Pioneer parade: Days of '47 event fills streets with fun, sense of heritage

Feelings of heritage and unity filled the streets of downtown Salt Lake City on Friday as thousands gathered to see more than 15,000 people participate in the annual Days of '47 Parade, one of the largest and oldest parades in the nation.

Jack Willis of Salt Lake City watched with more than a dozen members of his extended family — many of them wearing umbrella hats — at the same spot on South Temple that they have occupied for each parade during the past 30 years.

"We didn't have this back then," he said, pointing to his hat, "but it's a great invention."

Willis said the state of the economy right now makes the parade a great, inexpensive activity for families, and he thinks it's a "wonderful cause" that he hopes continues on forever.

"It reminds people of Utah's heritage," he said.

The pioneering parade, which commemorates the arrival of settlers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, started on South Temple, then wound down 200 East and onto 900 South, ending at Liberty Park. This year, the parade had 148 entries, according to Jodene Smith, co-chairwoman for the Days of '47 Parade committee.

"It brings a sense of unity and pride of our pioneer heritage," Smith said of the parade.

Smith said the parade honors people from any ethnicity or religious background. "(The parade) is honoring people who came not just from LDS pioneers, but everyone."

Red family-reunion shirts dotted the parade sideline as Luke Lole Ama and 50 Tesema Tafaoialii family members celebrated their pioneer heritage.

"Every three years, we have this event in Salt Lake City. We feel proud that we made it because of our ancestors," said Ama, whose family is originally from Samoa. "This is our home away from home."

People held portable mister bottles close to their bodies like IVs, while mattresses showed evidence of a late-night staking claim to spots along the parade route.

The gathering of more than 40 floats was not the only feature of the parade filling the crowded streets. Bands marched and played while horses clapped their hooves on the pavement. Antique cars from the pre-World War II era drove the route, as carriages and single riding groups moved past the crowds.

Smith said it was important for people to know where they came from, so they can know who they are.

"Everyone has a pioneer story somewhere in their genealogy, and we need an event to remind us of people who have gone before us," Smith said.