July 24
Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day is Monday, which means Utah state agencies (and more than a few private businesses) have the day off. Many will spend it participating in or watching the Days of ‘47 Parade, starting at 9 a.m. at the corner of State St. and Main St. in downtown Salt Lake City, in front of the Brigham Young statue. The parade route then runs east on South Temple, south on 200 East, and east again on 900 South before ending at Liberty Park. (There are tons of other events happening Monday around the state; The Tribune has a listing of them at sltrib.com.)
July 26-29
Country Fan Fest in Tooele
The four-day Country Fan Fest, a super-event for country music lovers, happens Wednesday through Saturday at Deseret Peaks, 2930 W. Highway 112, Tooele. The headliners are Sawyer Brown on Wednesday, Parker McCollum on Thursday, Cody Johnson on Friday, and Hardy on Saturday. Among the supporting acts are Scotty McCreery, Ashley McBride, Ian Munsick and more. Gates open at 2 p.m. each day, music starts at 4 p.m.; tickets are available at countryfanfest.com.
July 29
Seeing stars
The Stansbury Park Observatory Complex, which features some of Utah’s largest telescopes, will be open to the public Saturday, from sunset to 11 p.m. Among the telescopes in the complex — near Stansbury Parkway and State Road 138 at the north end of Stansbury Park, in Tooele County — is the largest amateur-owned optical telescope on Earth. Stargazers can get a chance to look at the moon, Venus, Mars and countless galaxies. Anyone with their own telescope can bring it in, to get expert advice on how to use it. The event, put on by the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, is free and family friendly.