Pioneer Day celebrations will take place all over Utah County this weekend as residents celebrate the state’s heritage. While Pioneer Day is officially Sunday, July 24, most events around the valley will take place on Saturday. The holiday celebrates the anniversary of the first pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley.

A handful of Utah County cities have celebration scheduled, but those staying home are encouraged to stay safe. According to the Utah State Fire Marshal, fireworks can legally be set off Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., with hours extended to midnight on Sunday. The discharge of fireworks is never allowed in National Parks or on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land.

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers will host a community Pioneer Day celebration on Saturday, from noon until 4 p.m. at Robinson Park in American Fork. Everyone is invited to step back in time with activities and games connecting modern residents with the pioneers. Docent-led tours of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum will be offered, and the historic onsite Adamson, Brown and Proctor cabins will also be open for tours.

University Place in Orem will host a Pioneer Day celebration complete with fireworks on Saturday at the Orchard. The city has also scheduled a pair of unique entertainers for the evening. Music will be provided by Madilyn Paige and The Current Band. Paige was a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2014 and boasts an “indie-electro-pop sound,” according to her website.

A special magic act will be performed by Orem Mayor Dave Young while residents are encouraged to enjoy yard games, contests and food vendors. The celebration will begin at 5 p.m., and fireworks choreographed to music will begin at 9:30 p.m. More information is available on University Place’s website.

Provo Pioneer Day Extravaganza will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, and feature live music, pioneer games, the Children’s Entrepreneurship Market, food trucks, crafts and pie contests.

Mapleton’s week-long Pioneer Day Celebration will conclude this Saturday with a parade, which will begin at 9 a.m. The parade line-up will take place in the Mapleton Junior High School northeast parking lot before traveling west onto 1200 North and eventually ending at Mapleton Elementary School. More information on Mapleton’s Pioneer Day Celebration can be found at https://mapleton.org/.

The Spanish Fork Fiesta Days Grand Parade will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday on Center Street and Main Street. This is the largest Pioneer Day parade in Utah County and will feature marching bands, floats, businesses, city royalty and community groups. The Fireworks Spectacular concert will begin at 8 p.m. at the Sports Park, at 295 West Volunteer Drive. The Flashback Brothers Band will perform while food trucks will be present. The weekend’s grand finale fireworks will begin at 10 p.m.

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