According to Wilford Woodruff's journal, thunderstorms periodically darkened the skies on July 24, 1847, the day Brigham Young entered the valley. But on this day in 2003 — the 156th commemoration of the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley — it was just plain hot, with not a cloud in the sky.
"We need rain. We're in trouble," said Ned Winder, longtime announcer of the Days of '47 Parade as he kept spectators apprised of the rising temperature. By the 9 a.m. start time, temperatures were knocking on 90 degrees. It was 96 by the end of the parade shortly before noon.
For nearly 60 years, the parade has been an annual celebration of one of the most courageous and heroic treks in history.
In recent years, as the composition of Utah's culture has become more diverse, the parade has served as a means of melding different cultures and traditions. A highlight this year was the "Vietnamese Pioneers" float with the traditional dragon costume that marked the growth of Asian immigrants.
Particular favorites were the Lehi Utah Stake float with its near life-size animated animals, winner of the Legacy Award; the Salt Lake Stake with its beehive, winner of the Utah Award; the Salt Lake Olympus Stake with its large, colorful butterfly; winner of the People's Choice Award and the Sweepstakes Award; and the Farmington Utah Stake entry based on a theme of pioneer children's shoes and modern-day sneakers with flashing lights in the heels, winner of the Ensign Award and the Children's Choice Award.
Nineteen stakes along the Wasatch Front sponsored floats. Each spent a year in preparation, using the artistic and technical expertise of stake members. Each denoted something unique about Utah's rich pioneer heritage, such as Salt Lake Parleys Stake recreating how a rescue party from the pioneer settlement of Panguitch used quilts to travel through the snow; or the Bennion Heights Stake float which depicted the pioneers in Utah medicine.
Brother Winder, now 81, announced he was retiring. He began his 30th and final parade with prayer. "This is probably the only parade in the country started with a public prayer," said his daughter-in-law, Janae Winder, whose husband, Ted, assists with announcing. For 20 of those years, the Winder family has staked out a claim near the start of the parade route.
Among the approximately 50 family members was Brian Simmons, a returned missionary of one month from the Czech Prague Mission who was sharpening his language skills by reading the Liahona printed in the Czech language.