DJ and Steve Conger have been named the 2019 Pony Express Days Grand Marshals.
In 1999, only a few years after the city’s incorporation, DJ and Steve Conger moved from Washington state to Eagle Mountain City. Steve was seeking employment as a firefighter and began his service in the community as a fire volunteer. Consequently, DJ became involved in the Firefighter’s Auxiliary and was part of the original Pony Express Days Committee.
Twenty years later the Congers have built an impressive résumé of community involvement.
DJ has served in the schools as part of PTA/Community Councils, theater productions, and the Ballroom Dance Team. She has been employed for the past several years as a special education educator at the elementary, middle, and high school level. DJ has also been a Girl Scout leader.
“I’m excited to start work at Cedar Valley High School this year,” DJ said. “While I’ve enjoyed working at Westlake, my heart is in this valley. It’s where my kids are. Not just my own kids but all the kids I have worked with over the years.”
Steve spent 13 years with the Eagle Mountain City Fire Department and transitioned to employment with Unified Fire Authority when the city contracted with them six years ago. He was instrumental in establishing the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Community Safety Program and has taught numerous CPR, First Aid, and Babysitter Safety (assisted by DJ) classes. A Scoutmaster for the past decade, the Congers once taught 300 merit badge classes in one week.
“I think of myself as the friendly neighborhood fireman,” Steve said. “I’ve been around long enough that when I respond on calls, people often recognize me and being familiar with me brings a certain comfort level to them, which makes me happy.”
Through his experience as a firefighter/paramedic Steve saw a need to have a place in the city for loved ones who had died to be laid to rest close to home and asked to be part of the city’s new cemetery board. The Pony Express Memorial Cemetery was completed in 2014 and Steve continues to serve on the board and organizes the Memorial Day program each year.
The Congers enjoy supporting each other in all that they do and have raised three children in Eagle Mountain – Drew, 19, Jacob, 18, and Lucy, 14. They say they got involved in the community at first because the city was new and with such a small population they felt the need to know their neighbors. This developed into lasting friendships, and even as the city has grown, the small town feeling lingers, as so many people are new and come from a variety of places.
A fun way the Congers stay connected with the community is for the past 10 years they have constructed a pirate ship in their yard for Halloween and serve homemade donuts and root beer to visitors. In spite of the increased numbers who show up they have no immediate plans to stop this tradition at their beloved home.
Eagle Mountain City thanks DJ and Steve Conger for all they have contributed to the community and is honored to have them serve as this year’s Pony Express Days Grand Marshals.
