You just have to love Utah and its wonderfully idiotic (original language snipped, because I’ve got the word “porn” in several blog entries to help drive traffic) concept of holiday celebrations.

Today is July 24, which has some meaning to the Mormons, although I’ve no clue exactly what. Problem is that most people in the state act like it’s Christmas in July without the gifts.

According to Wikipedia:

Pioneer Day (also archaically called the Day of Deliverance) is an official Utah state 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, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois and other locations in the eastern United States. Parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities help commemorate the event.

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. On Pioneer Day, some Latter-day Saints walk portions of the Mormon Trail or reenact entering the Salt Lake Valley by handcart. Even Latter-day Saints outside of the U.S. occasionally sing Mormon folk music around July 24 in remembrance of the pioneer era.

Ah … so basically the State of Utah codified a religious holiday, in the name of “history”. Once more proof that there is little (if any) separation of church and state in Utah.

The worst parts? The DABC liquor stores are closed and they shoot off more fireworks than on the 4th of July. So aggravating! Good thing I stocked up on Stella Artois earlier this week.

InBev to buy Anheuser-Busch for $52B - CNN.com

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) — Belgian brewer InBev has announced it will buy its U.S. rival Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion to create the world’s largest brewer.

The deal would create the world’s largest brewer and put the U.S. beer-maker in the hands of Belgian-based InBev.

The acquisition means control over America’s largest brewer, the No. 2 worldwide, moves overseas. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Anheuser-Busch has more than 48 percent of American market share with brands that include Bud Light.

InBev confirmed the details of the purchase of Anheuser-Busch early Monday. It first bid for Anheuser-Busch on June 11.

InBev is the world’s second largest beer maker, with brands that include Stella Artois and Becks.

The deal must be approved by shareholders and European and US antitrust regulators. The merger will produce the fourth-largest consumer product company worldwide.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. did not return messages seeking comment Sunday evening.

The Wall Street Journal said the deal was for $70 a share, a $5 increase over the offer Anheuser-Busch rejected in June.

What did I tell you back in May and in June regarding the proposed InBev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch? I knew that one way or another this deal would happen.

As it turns out, the Busch family’s posturing when they rejected the original offer, and more so through the commercials that have been airing on TV the past few weeks have been more about getting InBev to sweeten the offer … and it worked.

So here’s hoping that everything goes smoothly from here on out, and that some of those fantastic international (especially Belgian) brands that InBev controls get some better distribution in the United States once the deal is completed.

Update (more stories on the InBev / Anheuser-Busch deal):

• Anheuser-Busch accepts $52 billion InBev offer - MarketWatch
• Anheuser to Be Sold for $52 Billion - NYTimes.com

InBev Mulls Bid for Rival Anheuser - WSJ.com

Anheuser-Busch Cos. [NYSE:BUD] faces a potential assault from beer giant InBev NV and activist investors that threatens to place the 150-year-old American icon in foreign hands.

Leuven, Belgium-based InBev is weighing an unsolicited takeover of the Budweiser maker, people familiar with the brewer’s planning said on Friday. Anheuser-Busch shares jumped 7.66%, to $56.61 on the news, giving the company a market value of $40.4 billion. Trading volume totaled 11 times the daily average.

InBev has yet to make a final decision on whether to pursue an unsolicited offer, an approach that would be fraught with complications, the people said. But now may be the time to strike given how the depreciating dollar makes U.S. corporate assets cheaper for foreign buyers. Behind SABMiller Co., InBev and Anheuser are the world’s second- and third-largest brewers as measured by volume. Together they would control 300 brands on six continents, brewing 10 billion gallons of beer each year. Both companies declined to comment on deal speculation Friday.

InBev’s designs on Anheuser come as beer makers face pressure to trim costs because of increasing expenses for commodities such as barley, aluminum and glass, making it more important to gain economies of scale. Plans by SABMiller to combine its U.S. operations with Coors Brewing Co., a unit of Molson Coors Brewing Co., have also increased pressure for other brewers to consolidate. Heineken NV and Carlsberg A/S recently clinched a deal to acquire Scottish & Newcastle PLC, the biggest brewer in the United Kingdom.

InBev, which makes Stella Artois and Beck’s, is eager to gain a foothold in the U.S., where it has a tiny presence. The U.S. is the biggest beer market in terms of profits, though sales growth is tepid. The companies have relatively little geographic overlap. InBev has a strong footprint in emerging markets, including Brazil, but is exposed to some slower-growth markets, like Western Europe. By combining, InBev and Anheuser would gain a stronger position in China, where they have both been expanding in recent years. China is the world’s largest beer market by volume.

During my youthful years in Belgium in the early 1980s, Stella Artois was the primary beverage of weekend consumption … other InBev brands of Belgian brews include Jupiler (eh), Hoegaarden, and Leffe (mmmmm….). And what self-respecting cyclist doesn’t like Belgian beer?

InBev also controls a host of other incredible world-wide brands, like Spaten, Skol, Staropramen, Bass, and Murphy’s.

If this takeover attempt means that more good European beers can find their way into the US in general (and Utah in specific), then I say “Bring it, baby!”