Pioneer Days!

I have to admit, the 24th of July is my favorite holiday! (if only for the mormons!) My great-great grandfather was William Jordan Flake, one of the founders of Snowflake and so every year, the Friday before the celebration kicks off we have a Flake family reunion, for the posterity of William Jordan. It is so much fun! When I was a kid we would get up early and help my Grandpa Fost get the horses caught and get all the calves and livestock for the rodeo. This rodeo is appropriately named, 'The Flake Family Endurance". We really do have a lot of fun, there are foot races for all ages, one year I think they went as high as 50 years old! It is a good laugh for all of us. Nobody takes it serious and its fun to catch up with all the cousins.


The rodeo used to be in the afternoon but now we have it first thing in the morning because there is no longer any shade at the rodeo grounds, so after the rodeo we have the luncheon. Every family is in charge of a different side dish and there is always tons of food! Lately is has become a challenge to find a place big enough to accommodate everyone, its a circus with that many people!
Luke loved the food!

My dad will never be accused of NOT holding a baby! It was hot and Ryan was happiest with his belly uncovered! Silly baby.

My mom and my boys


Luke is trying to climb the tree
'I don't have claws' (name the movie!)

After the luncheon there is a family meeting. At these meetings they discuss family business such as resorting buildings that are historical landmarks that the family owns. This year we are working on restoring the grainary in back of the historic home that my grandpa was born and raised in. Its gonna be so cool! I love that my family has a heritage and we can work together to share it with others!

The grainary

Saturday is when the town starts the celebration for the Pioneer Days. There is a parade and patriotic program, arts and crafts fair, BBQ, softball tournaments, (my young women took 2nd place again this year! WOO HOO!) and rodeos (friday and saturday nights) and on Saturday night there are fireworks!

The parade is always so much fun. We took Luke to the Show Low parade for the 4th and he was kind of bored, we tried to teach him about getting the candy, BUT THERE WAS NONE! Well a little bit but in the first 5 minutes of the pioneer parade he got more candy than he did the entire show low parade. We had so much fun, its just too bad Caleb had to work because it is more fun when everyone is there!
This is the Reed Family. Thursday night before the celebration they provide the entertainment for Thursday Night in the Park. They used to be in our ward when I was about in 5th or 6th grade and back then all of the kids played the violin but then they moved to Queen Creek and the boys started to grow up and get in to the drums and bass and now they had an electric guitar. The girls are all married now and all of their husbands (except for one, he babysits) play an instrument and all the little kids now play the violin too....its so cute!