In overseeing the statewide effort, Elder Bateman said he has observed or learned thousands of Utah teens are generating original woodwork, poetry, paintings, drawings, ceramics, music, quilts and other artwork in memory of Joseph Smith.

The best will be culled from among wards and stakes in the Utah South area and presented for display at the BYU Marriott Center during a musical and dance performance scheduled for Aug. 6. The event will be interspersed with videotaped segments of young people sharing their feelings about what they believe is Christ's gospel restored to the Earth through Smith and his translation of the Book of Mormon.

Thousands more young people have already gathered at public and private work venues around the state, volunteering tens of thousands of hours to clean up parks, plant flowers, trees and bushes, paint fences and homes, prepare meals, rake leaves and haul trash as a way to commemorate the church's founding 175 years ago on April 6, 1830.

The quality of work that has gone into some of the projects underscores the deep love young people are developing for the prophet, according to Elder Ronald Stone, who oversees activities in the Utah South Area.

One group of young men built drums and developed a drum presentation to illustrate the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage, Ill., in June 1844, he said.

Elder Bateman said another young man came up with a drum solo evoking the clip-clop of horses' hooves as the two brothers made their last ride toward Carthage. The piece ends with the punctuated sound of a gunshot. "Those who heard it were in tears," he said.

"In some of these little isolated wards in places like Wallsburg and Bicknell, we've had just some marvelous moments. It's as significant as anything they've ever experienced spiritually. It's very gratifying and very sweet," Elder Stone said.

One group of young men has built rifles from the period of early LDS history and others built a replica of the wooden box in which Smith kept what he said were gold plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon.

Yet another group created a claymation animation of Smith's life. Scale models of the homes where early events in Smith's life took place have also been constructed, as have handmade belt buckles evoking his memory.

Elder Robert Garff of the Utah North Area said one Bountiful stake came up with an original play and musical score that was performed May 19 and 20 for thousands of local members.

Organizers in his area ordered about 20,000 T-shirts last week that will be part of the costuming for the large stadium events scheduled July 15 at Romney Stadium in Logan and July 16 at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.