Youths celebrate Mormon pioneer message

Leslie Prunty and her children sat on a blanket placed on the sun-heated asphalt road of 400 South and ate graham crackers.

It was a relaxing way to watch more than 5,000 children pass by during the Days of '47 Youth Parade on Saturday.Prunty said she and her children come to the Days of '47 events not for the kids — but for her mom, because "she is so into it."

An

event that is designed for children, but also the young at heart, is

what has Diane Dangerfield coming back every year since her daughter

Leslie was little.

"I just love it. I love to be around it," Dangerfield said of the parade and the Days of '47 festivities.

She

has fond memories of camping out with her family in tents and trailers

the night before the big parade. The festivities in July are something

Dangerfield said she always looks forward to.__IMAGE2__"Some people have one Christmas, I have two — one on December 25th and one on July 24th," Dangerfield said.

More

than 15,000 people lined the streets to see all kinds of floats and

marching bands in what is one of the largest youth parades in the

nation.

The pioneer-themed parade

allowed children to understand the relevancy of unity in the Salt Lake

Valley, according to parade chairwoman Becky Edwards.

"Fun is fun, but this is fun with a message," Edwards said.

As

children walked in the parade, so did some of the parents. "I see

adults coming back who remember coming to (the parade) as kids, and it

is fun to see that circle," Edwards said.The pioneer message of 1847