No one can pin down how long the Brighton Fourth of July breakfast has been a community tradition. The general consensus is somewhere between 30 to 38 years.
The community doesn't care how long it's been going, as long as they can look forward to it next year, and the next.
"We've been coming here for five or six years. It's a tradition," said Ellen Hills of West Jordan.
"It's nice here in the mountains — and the food is good," chimed in her daughter, Emily Hills.
The Hills aren't the only family that has been making the drive up to the Brighton Ski Resort in Salt Lake City for the annual Fourth of July "Brighton Breakfast." Each year 2,500 people from all over the Salt Lake valley come to celebrate the holiday together.
The breakfast was originally held as a fundraiser for the Wasatch Stake. However, when fundraisers were largely discontinued within the church, the breakfast continued on as a community-loved tradition.
The Wasatch 2nd Young Student Adult Ward has been in charge of the breakfast for the past 20 years.
"This is the social event of the year," said Heber J. Lloyd, current Bishop of the YSA ward. "We have a legacy up here that will never quit."
Each year, starting in January, the ward begins preparations for the Brighton Breakfast. With 13 committees and 120 volunteers, the breakfast has become an efficient and smooth event. Quick moving lines and fast pancake flipping ensure hungry families aren't waiting in line very long.
The YWA ward begins the setup at 5 a.m. to be prepared for the event to start at 7:30 a.m. Each year they hold a practice breakfast, where they learn how to make the different breakfast foods and how to keep the food coming quickly.
Parents and children alike, dressed in red, white and blue, danced to big band music played by the live band as they ate their breakfast and waited for the parade to pass.
Eric and Heather Passey of Cottonwood Heights had their five children in tow at the breakfast. "We'll be back next year, it's family tradition," Heather said.
e-mail: hloftus@desnews.com