The Cankles Visit the Rodeo...

Pioneer Day is a strange holiday. I didn't celebrate it as a kid because I didn't grow up in Utah. How is a girl supposed to dress up for a holiday she doesn't understand?

I did my best to pick out my most pioneerish-looking outfit and planned a smattering of events to mark the 24th.

Event #1: The Token Barbecue








Event #2: The Days of '47 Rodeo

KSL just happens to be a sponsor, and I am a sucker for free stuff. I literally had to DRAG Reece to the E Center, but boy were we in for a treat.




Highlights of the night included (but were not limited to):

-A monkey named Whiplash dressed in full cowboy gear, riding a dog, herding sheep. Said monkey later presented a DVD and autographed picture to President Thomas S. Monson, who was sitting in the first row. For a few moments, we thought we were high off the smell of farm droppings.

-The announcer insisting the "animal ath-ah-letes" were there because they wanted to be there, not because rodeos are cruel. Take that PETA.

-The baby cows kicking the cowboys' trash, over and over and over again.

-The cankles:



Here's a nice rodeo belly shot:



Nothing says "rodeo" like disco/laser lights...



The fun didn't end here my friends. We battled drunken cowboys in the parking lot and headed to East High School to watch fireworks.






And let's face it, it wouldn't be Pioneer Day without sparklers.






I'll let you figure out that last one.

Needless to say, I love the pioneers.