Days of ’47

Yep, it’s Pioneer Day in Utah. Time for the Days of ’47 Parade – the biggest parade of the year in Utah. People set up camp on the parking strips the night before in order to reserve their preferred spots.

We live one street away from the main parade route. Of course, in the 10 years my husband has owned this house, we’ve never once walked over to see the parade. In fact, the last (and only) time I ever watched the parade in person was 11 years ago. I used to watch it on TV when I was a kid, though.

This morning I decided to break my non-parade-watching tradition, and walk over to see at least part of it. I mean, after all, it’s only a few yards away. But personally, if I’m going to a parade, I’d rather it be something a bit more fun, like the St. Patrick’s Day parade, or the Gay Pride Parade. The best parade I ever went to was the Doo-Dah Parade in Pasadena, where I was treated to such entries as the Marching Frida Kahlos, and the precision briefcase drill team.

Nonetheless, it was a lovely day for parade watching, and while we didn’t stay for the whole thing, I can at least say I did it. And I shall now torture you with my home movies photos.

Of course, click any thumbnail for bigger.

This one was very cute. Seagulls grilling crickets on the barbie.	“Creative Pioneering” – a shaggy dog pulling a stagecoach, being motivated by marshmallows (?) on a stick.	Men in Kilts!
Aye, there be Pirates here!	Utah’s version of Captain Jack Sparrow, I presume.	Paso Fino horses, showing off their beautiful gait.
A little Hawaiian Tropic?	Parade crowd. No, I don’t know what the guy in the lower right corner is smoking.	More crowd. Yep, they definitely line the streets.

I must admit that one of the most amusing items I saw was along the marathon route rather than the parade route. Somebody certainly has a sense of humor with their business name: