Awesome Autistic Ogden holds fair to build support for neurodivergent residents
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- The Eighth Annual Awesome Autistic Ogden community fair was held at Ogden’s Eccles Dinosaur Park on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
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- The Eighth Annual Awesome Autistic Ogden community fair was held at Ogden’s Eccles Dinosaur Park on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
OGDEN — Several hundred adults, children and families gathered at the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden on Saturday for the eighth annual Awesome Autistic Ogden community fair.
The event has grown from humble beginnings, according to organizer and Ogden School District Board of Education member Stacy Bernal, who told the Standard-Examiner that it originated in 2018 with a social media prompt and a small gathering in downtown Ogden.
“We had maybe 25 or 30 people who showed up that first time and it was just a little thing and then I thought, ‘Well what if I put more than five days worth of effort into it?'” Bernal said.
The following year, 14 vendors and roughly 300 people came to the second event at Weber State University’s Alumni Center, and it has continued to grow from there. The mission, Bernal says, is to raise awareness and connect those with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, other neurodivergent people, people with disabilities and their families with important resources, information and support — particularly in Northern Utah, where those things may be in short supply.
“There is a concentration of resources in Salt Lake, but what we do have in other parts of the state, we want to make sure that people know about it and that they’re getting that information and access,” Bernal said. “I try to invite as many vendors locally who do offer resources in Northern Utah as I can so that we can help families know what is out there.”
That includes organizations like Canine Companions, the NUHOPE Task Force, Help Me Grow Utah, Ogden Pride and many others. Bernal also aims to feature the talents of people diagnosed with ASD.
“This year I had more autistic vendors, which is my goal,” Bernal said. “I mean, it’s great to offer resources to families, but also I want to highlight and elevate autistic people. My son loves to show off his drawings, so for him to have his binder and just to be able to kind of bring people into his world, that’s what I love. This year, we had a couple authors and a couple artists.”
Bernal also praised the Dinosaur Park and its staff for accommodating the event and making the facility and grounds “sensory friendly.”
For the last four years, Bernal has also worked with the Autism After 21 initiative in Utah. She says that helping individuals diagnosed with ASD maintain a level of support and community is a key issue locally.
“What can we be doing in Weber County, specifically, to help these, especially once they age out of the school system, once they’re adults?” Bernal said. “The resources really kind of fall off this cliff. So, there are starting to be some more resources, definitely, from my experience. My son is almost 20 and I do feel like we’re seeing more resources become available. But there’s always a need.”
Ultimately, it’s about fostering understanding and inclusion for Bernal, who hopes to organize Awesome Autistic Ogden events with increased frequency in the future.
“As a parent, you learn a lot. I have seen my son be excluded and I’ve seen him be left out and I’ve seen people that don’t understand what autism is,” she said. “I want to make sure that autistic people are safe. I want to make sure that they’re understood and that that we can recognize them … I want people to understand and see them.”
