Utah leaders past and present were joined by the voices of hundreds of schoolchildren in singing the praises of the state at a re-creation of the 1896 statehood inaugural ceremony.
The Thursday ceremony at the Tabernacle featured speeches from President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gov. Mike Leavitt and the Rev. Robert R. Sewell of the First United Methodist Church.Their counterparts at the first inaugural ceremony 100 years ago, LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff, Gov. Heber M. Wells, and the Rev. Thomas Corwin Illiff, were portrayed by actors for the abbreviated re-creation.
Audience members waved flags, cheered, stomped, applauded and sang along with the Utah Children's Choir, the Utah National Guard's 23rd Army Band and other musicians during the program, which ended with a laser light show.
President Hinckley was applauded by the enthusiastic crowd after delivering what he described as a statement of appreciation for the past and expectations for the future.
"I think it is fair to say that no other community of citizens worked longer and harder for statehood or were more grateful when it was finally granted. It was a glorious day for all when President Grover Cleveland signed the proclamation under which Utah became the 45th state in the nation," he said.
"Now for 100 years this state has grown in population and prospered in its economy. This has become the great, vital, throbbing crossroads of the West. Utah has been `discovered' by the world.
"Today we begin a new century building on the solid foundation laid by those who have gone before. They planned wisely and built well," President Hinckley said, referring to the Tabernacle as an example of their work.
Utahns look to the future "with assurance, with confidence and with faith," he said, noting that "there will be challenges, but none so formidable as were faced and overcome in the past."
He said Utahns must improve the education of future generations of children, "guard and wisely husband the precious gift" of water, and safeguard the state's natural wonders "so that future generations may also draw strength and inspiration from the handiwork of the Master Creator."
Leavitt told a story about his grandfather, who kept a fire burning on a bitterly cold night by blowing again and again on the embers while his brothers searched for firewood.
"The flame of prosperity burns brightly today in Utah," Leavitt said. "However, 100 years ago the people of this state struggled to ignite it."
Since then, the governor said, it has dimmed at times but always rekindled "because our basic values have been continually nurtured and preserved" through self-reliance, hard work, responsibility, kindness and honesty.
"Utah is not the biggest state in the union, nor are we likely to be the most powerful economically or politically. But in a world where many grope for a sustainable core, we can play a vital role," the governor said.
Utah can be "a mentor state," he said. "Like the youngest brother who preserved the glowing embers until the flame could be rekindled, Utah can be among the places where the world turns to renew its sense of basic values."
The Rev. Sewell said Utah is approaching the next century "at a time in which we have an opportunity to develop the cultural and religious traditions that comprise our state.
"We now know that simple toleration is not enough," Sewell said, calling for the state to become a national model of pluralism. "Because our state is more than it is perceived to be by those outside our state, we have a story to tell."
There were speeches, too, by the actors portraying the participants in the original inauguration ceremony, also held at the Tabernacle. But their speeches were much shorter Thursday - by some two hours in the case of Wells alone.
The choir, made up of children from throughout the state who have been preparing for months for their performance, debuted a song written for the centennial, "This Utah," with actor and singer Robert Peterson.
"I thought it was going to be scary, but it wasn't," choir member Rachel Wilkey, 9, a fourth-grader at Cottonwood Heights Elementary School, said. Instead, first-time performer Wilkey said, it was fun.
Especially the standing ovation the choir received after singing, "Utah, This is the Place." The governor said the song should join, "Utah, We Love Thee," as the state song.
"It was hard not to be emotionally moved by such a powerful moment," Leavitt said later, labeling the children's performance and the audience's reaction the highlight of the event.
Carolyn Howe of Orem watched the program on television at the nearby Crossroads Plaza with her 25-year-old daughter, Rebecca. She also was moved by the choir. "I loved to see the children participate," she said.
Much of the program was repeated at the Tabernacle later Thursday. Earlier in the day, thousands gathered along Main Street for a re-enactment of the arrival of the telegram from Washington, D.C., that announced the signing of the statehood document and an 1896-style parade.
The parade featured bands, soldiers on horseback, covered wagons and even a pair of bears escorted by mountain men, just as reportedly marched through Salt Lake City on the first day of statehood.
The bears were the best part of the day's celebration for 5-year-old Gabe Williams, who watched the parade with his brother, Rex, 9, and his parents, Suzanne Williams and Chris Wisinski. Why the bears? "Because they're good," Gabe said.
"It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities," Wisinski said. "It's a good way for the kids to learn about history while making it fun for them."
Billed as "an evening of entertainment 100 years in the making," the Statehood Centennial Gala provided a kaleidoscope of Utah talent and culture from past and present at the Delta Center Thursday evening.
Four hundred white-clad high school students set the tone for the evening. They filled the arena's floor and stands, gyrating and doing cheerleader acrobatics to "Celebration," the Kool and the Gang hit, sung by a stageful of well-known Utah artists.
Diverse cultures were spotlighted with such acts as the the gospel group Faith Temple choir, the Ogden Buddhist Taiko Drummers and American Indian Dancers.
The Utah Symphony Orchestra, Ballet West, Utah Opera Company, pianist Grant Johannesen, and composer/conductor Crawford Gates lent a classical flavor to the mix.
It was something of a family reunion for the state. The King Family appeared on stage and sang its signature tune, the LDS hymn "Love At Home." The trio Reunion was there, consisting of Jim Pike and Bob Engemann, two founding members of the Lettermen, plus King Family member Ric De Azevedo. And three of the four original singing Osmond Brothers reprised two of their 1970s hits about Utah, then joined the second-generation Osmonds for a Beatles medley and their signature song, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."
Capping the entertainment was a finale featuring the Tabernacle Choir, the only act in the gala that was around - institutionally speaking - for the original statehood celebration in 1896. They were joined in the famous "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by the Utah Symphony and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpeters from the White House. Fireworks on the floor and in the air completed the spectacle.
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CROSSROADS
The full text of the speeches by President Hinckley, the Rev. Sewell and Gov. Leavitt are online. Search under Local News heading.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A message from the president
From the White House, Jan. 4, 1996
"Warm greetings to everyone celebrating the 100th anniversary of Utah's statehood.
"Utah brought many gifts to our nation when it became our 45th state on Jan. 4, 1896: breathtaking natural beauty, abundant mineral resources, a unique pioneer heritage and, most important, citizens whose strength of character and warm community spirit have greatly enriched our national life.
"In 1847 the Mormon pioneers ventured west into Utah, strong in their faith and dedicated to finding a land where they could worship in peace. They came to Deseret at great personal sacrifice because they believed in the values of freedom, family, education, work and progress, and because they were willing to risk everything for a better future for the generations to come. They cared for the land, nurtured their families, built thriving communities and made the desert bloom.
"Building on this rich legacy, Utahns today look to the future with vision and confidence. With a strong and expanding economy, a growing population of great cultural diversity, a profound commitment to education and the wise resolve to protect the beauty of their natural surroundings, the people of Utah begin their second century of statehood with characteristic energy and enthusiasm.
"Best wishes to all for a wonderful centennial celebration."
President Bill Clinton