Hello,
Today in Utah is Pioneer Day it's the 164th anniversary of Brigham Young and a small group of Mormon pioneers reaching Salt Lake Valley. The following is taken from wikipedia.org and it's a good explanation of the significance of that day for me and many other Utahans. I've edited the three following paragraphs a bit to make it look it better.
"Pioneer Day (also called the Day of Deliverance) is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the U.S. state of Utah, with some celebrations in regions of surrounding states originally settled by Mormon pioneers. It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. This is where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos (regrettably), and other festivities help commemorate the event. Similar to July 4th, most government offices and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day.
In addition to being an official holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day is considered a special occasion by many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). On Pioneer Day, some Latter-day Saints walk portions of the Mormon Trail or reenact entering the Salt Lake Valley by handcart. Latter-day Saints throughout the United States and around the world may celebrate July 24 in remembrance of the LDS Churches' pioneer era, with songs, dances, and pioneer related activities.
While the holiday has strong links to the LDS Church, it's a celebration for everyone. That is regardless of faith and nationality, who emigrated to the Salt Lake Valley during the pioneer era, which is generally considered to have ended with the 1869 arrival of the transcontinental railroad. Notable non-LDS American pioneers from this period include Episcopal Bishop Daniel Tuttle, who was responsible for Utah's first non-Mormon schools (Rowland Hall-St. Mark's) and first public hospital (St. Mark's) in the 19th century. The Intertribal Powwow at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City honors the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the area's American Indians, helping Utahns to gain a deeper understanding of the region's history." (Thanks to wikipedia.org.)
The Pirates have run into a bit of trouble, they've lost 3 straight games. St. Louis thumped the Pirates in Pittsburgh yesterday 9-1. In a cool note both teams played in Negro League uniforms. The Pirates are now 51-47 overall, which is a remarkable record for them this late in the year. Although since their team has had some success this season, it's hard not to be a bit disappointed by a 3 game losing streak. As I write this Pittsburgh is battling with St. Louis. I'd really like Pittsburgh to at least win today's game. (Pittsburgh was able to come back and beat St. Louis 4-3 in 10 innings.) As of now Pittsburgh is 3rd place in the NL Central, but only trail the first place teams by a game. They still have a lot of say in the NL Central race.
Boston is on a roll, and it looks like they are going to win today. (Boston did win today, beating Seattle 12-8. Poor Seattle, they've lost 15 games in a row.) As of games ending last night Boston was 61-37, the second best record in MLB. They trail only the Phillies and their amazing pitching staff. Philadelphia is 61-37 overall as their pitching staff has been as advertised. The Red Sox are just an offensive juggernaut and it would be a scary thing if they added Carlos Beltran to their team before next Sunday's trade deadline.
Meanwhile Atlanta is 59-42, the fourth best record in MLB. Yet they are only the second best team in their division. They trail the Phillies by 5 games. To show how dominant the Braves have been, they lead the NL Wild Card by 5 games. Atlanta plays Cincinnati on Sunday Night Baseball. It looks like Philadelphia is going to win today, it's very crucial for the Braves to match that tonight.
I won't mention the Cubs and Dodgers too much, let's just say they are less than mediocre.
With today being Pioneer Day and with me being very much a Mormon my thoughts have been turned to those brave Pioneers. The Pioneers dealt with a lot in getting to Utah. Not only that but today is Sunday and my music is much more mellow than what I usually listen to. In other words I'm not listening to Black Stone Cherry today.
I was especially moved by this song when my iTunes played it this morning. This song is called "His Hands" written by Kenneth Cope.
An old school classic, George Jones "She Thinks I Still Care":
My favorite George Jones classic, "He Stopped Loving Her Today":
I'm not a big fan of Kenny Chesney, I think he's rather full of himself. I saw his concert once and he was more impressed with himself than anyone else was. I also haven't seen one artist appear in their own videos as much as he does. That being said he had many great songs at the start of his career. Of the 16 songs on his first "Greatest Hits" collection, I gave 15 of those songs 5 stars. There are truly a lot of great songs on it.) Here are some of his songs that have struck a cord with me today. This is Chesney's "That's Why I'm Here":
Chesney's "Me and You":
"I Lost It", watch out for the "great" acting at the start of this video:
"What I Need To Do":
The great Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December":
So this blog won't be a complete downer, here's a couple of great songs by Tim McGraw:
This is Tim McGraw's "Illegal". This is a great song, but be careful before you click on some of the parodies of his songs.
themusicaddict
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