The Twenty-Fourth of July

This year was the tenth anniversary / eleventh year I have formally observed Pioneer Day, and I really love having an extra holiday in July.

The night before, I made a cherry pie using the cherries my mom bottled from the fruit I picked from my sister's tree. I'm opposed to the idea of Pie and Beer Day, for several reasons. But I have found references to pie for the 24th of July at least as far back as 1857, so it seems like an appropriate time to have it. (And I have found references to beer as far back as 1852, but that doesn't mean we should have it.)

July 24 was not just Pioneer Day, it was also the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, and they had a special open house for it. I went with my parents and my niece. They had a scavenger hunt where you could take selfies with various items in the museum, and then you'd get a prize at the end. But I had no use for the prizes of kid sunglasses or fidget toys. (The selfies I took with my mom and my niece didn't come out great.)

I matched the old Utah flag!

The infamous two-headed lamb

I think it's amazing they (purportedly) have Brigham Young's 1847 wagon!

There was a guy there wearing a tank top with a rainbow-colored beehive that said "Industry." Though I generally don't compliment strangers, I said, "I like your shirt," and he said, "I like your shirt!" His great shirt offset the guy wearing the MAGA hat.

Then we went to California Burgers so we could have the staple Utah foods of pastrami burgers and fry sauce. I've been eating lots of pastrami burgers for the last three weeks, and now I can revert to veggie burgers. 

In the afternoon/evening, I decided I wanted to watch the 1940 Brigham Young movie, which I have heard about for years and years but never seen. It's on YouTube. Now I know why I had never seen it. They took so many liberties, which might have been forgivable if it had been an interesting movie. But it was very dull and disjointed. It couldn't decide whether it was about Brigham Young or about the love story between some randos. It felt like what you'd get if you asked AI to tell the pioneer story. It's an interesting cultural artifact (Vincent Price playing Joseph Smith!), not a good movie.

Then I went to see the drone show at Liberty Park, the third year for the show. Last year I got a perfect spot, so I sat there. But they moved the location, and this time it was partly covered by trees. And I feel like it would be covered by trees anywhere in the park this time? Anyway, I loved this drone show. But I was disappointed they just played generic pop music. I mean, that is my preferred genre of music, but it has nothing to do with Utah. They could have at least played "Salt Lake City" by the Beach Boys, like they did two years ago. This year's theme was "Uniquely Utah." Here are the images in reverse order, because Blogger makes it far too difficult to put them up in order.

Happy Pioneer Day

This year, Utah passed a law that only allows official government or municipal flags at government-owned buildings. Salt Lake City responded by making official versions of its flag by stamping the sego lily on different flags, thereby making it legal to display them. I love this kind of malicious compliance. This is the Juneteenth flag.

Salt Lake's trans flag

How wonderful to see a Progress Pride flag at a Pioneer Day event!

And Salt Lake's default flag

Utah flag

Beehive and bee

Julia Reagan billboard

I had to look this one up. Apparently there was a mysterious daycare that captivated people's attention because they never saw kids there.

"All Hail the Whale"

The whale was installed years ago, yet I still haven't made my way out to see it

"SLC, Utah" soda cups

Cookies. I assume it's supposed to be lime, chocolate chip, and pink sugar?

Snowboarding

Skiing

2034 Olympics

2002 Olympics

"Tusks Up"—Utah's new hockey team, Utah Mammoth

Jazz Bear. It took me a minute.

I assume this is a Utahraptor?

Seagull

I think this is Indigenous...

..and so is this...

...and so is this.

I don't know what this is.

Delicate Arch

Transcontinental Railroad

I didn't get a picture of the golden spike when it was big

Utah!

Utah!

Covered wagon

Do they still make this license plate? I like that they made it say P10N33R.

Uniquely Utah!

As I walked back to my car while people were lighting fireworks, and as I drove home listening to my Pioneer Day playlist, I couldn't help but think how much I enjoy this uniquely Utah holiday.

As a general rule, I try not to read comments on the internet. They just rile me up. But since I'm deeply interested in Pioneer Day, sometimes I can't help myself. As I read comments on the internet, I sometimes get the impression that anyone who is not LDS or who leans left hates the holiday. But I think that's actually a vocal minority. Most people who fall in those categories are probably indifferent or mildly inconvenienced, and some even like it. 

I actually don't care whether other people celebrate Pioneer Day. But I detest comments that imply "I don't celebrate it and no one else should either" or "I don't celebrate because I have this special knowledge that celebrants don't have." 

One that I frequently see is "Why do we have American flags and other patriotic imagery? The pioneers left the United States for Mexico!" And I used to have that same question, which is part of why I didn't formally observe it for many years. But in my research I have discovered that the very first July 24 celebration was identical to July 4 celebrations. They have always been closely linked.

This week a prominent historian (who I met last month) made a video saying he chuckles when people celebrate it like a second Fourth of July, because the pioneers didn't celebrate America. Um, no, they did think the United States had let them down, but they still venerated the Declaration of Independence and the heroes of 1776. And this kind of celebration—honoring the ideals of America while complaining about some of the specifics—has been a part of Fourth of July celebrations from the country's early days up to the present.

Anyway, I politely pushed back on one of his posts, citing my own scholarship. (I haven't seen any response yet.) I'm certain he knows more history in general than I do. But when it comes to Pioneer Day specifically, I probably know more than anyone else in the world. And I'm not exaggerating.