Pioneer Day in Utah

We celebrated the 24th of July, the day that the first Mormon Pioneers came into the valley, at This Is The Place State Park...It was a great day celebrating our Pioneer Heritage. My Great, Great, Great Grandfather Perry Fitzgerald came in the first Pioneer Company with Brigham Young. He was a scout and was one of the first men who came into the valley. For his profession, he was a blacksmith and owned horses. The men who were in the first company, often referred to as the the Vanguard company, were mainly chosen because of their skills. They paved the way for those who followed. How grateful I am for my heritage and the legacy that those ancestors of mine left for me and my family.

We started the day at the Social Hall watching Native American dancers and then we headed up the street to the pioneer school. My mom and dad, both got in trouble with the teacher for talking during 'class' ...my Dad got the paddle board and my Mom had to stand in timeout up against the wall with her nose pushed up against the wall and her arms behind her back...it was comical to say the least, especially because my Mom is a school teacher.

After class ended, we headed to the ponies. Sadie enjoyed riding them so much, we couldn't wipe the smile off her face. The kids enjoyed the blacksmith shop and Samuel enjoyed his first real shave. We ate lunch under a covered patio as an afternoon thunderstorm poured down, then we watched the pioneer parade, the candy cannon and hopped on the train to head up to pan for gold in the stream at the top of the park, definitely Maggie's favorite thing. The kids rode another smaller train, explored a teepee and a Navajo roundhouse and sweat lodge and then we hopped back on the train for a ride back down to Main Street to seek some relief in the shade, change a diaper, and watch the train get robbed.