Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day is an official state holiday in Utah (July 24th) which makes it a little easier for Utahns to celebrate the impact of the pioneers, especially the Mormon pioneers, had in the development of their state. In Arizona, California, and other areas where there is a significant Mormon population, the Mormons have to make do with a Saturday close to the 24th. In Snowflake, Arizona, there is also an effort to be inclusive and remember those who came as non-Mormon pioneers and even those who added to the town's growth by pioneering in other ways and times.

There were probably several pancake breakfasts that we could have participated in but we chose to eat breakfast prepared by our hosts Keith and Sue. Their daughter Nancy and her family joined us.

We then drove over to Snowflake to watch the parade. Not knowing where the parade route was exactly, we lucked into a spot close to the beginning of the parade with lots of good shade and an unobstructed view. The parade was well organized and moved along with few pauses. It lasted an hour. It seemed much more organized and stuck to the theme better than our town's Fourth of July parade which is about the same size.

Snowflake's parade was short on floats but they did have:

orchestra wagons


stagecoaches


carriages


pioneer family themes


and even a Bobcat popping wheelies

And for the kids watching the parade from our vantage point, it was better than Halloween. Almost every float, vehicle, group, or other tossed out candy or frozen cellophane Popsicles. Lots of fun.