I just found out that my former ward (waaaaaay east of Utah)is now celebrating "Pioneer Day". It seems as though they are encouraging the general public to attend; they have advertised it in the local paper as a "commemoration of the pioneer trek west". They seem to have "forgotten" to mention that it's the MORMON pioneer trek they're focusing on. The good news is that I really can't imagine anyone in this community to be interested. There seems to be a disproportionate number of evangelicals here and really...who outside of the Morridor gives a fig about Mormons?

This has never been done here before. It makes me wonder if The Mothership has been encouraging wards to mingle with their gentile neighbors in order to show everyone how normal, fun, and totally kool Mormons are!!!1111!!!! The reason I suspect this is because the "Mormon Helping Hands" have been hard at work in our community lately, as well (naturally they were all sporting their bright yellow shirts humbling advertising "MORMON HELPING HANDS").

I will have to drive by the ward building this weekend and see how many have turned out for this gala event. I have a feeling it will be populated primarily by Mormons, all standing around to sniff each other's farts.

We had a pioneer day celebration in Knoxville years back that we convinced the local community to get involved with. We got together with a local Tennessee Pioneer Museum, and spit the focus between church and local Tennessee Pioneers. It was a culture shock for the Utah Mormons when all the media attention ended up being on Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, since those guys are what most of America thinks of when they here the term.

That's great! I doubt the one here will be anything but dull and uninspired--you know, like the members who are organizing it. I am dying to see things up close and personal but there is no way in hell that I would step foot on church property. Alas, I am a chicken shit. :( They are going to have "exhibits" and I want to know if they are going to be as lame as the ones in my mind's eye...or even worse.

Oh, after the local history stole the show, we never bothered going the joint route again.

I was a ten year old Mormon boy in Mahattan. At sunday school I had a teacher and her son as my only classmates. She was reading a church manual that mentioned a 24th of July celebration.

I asked: "Don't they mean the 4th?"

She said: "It must be a typo."

Neither of us knew about Pioneer Day. Eastern US Mormonism is a little different. By the way, there was only one English and one Spanish-speaking ward in all of Manhattan. It seemed a reasonable proportion.

I was a member for seven years and I never heard of "Pioneer Day" until after I had resigned and started reading exmo forums!

How lucky are you to have lived in Manhattan! Isn't there a temple there? Does anyone actually USE it?

There was no Mormon Temple in Manhattan in 1968. Just an old synagogue rented to the church. Let me tell you I was never happier than in the two years I lived in New York City. Sounds crazy, huh? Somethin' about that apple.

Don, my daughter wants to move there- to Brooklyn. I'm skeptical. Please email me and tell me what is so special about New York.

Tks

Anagrammy

at gmail

Anagrammy, as one who was born and lived in New York, there's a lot to do. The upside is the culture, the food, the museums, etc. The downside is that housing can be costly depending on where you live.

Oh, and depending on where in Brooklyn she wants to live, your daughter may not need a car or not as much.

In MD I had never heard of it until I spent six months in Logan. Don't think it's a big deal most other places outside the Zion Bubble.

Growing up in the Baltimore Maryland Stake, they celebrated Pioneer Day, but I had no idea what it meant or why it was important. I didn't learn about that until after I moved to Utah at age 19.

They sure as heck didn't on the Shore. I had never heard of it at all. In Charm City I imagine you had a few more Utahn transplants, though.

Lived about 20 miles east of Charm City in Harford County. I imagine there were some Utah transplants there as I mentioned in another thread seeing several familes move to Utah over the years. Probably the main reason I had no idea what it was is because my parents were adult converts and not Utah crazy.

when I lived near Lyman, Wyoming, they had a big celebration on the 24th of July. Fireworks and all the hype. I thought it was odd since I thought Pioneer Day was a Utah thing but I guess SW Wyoming is close enough to Utah they celebrate it.

YBR
I grew up in Lyman Wyoming! We may know each other!

I din't hear about it until I didn't get mail on that day when I was in the MTC. I was pissed that some stupid local holiday could stop the US mail.

I always knew that Pioneer Day was in fact a Utah State holiday, so I never imagined that it would be celebrated anywhere outside Utah. But some of these previous postings definitely showed me that I have a lot to learn!

