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Hunter Egan, 9, literally gave a hand to help make the Days of '47 youth parade float built by his Jordan LDS Stake, a cluster of congregations in Taylorsville and West Valley City.

He and other children there traced their hands on paper, cut out the shapes and wrote how they serve others. The cut-outs plastered the float, with the theme "Small hands serving the new frontier," as the many little hands lifted up a world globe.

Egan dressed as a pioneer to walk in the parade, and said he wrote on his cut-out that he helps "by giving to the poor." Almost on cue, a parade official rode up in a cart to ask if his family brought food for the needy. Hunter's mom handed over a bag of canned soup.

"We asked participants to bring donations for the Utah Food Bank in remembrance that pioneer children often did not have enough to eat, and to build awareness that many children still need help," said Jodene Smith, co-chairwoman of the youth parade.

So what may be the nation's largest youth parade through downtown Salt Lake City aimed not only for fun on Saturday, but to provide service.

Organizers estimate that 5,000 children participated by marching, waving, dancing or playing music in perfect weather — dressed as pioneers, bees, crickets, super heroes and future missionaries as they marched with dozens of floats. Entries from groups affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while the overwhelming majority, were joined by high school marching bands, dance groups and others.

"I think we are the largest youth parade in the nation, but I have not been able to absolutely confirm that. But we are in the top two," Smith said.

One competitor: The Junior Parade of the Portland Rose Festival claims to be the country's oldest and largest children's parade.

Young Jillian Brady walked holding a photo of an ancestor, Benjamin Franklin Johnson, atop a stick that represented a "branch of the family tree." She walked behind the Riverton South LDS Stake's float with the theme "Forging family links."

Her mother, Gaye, said a mob once told the pioneer Johnson to renounce being a Mormon or be shot. He refused, but his assailant's gun failed to fire twice, then backfired and killed the gunman. "Everyone else in the mob took that as a sign, and let him go."

Similarly, Lee Hunter, 11, carried a photo of an ancestor, Joseph Sneddon Hunter, as he and his siblings, William, 9, and Megan, 6, took turns pulling a small covered wagon behind a big covered wagon float built by the Centerville LDS Stake.

Their mother, Sarah, said the ancestor was sent ahead with strangers as a child when his family's covered wagon broke. "His father later tried to catch up … but he took the wrong fork" in the road, she said. "So Joseph walked most of the way to Utah by himself."

Family history and remembering pioneer ancestors was a popular theme among floats that were mostly sponsored by LDS Church stakes, or regions.

Murray's Little Cottonwood Stake had a "tablet to tablet" theme, with a display rotating between Moses' tablet with the Ten Commandments on one side, and a modern computer tablet used to research family history on the other.

"But we had a little mishap with a tree on the way here," which tore off some lettering on the float's top, said Eilene Herzeltine. Leaders quickly found some paint and cardboard to fix it, showing some pioneering spirit of their own.

Kenadie, Carter and Lincoln Roberts — ages 9, 6 and 3 — wore necklaces of paper keys that children in their area helped make containing the words faith, charity and hope. They walked with a float from the West Bountiful Stake that said those virtues help make them "pioneers unlocking new frontiers."

Walking behind a float depicting a miracle of seagulls saving Mormon pioneers' crops by eating invading crickets, Julie Jo Gedge, 5, was among children dressed as crickets — including wearing black clothes, black wings and black antennae.

Her mom, Susan, was dressed as a pioneer. She explained, "We adults are the farmers trying to chase off the crickets." Julie Jo laughed.

Other kids were also "bugging" the parade. Nearby, Collin Werts, 5, and his sister, Anna, 9, were among youth dressed as bees behind South Jordan's Highland Stake float with a giant beehive and bees in honor of the Beehive State.

But Collin did not seem thrilled when interviewed. "We had to come," and it was not a choice, he pouted. But his father said Collin was excited earlier, and had been chanting with his sister, "We are bees." —

Other upcoming Days of '47 events

Float preview party • See floats for the main Days of '47 Parade early and vote on favorites, Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., South Towne Expo Center, 9575 S. State St. in Sandy.

Rodeo • Tuesday through Saturday, 7 p.m. nightly, Energy Solutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple in Salt Lake City.

Days of '47 Parade • Friday at 9 a.m. through downtown Salt Lake City.