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.
