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SALT LAKE CITY -- The 24th of July holiday weekend kicked off Friday night with parades, fireworks and warnings from police about safety.
Coming Up:
Saturday morning at 8:
Watch KSL 5's live coverage of the Days of '47 parade tomorrow morning beginning at 8 a.m. on KSL Channel 5.Already, big crowds are filling up the streets of Salt Lake City in anticipation for the Days of '47 Parade.
"The kids look forward to it all year," says Goldie Burt, whose family often sleeps out on the parade route.
For many Utah families like the Burts, parade watching has become an art -- and half the fun is in the preparations.
"We're having maybe 17 sleeping over," Burt says.
Members of the Burt family have been coming for 40-plus years. It started with Goldie Burt's kids and has now expanded to grandkids and great-grandkids.
After all these years, they've got it down to a science: Goldie was at the park at 6:00 Friday morning to reserve the spot. The family then brought tents, hammocks, water guns and lots of food.
Other families are outfitted in similar ways, with games and books to pass the time.
"We sleep at the park so we can watch the parade. We don't have to drive," 6-year-old Tila says.
Bountiful city held its annual Handcart Days Grand Parade Friday evening. The city was also the site of the first holiday-related accident when two Utah Highway Patrol motorcycle troopers collided, sending one of the bikes into the crowd. Two people suffered minor injuries.
"We do see accidents throughout the parade, but never anything like this," said South Davis Fire Agency Chief Jim Rampton.
"[I'm] very grateful everyone will be OK, and the officers were OK," said witness Melanie Bodey.
As for the Days of 47 Parade, police want to remind people that pets are not allowed, tents must be open on all sides so you don't block the view, and always bring extra water. Also, cars parked along the route after 8 p.m.
The parade will start at South Temple and State Street and end at the north entrance to Liberty Park. It begins at 9 a.m., and you can watch it downtown or on KSL 5. Our coverage begins an hour earlier with the Days of '47 Pre-Parade Show.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
