On July 24, Salt Lake City’s annual celebration of Days of ’47, or Pioneer Day, marked its 175th year and saw a parade of over 100 entries. The celebration began at 9 a.m. at the intersection of State Street and South Temple and moved south, ending at the intersection of 900 South and 600 East.
For New Mexico residents Rhenda and Jim Wilson, who said they experienced Salt Lake’s Pioneer Day Parade for the first time this year, excitement was running high.
“We are from Farmington, New Mexico [and] are here for six weeks,” Rhenda said. “We’re both members of [the LDS] church. I have pioneer heritage. We knew [of] the Days of ’47 and [that the parade] is supposed to be big,” Rhenda said.
Viewers were entertained by a parade of marching bands, floats, horses, clowns and police motorcycles performing serpentine maneuvers and other driving skills. Veterans who participated in the parade were applauded for their service.
Attendees were also able to camp out the night before anywhere along the parade route to secure a good view of it the next day.
Rhenda Wilson explained that they were unaware of the camping aspect, but otherwise came well-prepared to enjoy the parade.
“We walked last night and saw all the camping blankets and said ‘we’ll go out at six in the morning and see what spot we can find,’” she said. “We brought sunscreen and hats and are excited to see it.”
A family tradition
For the Bawdens, a family of attendees who have made an annual trip to Salt Lake for Pioneer Day for three generations, the holiday is about more than just attending a parade – it is about enjoying a longstanding family tradition.
“The kids love it. Most of them sleep through the parade, because they have been up all night,” said Dennis Bawden. “Some of the grandkids have said we look forward to this even more than Christmas.”
Dennis Bawden added that he can’t remember ever missing a Pioneer Day celebration in his life. He explained that attending is for the kids but also to honor Utah’s heritage and familial tradition.
“I’ve been coming to this parade since I was born, with my mother and grandmother,” he continued while reminiscing about his childhood days attending the parade. “Back then, we used to get here early in the morning, about 6 a.m., when it was on Main Street. My dad would bring us up and then he would go home.”
Dennis’ brother, Terry Bawden, explained how it was their mother that first began the custom, and she continued leading the annual trek to Salt Lake with her family until she was 73.
“She came as a child too,” he said.
The Bawden brothers have since kept the tradition going with their own families.
“When the kids got big enough, we would bring them,” said Tim Bawden, brother of Terry and Dennis Bawden. He said their family has been attending Pioneer Day in Salt Lake since 1972, and described how their family came out to the parade just three weeks after their oldest sibling was born.
“At first we came at midnight, then more and more people started coming and we would get here earlier and earlier,” he added.
Keeping tradition alive
Joyce Bawden, accounting and payroll coordinator for Salt Lake Community College, said she cherishes the fact that she can watch the cousins in the family enjoy themselves each year.
“Our kids have a lot of fun,” she said. “They get to see each other. It’s good for us because the kids are growing up and we get to see them [too].”
Bear Bawden, the youngest son of Dennis and Joyce Bawden, was barely three weeks old when he made his first visit to the parade. He said his earliest memory of the parade comes from when he was a toddler.
“The first one I remember is three years old,” Bear said. “I remember we [it was] over on Main Street. They used to have these trumpets or horns [for attendees]. Now every time I hear one it takes me back to the parade and being here.”
“The parade is about sleeping, camping and being with family,” he added.
Tim Bawden said he also takes pride in explaining what Pioneer Day celebrates to new attendees.
Bawden explained that another male attendee approached him during the parade and asked what the festivities were about. The man, who was from Denmark, had a delayed flight because of the previous week’s CrowdStrike global cyber outage, and was exploring Salt Lake City in the interim.
“He asked me, ‘“Why are you doing this?’” Bawden recalled. “We told him it is because of the [LDS] church and pioneers. The Dane thought it was great.”
The Bawdens said they plan to continue the tradition for Pioneer Day in the coming years.
When asked what his favorite year has been, Terry Bawden’s response was simple.
“Every year is my favorite,” he said.
