Pioneer Day celebration planned in Monticello

Families, classes and a large group of Monticello High School alumni are expected to gather in Monticello this weekend for the annual Pioneer Day celebration on July 22 and 23.
A full schedule of events can be found here.
For updates and more information, visit the Monticello Chamber of Commerce website.
The Pioneer Day Parade, titled “Family, Faith and Freedom” begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The local Sapper Company of the Utah National Guard, which recently returned from a one-year deployment in Afghanistan, will lead the Pioneer Day Parade.
The Grand Marshall of the Pioneer Day Parade is Fay Muhlestein. A local historian who has carefully documented the history of the community, Muhlestein and her husband, the late Harold Muhlestein, raised their family in Monticello.
Fay has completed work on the third leg of her Monticello history. It will be published soon. “We need to sell more of the second part before we print the third,” she said.
The growth of the Pioneer Day Parade in recent years requires that the parade route be adjusted. Instead of lining up at Monticello High School and completing an eight-block route back to the school, the parade will start on Main Street and Third South and finish at Monticello Elementary School.
“The front of the parade was coming back to the school before the end of the parade left,” explains Parade Organizer Dale Black. “We had to do something.” The lineup for the parade will begin on Third South and then turn up First West.
Food booths and events at Veterans Memorial Park will be open on Saturday after the parade. Booths will also open Friday evening at the park. This is an attempt by the Monticello Chamber of Commerce, who sponsors the celebration, to extend the festivities.
The Monticello High School Alumni Association plans a number of events over the weekend, including a talent show Friday evening at Monticello High, a memorial service Saturday morning at the cemetery, and a cookout Saturday evening.
The Big Four Tractor Pull begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
A wide range of competitive events will be held, including a 5K race at Loyds Lake Saturday morning, golf at the Hideout, fishing, swimming at the Monticello Pool and the annual softball tournament.
The annual Blue Mountain Invitational Fast-pitch Softball Tournament begins on Friday evening, with 12 teams competing. A home run derby begins at 2 p.m. on Friday.
There are five local teams in the tournament, in addition to three teams from New Mexico, three from the Wasatch Front and one from Colorado.
The 2010 champions, Team Cold Silverado, will not return to defend their championship. Two Wasatch Front teams may be considered front runners, led by Aces and Page Brake. Both teams have competed in the Pioneer Day Tournament for a number of years.
The celebration culminates with fireworks at 9:30 p.m.