Day of Celebration
"In commemoration of the Restoration and the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith"
Over 46,000 youth and their leaders from the Utah Salt Lake City Area gathered in Rice-Eccles Stadium on July 16, 2005, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. This gala was held in response to a letter to all Church leaders dated February 19, 2004. In that letter, the First Presidency declared: "We encourage local leaders to hold stake and multistake events and activities to provide a sense of unity and opportunities to develop friendships, especially among the youth. These events could include music, dance, drama, speech, sports, or visual arts...Events [may be] held in conjunction with special occasions such as...historical commemorations." The Day of Celebration included a choir of 15,000 (numbers approximate), 4,800 dancers, 2,400 flag bearers, 1,000 changers, 100 drummers, and participation by everyone there. It was an event those who attended will always remember.
