The 24th of July is one of my favorite holidays! It marks the anniversary of the pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake valley in 1847. What a trek! No wonder they began celebrating this date just two years after their arrival! I'll bet I had ancestors participating in some of those early celebrations. My immediate family's history with the annual parade goes back decades. It has been a tradition since long before I was born. We were determined to watch this year even though our usual viewing spot is no longer along the parade route due to road construction. Luck was on our side! We found a fantastic spot. Not only was it close enough to have a good view, there was a nearby tree keeping us out of the sun for the whole thing! It was a great parade, too. It's so neat the way so many people volunteer their time and creativity to put on a grand celebration of heritage and diversity. 
A fairly new tradition in our personal Pioneer Day celebration is to enjoy lunch immediately after the parade at the Lion House Pantry. It's so delicious! We ate outside in the garden this year which was pretty and peaceful. (It also brought back nice memories since it was the location of my wedding reception!)
We saw all of those floats up close and personal at the KSL float preview party. We've gone the last few years. Last year was Ben's first year and this year we introduced my sister and her cute kiddos. They loved it. I think Matthew had to look underneath every single float.
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