Wednesday ยท The Midweek Mix
Issue #70 ยท September 23, 2026
โ† All issues

Ten short films screen at Megaplex Geneva tonight

Plus local flowers in Pleasant Grove, moonlit lift rides at Sundance, and Saturday's Wings and Wheels airshow.

Good morning, Happy Valley.

Orem Film Festival screens ten shorts at Megaplex Geneva tonight. Every auditorium gets the full program, but auditoriums 8 and 9 have different filmmaker Q&As before the audience votes for its favorite.

You can also shop Utah-grown flowers in Pleasant Grove before noon, ride Outlaw Express under the harvest moon Thursday through Saturday, and see planes and classic cars at Spanish Fork Airport Saturday. Utah Lake's current algae advisories make this a week to keep people and pets out of the water.

๐Ÿ“ 30 seconds in the valleyโฑ๏ธ 9 min read

โญ The Big One

See ten short films at Orem Film Festival tonight Tonight at seven

See ten short films at Orem Film Festival tonight

Orem Film Festival puts ten documentary, animation, horror and drama shorts on the Megaplex screens in Vineyard tonight. Five were made in Utah, and the program ends with audience voting and three $1,000 filmmaker awards.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Wednesday, Sep 23 ยท 7pm ยท awards around 9:35pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Megaplex Theatres at Geneva ยท 600 Mill Rd, Vineyard ยท Vineyard
๐Ÿ’ตCost: $10 ยท includes reserved seating and a Swig drink coupon
โฐTiming: The screening starts at 7pm, includes a 15-minute intermission and reaches the award ceremony around 9:35pm in auditorium 8.
Our take
All ten films play in every auditorium. Choose auditorium 8 for Q&As tied to Suction, A Love Letter to My Parents and I Hid My Heart Inside My Head, or auditorium 9 for Moderator, Do Not Watch and Dear Pelican.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Several films carry content warnings for blood, mild language, discussions of sexual abuse, self-harm or mature themes. Read the program before bringing younger viewers.
budget independent filmlocal filmmakersa Wednesday night out

๐Ÿ“ฐ Around the Valley

Utah Lake keeps swimming warnings at several marinas

State water-quality monitors still list harmful algal bloom warnings around Utah Lake. Lindon Marina Beach carries the strongest notice, with people and pets told to keep out, while American Fork Beach, Lincoln Marina, Utah Lake State Park and Saratoga Springs Marina carry warnings against swimming or water skiing.
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Six UTA services keep detouring around Provo Central construction

University Avenue bridge construction continues to change stops and routing for UVX and routes 805, 821, 823, 831 and 850 near Provo Central Station. South University Avenue stops from 300 South to East Bay Boulevard are closed, with temporary stops at 920 South 100 West.
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๐Ÿ“… This Week

Shop Utah-grown flowers during one public hour Only before noon

Shop Utah-grown flowers during one public hour

Utah Flower Market brings locally grown, seasonal stems from area flower farmers to Grove Station each Wednesday. Florists shop first, then the market opens to everyone for its final hour.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Wednesday, Sep 23 ยท public shopping 11am-noon
๐Ÿ“Address: Grove Station ยท 273 S 2000 W, Pleasant Grove ยท Pleasant Grove
๐Ÿ’ตCost: No admission listed ยท flower prices vary
โฐTiming: Make this a late-morning stop and use the Grove Station soda shop after you choose your flowers.
Our take
Go between 11am and noon. The 9-11am block is reserved for wholesale florist shopping, so arriving early does not give the public a longer window.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Public shopping lasts one hour. Skip it if you cannot reach Pleasant Grove before noon.
budget fresh flowersa quick Wednesday stoplocal growers
Ride Outlaw Express under the harvest moon Final rides of 2026

