Pioneer Day, Pandemic Style

If there's any holiday that is steeped in tradition, it is Pioneer Day. Every year it's the same thing. Pancake breakfast. Parade. Kiddie games at the park. Stake out spots for the fireworks. Home for lunch and make treats. To the other park for dinner and fireworks. It's like clockwork and like all things that operate on schedule and predictability, it's the best.

And then there's this year. Mapleton cancelled all of their events except for the fireworks (and they closed the park so you'd watch them from home). So we had to make our own fun. And it was fine but not the same and there's still a void. "Not the same" and "still a void" kind of seem to be the feeling after every event the last few months.

Justin started out the day right by making pancakes and eggs. They pancakes were big and delicious but not as big as my face and there were no little frozen boxes of orange juice. Our table was only slightly less sticky as the ones at the park.

 Then we made our own ice cream. James had never seen this ice cream maker before and he was so intrigued as we got the ice cream going. I came back down 10 minutes later and he was just like this watching it spin.

 We had to do something special for lunch and what's more special than Chick-fil-a at a park?

 Then we loaded up the car and headed to my mom's house.  Pretty hot days call for sprinkler kickball.


It quickly turned into a waterfight.

And James quickly got cold and hung out with me for a little while.

I don't remember what he was talking about. I just like his face as he talks.



And then Henry came over to complain that Sarah was violating the "can't dump water on someone while they're filling up their bucket" rule.

Meanwhile, Justin started some Dutch oven red beans and rice. Sure it's Cajun, not pioneerish but something about beans and sausage just felt right for the occasion.

And then Erica and Maddie performed an impromptu puppet show.

Plus we played cornhole. I even played cornhole.


 
While the cool kids played ladderball.

And then we ate. Well first James got stung 3 times by a wasp. He sat down on the little kiddie table and there was a wasp nest right under the seat. Poor kid. After I got him taken care of and he was feeling better, then we ate. And then I took awkward pictures of everyone to send to my sisters that didn't come to the party.

Christian was hiding inside but I found him.

Then I made the kids play "drop a clothespin in a mason jar" because that's what the pioneer children did right?

Allison won the kettle corn prize!

 And then things got caraaazy when we busted out Dr Quaquenbusch's Indian Sagwa Tonic. 

 

Just kidding. The bottle was empty. It's from the Festival of American West in Logan from like 1990.

For dessert we had 3 kinds of homemade ice cream: vanilla, peach and frostee and then we cleaned up the yard before it got too dark and then busted out the games and glowsticks.

 Covid can never take away glowsticks.

And then we moved to the grass to await the fireworks. Watching the kids run around with glowsticks around all their extremities was pretty fun to watch, especially when they'd run by in a line. We had a pretty good view of the fireworks but it's just not the same when you can't feel them in your chest or when there's no ash falling down. There will be a bit of a void until next year.

Sunday we gathered again! This time because my brother and his family came down from Logan. We played board games, ate smoked meat and in true Syme style, we did another taste test. This time it was microwave popcorn. We tasted 5 brands of microwave popcorn plus a movie theater's and Clint's at-home movie theater style popper.

I liked Clint's the best which I expected. My favorite of the microwave brands was Jolly Time which even then I didn't really like. I'm spoiled from Justin's homemade popcorn with real butter and salt.

And that is how you celebrate your pioneer heritage when there's a pandemic going on.