Pioneer Day in Mendon

The 24th of Jully is an official holiday in Utah.  It commemorates the entry of the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.  It's a pretty big deal in Mendon.  We have LOVED the 24th Celebration there for the last 8 years and since we moved last year, we have counted the days to our 9th Pioneer Day on the Square.


I started the day with a 5K WALK at 6:30am.  It's technically a RUN, but since I would rather stick pokey things in my eyes than run anywhere, I opted to just walk it.  


At 12:00, we gathered in the driveway of our former neighbor's home to watch the parade down Main Street.  

Here they are having their lovely brunch outside as the parade goes by.  Aren't they so cute?  Only in Mendon is this possible.

After the parade, we met the rest of our family at the park to watch the Great Race.  That's like a giant relay race between the five wards in the area.  250 people gather on the softball field to eat watermelons, chug root beer, ride tricycles, and saw logs until they get to the last leg where the Bishopric of each ward competes in a pie eating contest.  It's a pretty fun thing to watch.  In 9 years, I've never personally participated, but our family has definitely been represented on the field.  The Scout Master has sawed logs and eaten watermelons.  Savannah and Emma have been taffy eaters.  McKay has been a tricycle rider.  And each time, I have cheered happily from the sidelines for the 3rd Ward.  This year, Savannah was on the brick race team.  

 The cousins all gathered in the gazebo to watch.

After the Great Race, the Mendon Fire Trucks drove onto the middle of the soccer fields for the Hose Down.   It's like a giant foamy bubble bath in the middle of the park. 

 Uncle Dan captured Megan and dragged her into the foamy fun!

  um...then, two little boys decided to play in the giant mud puddle left AFTER the Hose Down...if only I had gotten there sooner to take pictures while they were IN it...they looked like two small hippos rolling around in the mud!

Savannah and her friend, Elise, had a Mani/Pedi booth set up from 11am until 8pm.  They were busy throughout the day.  And at the end, they each made $72!!  

Aunt Nance couldn't resist adding a little bling to her already gorgeous toes!

There were inflatable jumpy toys and more fun in the afternoon.  (Since my kids are now old enough to play by themselves and not require any assistance, I went back to the Gr's house and snuck in a 30 minute power nap!)  

For dinner, we met the rest of the family and had Navajo Tacos!   This is a borrowed picture and it doesn't come close to looking as delicious as the actual one I had, but I was way too busy eating to stop and take pictures.  I have been waiting an entire YEAR to eat one of these, which is probably silly because I bet I could make them myself.  But there's something about eating them at the park in Mendon on the 24th of July that makes them even more delicious.  Even without meat, they're super yummy!!

After dinner, the Scout Master and I wandered around visiting with people we had somehow missed over the last 20 days.  And then we met the rest of the family again for fireworks.  We brought glow sticks and sparklers to entertain the younger kids until it was dark enough to start the fireworks show, and they were a HUGE hit.  The Scout Master found super huge sparklers that were 4 feet long!  And I think this was the best fireworks show I've seen in Mendon in 9 years!

We had a great day especially because all of our family got to participate with us this year.  I'm not sure we'll make it back to Mendon for the 10th Celebration in a row for our family, but this year was amazing.  It was the perfect end to a great month!  

Happy Pioneer Day!!