Ride Outlaw Express under the harvest moon

Sundance runs its final Full Moon Lift Rides of the year Thursday through Saturday. The 30- to 45-minute ride climbs Outlaw Express after dark, with no hiking required.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Thursday, Sep 24 through Saturday, Sep 26 ยท 8:30-11pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Sundance Mountain Resort, base of Outlaw Lift ยท 8841 N Alpine Loop Rd, Sundance ยท Sundance
๐Ÿ’ตCost: Adults $38 ยท ages 6-12 and 65+ $33 ยท ages 5 and under free
โฐTiming: Choose Thursday if you want to avoid the Friday and Saturday night crowd. The ride itself takes up to 45 minutes.
Our take
Bring a puffy jacket and a blanket. The resort says riders often want both once the lift leaves the base, even when the valley feels warm.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Children must ride with an adult. Pets, including service animals, are not allowed on the chairlift, and hours can change with weather or mountain conditions.
mid date nightmountain viewsfamilies with older kids
Get to Wings and Wheels before the flying starts Buy before the gate

Get to Wings and Wheels before the flying starts

Spanish Fork Airport fills Saturday with an airshow, classic-car show, static aircraft tours, food vendors, WWII vehicles, autocross and free kids train rides. The flight schedule runs from formation aircraft at 10am through a car-versus-plane race at 2:40pm.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Saturday, Sep 26 ยท gates 9am ยท flying 10am ยท ends 4pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Spanish Fork Airport ยท 2050 N 300 W, Spanish Fork ยท Spanish Fork
๐Ÿ’ตCost: Ticketed ยท children 12 and under free with a reserved ticket ยท advance adult and teen tickets save $5
โฐTiming: Gates open one hour before flying begins. Paid parking lots cost $10, and the city map also marks free parking options.
Our take
Arrive before 10am for the first flight and the easiest pass through the gate. Reserve a free ticket for every child before you go.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Gate ticket sales are credit-card only. The airshow schedule can change for weather, FAA direction or aircraft availability, and warbird rides require appointments.
mid aircraftclassic carsfamilies
Shop the sunset market through dinner Thursday till nine

Shop the sunset market through dinner

Lindon City Center Park hosts more than 60 small local businesses Thursday night, with produce, eggs, honey, milk, meat, flowers, baked goods, soap, art, food trucks and local musicians.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Thursday, Sep 24 ยท 5-9pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Lindon City Center Park ยท 200 N State St, Lindon ยท Lindon
๐Ÿ’ตCost: No admission listed ยท food and vendor purchases vary
โฐTiming: Start with produce and baked goods before choosing dinner from the food trucks.
Our take
Go after 6pm if you want dinner from a food truck with the market. The September schedule stays open until 9pm; October markets close at 8pm.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: The market is outdoors and continues after sunset. Bring a layer if you plan to stay for the final hour.
budget local producesmall businessesan outdoor dinner

๐ŸŸ๏ธ The Scoreboard

Real Salt Lake tries to end a 12-match MLS winless run tonight

RSL lost 3-0 to Vancouver Saturday and fell to 8-12-5, 12th in the Western Conference. The soccer club goes straight into a road match at Seattle tonight.
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No. 24 Cougars host Baylor in Friday's Big 12 opener

BYU swept Utah State 25-19, 25-18, 25-17 Saturday to finish nonconference play at 8-1. The Cougars now host No. 18 Baylor in their first Big 12 volleyball match of the season.
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๐Ÿด Eat & Drink

Build a Tongan and Samoan combo plate at Leilani's Two choices for $15.95

Build a Tongan and Samoan combo plate at Leilani's

Leilani's Polynesian Place serves Tongan and Samoan plates in Lindon. The No. 6 combo pairs one premium meat, such as corned beef lu pulu, with one regular meat, such as chicken-and-vegetable sapa sui noodles.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Monday-Saturday ยท 11am-7pm ยท closed Sunday
๐Ÿ“Address: Leilani's Polynesian Place ยท 135 S State St, Suite 8 ยท Lindon
๐Ÿ’ตCost: No. 6 combo plate $15.95 ยท 16-ounce mango otai $6.50
โฐTiming: Go before 6pm so you have time to read the premium and regular meat lists before the 7pm close.
Our take
Order lu pulu and sapa sui if you want one rich coconut-and-taro-leaf meat with a lighter noodle side. Add the mango otai only if you want the drink to turn this into a full meal.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: The restaurant closes at 7pm, so this is an early dinner stop. Lu pulu uses corned beef, onions, coconut milk and taro leaves; sapa sui contains chicken and soy sauce.
budget Tongan foodSamoan foodan early dinner

