This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Thousands of Utahns watched the Days of '47 parade Monday morning, but they already missed a great show.

Before the floats, bands, horses and handcarts made their way along the parade route, they had to arrive downtown — in some semblance of order — so the parade could run according to plan.

This year's logistical challenge began at midnight Monday at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, where Utah Highway Patrol troopers arrived to escort more than two-dozen floats downtown, creating a preview parade along Interstate 15. UHP patrol cars led the pack, while incident management vehicles brought up the rear, all driving at a float-shaking 10 mph.

"These cars aren't made to go this slow," Trooper Jeff Stevens joked about the patrol cars. "Most of the floats are being pulled, so that will be easier."

Mike Nielsen got to feel the wind in his hair, riding atop the West Jordan River Oaks Stake float. Strategically positioned in the center, Nielsen was charged with making sure the more than 300 worker bees made by neighborhood children didn't blow off the float. Float designer Raelynne Kunz rode in the truck towing the float, armed with extras — just in case.

For others, just getting out of the Expo Center proved to be a challenge. Craig Taylor and several others had to pull a quick fix on their float, which wouldn't start. Applying a screwdriver to the ignition got things started, but Taylor and company were still nervous. The float's front end had already been rebuilt once, after it was ripped out when moving to the Expo Center for the float preview party.

"If we don't go too fast, we might not lose too many Books of Mormon on the way down," Taylor said. The float — titled "Press Forward Feasting on the Word" — featured several stacks of jumbo foam books relating to Mormon history.

Around 1:30 Monday morning, the floats arrived downtown and began their awkward dance of moving into place. Most retained their order from the Expo Center, but things were thrown off a bit when one had to stop for gas.

Cleve and Sherri Bohne acted as choreographers, directing each float to its proper location. The couple, members of the Days of '47 parade committee, spent the night armed with maps, lists and walkie-talkies to help guide the floats into place.

Less than half of the total floats made the trek from the Expo Center, Sherri Bohne said, with others coming from Bountiful's Handcart Days celebration and other locations around the valley. Many business and municipal floats chose not to participate in the preview and made their own way downtown. Some got an escort from local police, but many just had to be careful while making the trip unaided.

The challenge didn't end once the floats were in place. Volunteers brought out step stools and power tools to reattach bits and pieces removed for the trip. Mechanical pieces had to be rewired, and while no floats lost major pieces during the trek, several had bits of trim come loose, requiring a few punches with the staple gun.

Some volunteers and support staff made their way home or to nearby hotels to steal a few hours of sleep before the judges came around at 6 a.m., but each float required someone to stay with it throughout the night.

The Midvale Utah North stake came prepared. Jeff Glover brought caramel-apple muffins for breakfast, with enough to feed the 10 children who rode on the float. Glover's teammates Lisa and Gary Reimann went one step further, bringing reclining camping chairs and pillows in hopes of snagging a bit of sleep.

"Hopefully we'll get some, probably not," Gary Reimann said. "It's like sleeping before Christmas."