"I chased him to, like, over there," said the Cottonwood Heights 12-year-old. "I'm not obsessed or anything, but he's famous."

She and her friends - and the 9,000 other people Murray's fire marshal estimated were there - filled the school's football stadium to see their favorite "American Idol" contestant.

"Oh, wow," the 17-year-old finalist mouthed, as fans filled the field with shrieks.

Murray resident Rebecca Weston made sure Archuleta knew her yells were distinctive when she went up to him.

"I said, 'I'm in your church.' He went, 'Uh, nice,' " she said, imitating his shoulder shrug and smile.

The high school pep rally capped a day of activities for Archuleta, who had not been home since the hit Fox show began taping in January.

At 7 a.m., he was interviewed on KSTU Channel 13, where he greeted his first fans of the day - about a hundred or so - and sang a version of Dolly Parton's "Smokey Mountain Memories."

"It's amazing to be here," he told the Fox morning anchors. "I never thought I would make it this far."

After hitting a couple of radio stations, Archuleta arrived in a black limo at The Gateway, where another 2,000 people waited in a line that wound down the second floor sidewalk of the shopping center. He signed autographs at the AT&T store before being whisked away for some family time.

Janet Wayman, 14, of Riverton, who had waited for more than an hour to see Archuleta, carried a sign that read, "Marry me (in four years)."

"This is crazy," said one AT&T spokesperson at the event. AT&T Utah director of sales Marty Clark said the company held similar events in Missouri and Florida for his remaining rivals, David Cook and Syesha Mercado, but that those events "didn't come close" to the number of people who showed up for Archuleta.

At around 4:30 p.m., Archuleta made his grand appearance at the Murray High rally, making his way around the track in a white convertible with his mom. They were the tail end of a parade that included Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, and Murray Mayor Dan Snarr.

Each public figure quipped about how the singing sensation added to the grandeur of his respective voting district. Huntsman and Snarr both issued proclamations naming May 9 "David Archuleta Day," and Corroon presented the singer and his family with an "Archuleta Ave." street sign.

Archuleta thanked them, then the screaming fans.

"Thank you guys so much," he said. "I can't believe how many people came out. It means the world to me that you guys came here."

Archuleta performed three of his "American Idol" pleasers: Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," John Lennon's "Imagine," and Robbie Williams' "Angels."

"It just kind of makes TV personal and a lot more fun," said Kent Jorgensen, of Ogden, who brought his 12-year-old daughter, Alexa, and four of her friends to the pep rally.

Archuleta was everything his daughter expected.

"He's always happy and he has a really nice smile," Alexa said, "and he can sing, like, really good. Pretty much everything."

mariav@sltrib.com

vhoriuchi@sltrib.com