๐Ÿ’ก Hidden Gem

Walk through Provo's free Pioneer Museum Free local history

Walk through Provo's free Pioneer Museum

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum next to North Park keeps pre-1900 furniture, clothing, tools, toys, dolls, quilts, art prints and photographs in a small building that is easy to miss from 500 West.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Monday and Wednesday ยท 4-7pm ยท Saturday 11am-3pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum ยท 560 N 500 W, Provo ยท Provo
๐Ÿ’ตCost: Free ยท donations welcome
โฐTiming: Give the museum about an hour, then walk across North Park rather than planning on the closed-for-the-season village.
Our take
Go Saturday when you can use the full four-hour window. Park between the museum and Pioneer Village, or use the Provo Recreation Center lot for the short walk.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Pioneer Village next door ended its regular season after Labor Day, but the museum keeps separate Monday, Wednesday and Saturday hours.
free local historya free hourolder kids and adults
Details โ†’

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Also Happening

๐Ÿš— See pre-1991 vehicles on Center Street

Friday from 5-8pm at 10 W Center St in downtown Provo, with pre-1991 cars, trucks and motorcycles, a Pinewood Derby, live music and free public admission.
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๐Ÿ›๏ธ Beehive Bazaar fills its new Provo shop

The fall handmade art and craft fair runs 10am-8pm through Saturday at The Beehive, 1595 N Freedom Blvd in Provo.
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๐ŸŽƒ Halloween Cruise starts Friday on the Provo River

Opening-night boats leave from 3606 W Center St in Provo from 6:15-9:30pm; the 20- to 25-minute pirate cruise costs $13, and online reservations are required.
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The Debate

๐Ÿ“ฐ Valley News

A 32-townhome project starts selling in south Provo

Cole West has opened sales at theLANA, a 32-townhome community at 898 East Lana Lane in Provo. The three-bedroom homes start at $449,900 and run from 1,543 to 1,583 square feet, with two-and-a-half bathrooms and two-car garages.
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BYU study finds AI phishing messages are hard to spot

A BYU-led study found participants correctly identified whether a spear-phishing message came from a person or AI only 52% of the time. AI-written messages landed above each participant's stated click threshold in about 28% of evaluations, compared with about 21% for human-written messages.
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๐Ÿ’™ Good Neighbor

Volunteer at tonight's USDC Wednesday Dance Contact the coordinator

Volunteer at tonight's USDC Wednesday Dance

Utah State Developmental Center volunteers help residents with line dances, assist people who use wheelchairs or simply join the music and movement during Wednesday Dance.
๐Ÿ•Hours: Wednesday, Sep 23 ยท 6:30-7:30pm
๐Ÿ“Address: Utah State Developmental Center ยท 895 N 900 E, American Fork ยท American Fork
๐Ÿ’ตCost: Free ยท appointment required
โฐTiming: Do not arrive as a walk-in. The center requires volunteer appointments and recommends Wednesday Dance as a first activity.
Our take
Contact the volunteer coordinator before going so you receive the correct building and arrival instructions for the large campus.
โš ๏ธ Heads up: Volunteers must be at least 14 and wear closed-toe shoes. Photos and videos of residents are not allowed.
free first-time volunteersages 14 and olderan hour of service

For a free plan, browse the Classics on Center car show Friday or visit Provo's Pioneer Museum Saturday. If you want the film festival tonight, choose your auditorium by the filmmaker Q&A lineup before you reserve a seat.

Reply with the event, restaurant opening, or neighborhood project we should check for Friday's issue.

โ€” The Provo FOMO crew
Got a tip, a new opening, or an event? Just reply โ€” we read everything.
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