Spectators cheer as the 7-year-olds compete in the annual Washington City Pioneer Day footraces. The decades-old tradition features age group divisions that seek Washington's fastest kids. | Photo by Andy Griffin, STGnews
WASHINGTONCITY — Throngs of celebrants turned out for the annual Washington City parade and festival commemorating Pioneer Day.
The 9 a.m. parade featured pioneer-themed floats, a jazz band and dozens of clowns. A festival followed at Veteran’s Park with children’s activity booths and food vendors as well as a pie sale and live music.
A central event is the traditional footraces, where children compete to become Washington City’s fastest kid. The age group races, which have been run in Washington on July 24 for decades, were well-attended and fans and parents lined the course to cheer on the participants.
The festivities wrap up in the early afternoon.
A trailer full of “pioneer” children gets set to perform in the Washington City Pioneer Day parade Wednesday morning. | Photo submittedA gaggle of clowns prepare to hit the streets for the Washington City Pioneer Day parade Wednesday morning. | Photo submittedWashington City resident Melva Page was a grand marshall in the city’s Pioneer Day parade. Page, who is 88-years-old, has a total of 48 children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. She proudly knows all their names and birthdays. | photo submittedThe 6-year-olds race in the humid air at Veteran’s Park during the July 24 traditional footraces at Washington City. | Photo by Andy Griffin, STGnews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m.
Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.
