July 24th...Happy Birthday, Utah!!

Today is the legal holiday in celebration of July 24th State Holiday. (I know that today is the 25th but it is one of those Monday day-offs for a weekend holidays).

The launching galley with Natalie's rocket on the launch pad

A nephew-in-law chasing down the rockets!

It started to rain so we headed under cover with the tables of food. It was just a short rain and then we were back to shooting rockets.




So I had the day off since LDS Family Services in Utah supports that holiday, of course. Gary, who works for a California based company, did not. He mentioned it early in the work day and got some ribbing from his co-workers spread through out the nation. A person from CA that it was funny that a state had a "State Holiday" at all, a person from Nevada commented that their state joined the union on Oct. 31st (Halloween) which generated several comments, and a person back east said that since they were one of the original 13 states, they confined their celebrations to July 4th.

So, what other states celebrate yearly their beginnings? After all the teasing Texans get about their state, I don't recall a State holiday celebrating their statehood.....I could be wrong.

And of course, what is even more interesting is July 24th might be celebrated throughout the nation and the world as LDS Wards and Stakes celebrate with picnics and wagen trains made out of red wagons. That was a yearly tradition as I grew up. I guess I assumed it was part of the whole religion thing, but it was a surprise to me to find out in Utah, they don't celebrate in their Wards and Stakes, but it is a State holiday and everyone leaves town for mountains, lakes, or whereever they can vacation. And of course, there are fireworks...yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The last legal times they can fire fireworks until January 1.

We celebrated with a BBQ with the Halls in Grandma Hall's backyard. In addition to eating, we play yards games and made and shoot off rockets from our launching pad. (We have to justify our purchase of the launcher. I think we have used it over 15 times for large and small parties over the past 4 years so I think we have got our money's worth.....The newest addition to group /Scout fun is a 4-lane Pinewood derby track complete with scale, computerized timing and race management software and carrying case. We are already lining up events---high priest party (beta testing), Cub Pinewood derby track, and upcoming reunions for Halls and Gibersons....have track will travel, that's us. Actually it should be arriving in a week or so.)