(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sarah Blair, 7, plays a game with her grandfather Ken Blair as they wait for the Days of 47 parade to begin. Ken Blair is a member of the Sons of Utah Pioneers.
housands turn out for Days of ’47 parade
Aubrey Zeller knew her facial muscles would be aching Saturday, so the South Jordan beauty queen decided to sleep in. Zeller and attendants Chloe Hyde and Portia Williams were supposed to be on their Days of ’47 parade float by 5:30 Saturday morning, but they knew that with all the smiling, waving and dancing ahead, a late arrival was worth a few more hours of beauty sleep. The trio was among the thousands who flocked to downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday for the Days of ’47 Parade, commemorating the day Brigham Young and many LDS pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Heidi Phelps developed a healthy respect for her ancestors by dressing in pioneer garb and pulling a handcart. Trying to wrangle her three children proved the biggest challenge, and Phelps was grateful to be walking with family who could help carry her 5-month-old, Wyatt. “My arms are already tired,” she said at the parade start, South Temple and State Street.
Temperatures in the 80s proved trying for those in costume, and caused plenty of trouble behind the scenes. “The hotter it gets, usually the more problems we run into,” said “float doctor” Gary Johnson. Several floats had battery issues or ran out of gas, requiring jumps, tows or fill-ups from volunteers. Johnson and his friend Brent Thomas ended up towing one, but most survived the route.
The warm weather did not deter turnout. Thousands lined the parade route to cheer on marchers in traditional pioneer garb, a long lineup of state and city officials, pageant queens, marching bands, clowns, horses, wagons, cowboys, floats of all types and sizes and military personnel.
The parade is a family tradition of more than two decades for Connie Wilson. She arrived about 4 a.m. to stake out a spot in front of the Carlton Hotel on South Temple. The early arrival allowed Wilson and her family to enjoy the parade in style, sitting in camp chairs on a carpet remnant shaded by a canopy. “Just bring what you can,” is Wilson’s advice for enjoying the parade in comfort.
Early arrival did not guarantee prime seating at Liberty Park. Meridian Brown and her boyfriend, John Jennings, arrived at 1 a.m. but failed to secure their desired spot. “By the time we got here, all the good spots were taken,” Brown said.
Others, like Chuck Hewlett, see no need to arrive early. Hewlett set up his camp chairs under the cooling shade of Eagle Gate. His view was almost completely blocked, but the shade was well worth it. “We just stand up when we see a float come by,” Hewlett said. “We don’t like to stress out over things.”
The parade even attracts residents of surrounding states. Bruno and Barbara Ponsi, of Casa Grande, Ariz., spent the last 15 days touring Utah and chanced upon the parade while visiting Temple Square. Most of their tour group had left the state the day before, but the couple wanted to see downtown Salt Lake City. “We lucked out,” Bruno Ponsi said.
The parade was first held in 1849, along with a rodeo, by the new settlers. The current Days of ’47 celebration was created in 1943.
The parade served as a starting point to a full day of pioneer-themed activities. Days of ’47 Inc., the nonprofit company behind the parade, sponsored events at the Pioneer Heritage Festival at This Is the Place Heritage Park and the Days of ’47 Rodeo.
Others have created their own family traditions. Mike Carn and his family planned to eat a lunch fit for Brigham Young at the Lion House, a tradition nearly two decades old that he began with his wife soon after they were married.
Lesley Mitchell and Samuel Weigley contributed to this story.
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