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BOUNTIFUL — The Days of '47 activities began Friday night with the popular Bountiful Handcart Days Parade.
This is the 62nd year that the event has taken place, and the 2012 parade began around 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Tens of thousands of people lined up along the 1.8-mile route which ran north up Main St, from 1500 S to 400 N. Some people had picked their spots as early as 7:00 a.m.
The parade was limited to 85 entries this year by the Handcart Days Committee because the parade has become too popular to allow for a longer line. This year's special entry, to commemorate one of the big war stories in The Book of Mormon, was the "Sons of Helaman".
The Sons of Helaman featured more than 2,000 young men, who marched as the "Strippling Warriors" in a 400-yard long line. Each member carried a special wooden staff with a nail on the bottom. Every four steps, the group struck the pavement in unison.
Other Handcart Days activities followed the parade, including food music and games. The event runs through 10:00 p.m. Friday night, and will continue from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday. A fireworks show is set to begin at sundown Friday night at Mueller Park Jr. High.
Contributing: Keith McCord
