Emma Brando practices with the Davis High School flag escort before the start of the Days of ’47 parade in Salt Lake City on Saturday. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
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SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of people lined the streets of downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday for the annual Days of ’47 parade. Dozens more watched from balconies as announcers detailed all the proceedings.
But Olga Binkhurst danced as if none of them were there.
The 80-year-old Guatemalan played at the corner of State Street and South Temple as the Viewmont High School marching band came down the street playing Weezer’s “Buddy Holly.”
Binkhurst, who came to the Beehive State in 1964, said he has been to many places. “But Utah, to me, is the best,” he said. “People are beautiful.”
She wasn’t the only one who felt this way. The Days of ’47 parade was a riot of color, sound and celebration in honor of Utah’s pioneer heritage.
The parade featured 37 floats, many sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others created by companies.
Jean Bingham, the church’s Relief Society general president, served as grand marshal for the parade: the first woman to have the honor since the event began in 1849.
The parade began at 9 a.m. at State Street and South Temple, went down 200 East, then turned onto 900 South and ended in Liberty Park. The parade celebrates Mormon pioneers, many of whom came to the Great Salt Lake Valley after a trek across the plains on July 24, 1847, seeking to create a new life free from religious persecution.
“We believe that the example of the courage of pioneers past and present creates a vision for our combined future that all can follow as our new pioneering spirit,” states the Days of ’47 website.
This year’s theme was “Pioneer Courage: Live It Up!” One float featured Brigham Young University’s Cosmo the Cougar mascot; another featured Chick-Fil-A cows. Some floats featured traditional pioneers in 19th-century garb, while others emphasized that pioneers hail from all over the world. And none of them looked the same.
A float adorned with characters from “The Wizard of Oz” won the People’s Choice Award, while another, featuring a lion and a bubble machine, received the Children’s Choice Award. Each float received the most votes in their respective categories from people who attended the parade preview held July 18-19 at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.
The parade also included dozens of entries such as marching bands, horsemen, military groups and more. Many families camped out on the street the night before to get the best vantage points.
Governor Spencer Cox and his wife, First Lady Abby Cox, were among the first in the parade procession. Later, Utah Congressmen Burgess Owens and John Curtis waved to the crowd from red 1966 Mustangs.
Representatives from the Mexican Consulate dazzled the crowd with their colorful and traditional clothing; and a girl in the Carbon High School marching band twirled a baton with a Tyrannosaurus rex on top.
Adrianne Jenson brought her three children, ages 8, 6 and 3, from Idaho to watch Saturday’s parade.
Jenson said that he grew up in Utah and that his family is descended from pioneer settlers.
Boise doesn’t have parades at all, he said, so when his daughter asked him what a Pioneer Day parade is, he decided a weekend trip to Salt Lake City was fine.
The Jenson children had only one disappointment: none of the parade floats dropped candy.
During the parade, Salt Lake police stopped and cited a man who drove his car down the blocked parade route.
The 47-year-old man approached officers at 10:15 a.m. and asked if he could get around a road closure to get to his nearby home. Police said they told him he couldn’t, but the man later returned and tried to drive around a road closure, police said in a statement.
Shortly after being told a second time that he could not access the parade route, police say he drove through an opening where parade staff and equipment were set up and was seen driving slowly along the route. of the parade. As officers ran over and ordered him to stop the car, the man allegedly began to slowly speed up near 150 E. 200 South.
“Due to the potential danger, officers opened the car door and successfully parked the car and removed the driver without further incident,” police said in the statement.
The man was cited for failing to obey a traffic control device and driving illegally left of center.