Panaca's Tradition

Well, one thing that I love about Panaca are the traditions. As was stated in a talk in our church meeting this morning, the reason these small towns and their traditions stay alive is that the people keep them going. Panaca's biggest tradition is the 24th of July celebration. Panaca was actually settled by Mormon pioneers in 1864. Panaca at that time was considered a part of Utah until the borders were defined; and the small town is actually 20 miles within the Nevada border. Since Panaca is not officially in Utah, the people here do not get the 24th off as a holiday as they do in Utah. Thus, celebrations are kept for the Saturday nearest the 24th. This year, we had the celebrations yesterday, the 26th.

The day always starts off with a dynamite wake-up. They set off dynamite around the borders of the town to remind us of how the pioneers were awakened. This used to happen at the unmerciful hour of 5:00 a.m. It now happens at 6:00 a.m. At 6:30, the bell on top of the old, original church meetinghouse is rung "calling" the town to the church for a flag-raising and breakfast. Breakfast is always my favorite. (It does cost as the celebration is used for the local Boy Scouts annual fundraiser to raise money for the two troops here in town.) Following breakfast are a series of races. They always begin with the very youngest and go in age groups. The finish line is pushed back as the ages get older. They do foot races, potato sack races, and three-legged races. The winners usually get some money (quarters and such). The kids love it.

In the morning, someone usually hosts a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with brackets for different age groups and genders. We went to the championship game so Jackson could watch some b-ball. He loves the sport -- definitely takes after Grandpa.

At 4 p.m., there is always a parade just before the big dinner that is served at the church at 5 p.m. Granted, you have to use your imagination what a Pioneer Day parade looks like in a small town of 800 people and their families that come to visit. This year was actually impressive for a Panaca parade. I enjoyed it. The one thing you can count on, though, is candy. I was actually VERY surprised at how much candy was thrown this year. In June we went to the parade back home, and Jackson only got a handful of candy. Here's the loot from yesterday's parade:

As you can see, there's actually some good stuff in there.