a grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, and great-great-great grandmother, but she doesn't keep track of how many descendants she has.

"I told my husband he could keep track because he started it," Adams said.

While Adams has plenty of family around, she still lives on her own and does most things for herself, including cooking, weeding and light laundry.

Adams has been a member of Daughters of Utah Pioneers for 78 years and enjoys writing short stories and poems, including a poem in honor of this year's city celebration. She is an active member of the LDS Church, which she said is the best thing in her life, and for which she and her husband served a Stake mission from 1958-1960.

Adams spent much of her life quilting and crocheting and is a talented musician.

"I play the piano and guitar," Adams said. "I also sang with the Relief Society Singing Mothers at General Conference."

In addition, she helped to organize what was called The Fun Band, which included instrumentalists from Alpine and American Fork, according to the Alpine City website. They enjoyed performing all over the valley.

Adams plans to live several more years in her home over-looking the valley.

"My brother lived to be 105 and another was 102," explained Adams.

"She is excited, and feels honored for all the celebrations planned," Dowse said, "but would generally just rather be home, snug in her favorite place with visitors on her porch."

UTAH

By Bertha Brems Adams

*This poem was written by Adams for the 2010 Alpine Days Celebration.

It's Utah, the State of Utah

The goal of our pioneers.

Their courage and dreams as they pushed their way

Through life's death and tears.

Its Utah they set out to conquer.

For Zion was at the end of the trail

They listened to words of council

With faith they would never fail.

I myself have traveled the States of our Country

And visited the wonders so great,

But none can compare with the City of Alpine

And our own beautiful Utah State!

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_72ae818e-776e-5a96-958c-9cc4df19f6fb.html

4 Generations!