 Like many other Utahans, Angela Keele remembers learning a childhood song about a place where bees buzz in peppermint trees, the bluebird sings, and there are lemonade springs and soda water fountains. She just never imagined that one day, she would grow up to be the general manager of Big Rock Candy Mountain, located in Marysvale about 20 minutes south of Richfield on U.S. Highway 89. "1 remember coming through here as a child on summer vacation. I loved it then, so when I got the chance to come down here and take this job, it was like a dream come true. I always wanted to live in a small town and here I am." Keele has managed the Big Rock Candy Mountain resort for the past for years. She moved to Marysvale in 1996 to oversee the renovation and restoration of the facility, which includes an inn, camp ground, conference center and restaurant. "It was named Big Rock Candy Mountain because of its caramel-colored rock formations," Keele says. "It looks just like a huge chocolate and caramel sundae." The mountain and resort was made famous when actor Burl Ives recorded the song by folklorist Harry McClintock, and it still holds its magical appeal for Keele and the more than 2,500 people who visit each year. "The song was originally written by McClintock who was a brakeman on the Rio Grande Railroad that used to run behind the mountain," Keele says. 'The folklore says that the hobos used to ride the rails and get off here because the people here would feed them and let them stay here, and it was just a nice place. They sang about the lemonade springs and the bluebird singing because it was so peaceful." The Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort includes river side cabins with indoor plumbing (some of which have kitchenettes), a country inn, the Big Rock Cafe, a gift store and candy store that, among other things, sells rock candy" that resembles pebbles and crystals. The resort also offers a two-hour, six-mile river raft ride down the Sevier River, tent camping area with fire pits are barbecues, RV parking, fishing, swimming, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, kayaking, windsurfing, sightseeing tours and access to ATV trails.  The facility opens each year on Easter, kicking off the season with a big Easter Egg hunt, and remains open until Dec. 1. For more information on Big Rock Candy Mountain, call 1-888-560-ROCK.
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