However, I can imagine that the destinations of the other major pioneer trails, such as Oregon City, near Portland, and Northern California on the west side of Donner Pass, may have Pioneer Days of their own.

I received a note from the local bishop saying there would be a Pioneer Day BBQ at the local park. Asked everyone to dress in pioneer style. I'm in Santa Cruz, CA

In the town where I grew up, they had Pioneer Days. Companies that required men to be clean shaven would allow them to grow beards for a month prior. They had a travailing carnival, a Pioneer Cook off, and LOTS of BEER.

The big party was a major kegger. One price got you in. It was out doors and they had stacks of kegs. The "entertainment" was the beer guzzling contest. This party was on a Sunday and NOBODY that attended that party went to work on Monday.

I have heard that Pioneer Day is celebrated in three other states:

Missouri because they left.
Iowa because they didn't stay.
California because they didn't get that far.

(From somebody else who posted it a while back)

In holland we have never hard pioneer day.

Occasionally a passing zionist would make a fuss and there would be nonsense with bonnets, but as the Americans in the stake had already forced jollity down our redcoat throats on the 4th the appetite wasn't really there.

Definitely have seen a recasting of emphasis in the last 20 years. When I was a boy the LDS Church in England was US-fixated, now not so much, it's no longer a selling point.

Pioneer Day is celebrated every year, faithfully, with all the stakes in Western NY...of course including the Palmyra Stake.

We meet at the Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco each year at 5:00 or whenever exmos can arrive after work. We laugh, tell stories, enjoy bar snacks, drinks, and have fun.

Anyone who wants to celebrate with us is welcome to meet us upstairs in the loft area for a good time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 07:29AM by Cheryl.

Yes. Pioneer Day is celebrated throughout the Church.

I have never understood why pioneers would be significant outside of areas settled by LDS, but it is nonetheless. The key is that giving honours to Mormons with a long family line in the Church is an opportunity to assert dominance over converts (lesser souls).

I believe it is historically offensive to celebrate Pioneer Day in areas where LDS converts were taught to emigrate from during those times.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 08:54AM by idleswell.

There have been a few years that a ward I belonged to might do something for Pioneer Day -- usually some lame YM/YW activity.


But folks down here in the southeastern part of the US just can't relate to Pioneer Day, unless they are Utah transplants.


That is YOUR holiday, Utahns, not Ours!

Umm, nobody outside the Morridor even knows what Pioneer Day IS, let alone celebrates it.

I grew up in Sacramento, CA, and have slides (remember slides?) of me being in a Pioneer Day celebration in the late 60's at Carmichael Park. We dressed up as pioneers and Native Americans and pulled the little kids around in little red wagons.

Out here in the bibble belt, before going ex-mo, we just had pot luck dinners.

Yes. Pioneer Days is a big thing in Manassa, Colorado. A tiny town of 1000 suddenly swells to 20,000 or so for a weekend of parades and rodeos.

It's being held this weekend and already the people a swarming in. I usually go to the mountains this weekend but this year I'm stuck at home and have to put up with it. Ah the joys of wall to wall mormons!

Nope.

;o)

Growing up in the Seattle area, the 24th of July was always a pioneer themed primary activity, thats all.

I'm from San Diego and I went on a mission to Utah and that was the first time I even heard of "Pioneer Day". We went as missionaries and I was in culture shock.

In California in the late 70's through the 90's we had Pioneer day celebrations. I went to many in both Los Angeles County but also went to celebrate with my extended family in Santa Barbara County. We would go to a big park and have bbq and music and games. It was fun. I don't know if any locals came, I was too young to notice.

Perhaps, flyfisher....

my parents still live up there 8-)

So do mine! I grew up on the corner / four way stop in Urie. Not far from the green onion! I was in the Ft. Bridger ward.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2012 12:00PM by flyfisher.

I personally had no pioneers in my family. No real celebration to speak of here in the east where I live. Just a hymn or two relating to pioneers.

While I'm from California, I don't remember any Pioneer Day celebrations at all. In fact, I hadn't heard of that Utah holiday until after I left the church.