Rallies abound this week

"It's going to be a real good, positive, up-beat, non-political rally under the common cause of supporting the troops," said Holton, who served in Iraq for 13 months as a member of the Utah National Guard. "We want to get enough attention that maybe the word will get out and get to the soldiers. We care about them, and we want them to come home safe."

Tony and Amy Galvez, parents of Marine Cpl. Adam Galvez who was recently killed in Iraq, are both planning to speak at the rally sometime between 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the northeast corner of Liberty Park. Those plans are contingent upon when their son's funeral takes place, according to family friend Bruce Gray. Adam Galvez's body is tentatively expected to arrive in Utah on Monday, with possible plans for funeral services at Calvary Chapel in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. Gray said an exact time for the funeral had not been set as of Friday night.

• "Liberty Rally" about immigration

A "Liberty Rally" encouraging President Bush to press a stalled Congress on immigration reform is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Liberty Park.

Organizer Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah and chairman of the Utah Hispanic Democratic Caucus, has drawn criticism from some other Democratic and Hispanic leaders who say Yapias should join an anti-war protest planned earlier in the day.

Yapias, however, said for many in the immigrant community, the most pressing issue is immigration. He's calling on the president to push Congress to pass reforms that would create a way for illegal immigrants to gain legal status, making legal immigration easier, and securing the borders.

"We want to send a strong message to the president here," Yapias said. "We're talking border security and national security on this issue. The sooner we know who's here and people are able to live and work with dignity, then we can feel much safer."

• "Welcome and Appreciation Rally for President Bush"

More than any other gathering, the plans for this Republican-sponsored rally have shifted drastically in the past several days.

It was first scheduled at Washington Square and planned to be open to the public. Then, organizer James Evans received word that the president was interested in attending and thus moved the demonstration to the Air National Guard base north of the Salt Lake City airport. The base is where Air Force One is expected to touch down sometime Wednesday night. The rally is now scheduled at the air field from 7 to 10 p.m.

The guard base presents a more secure environment for the commander in chief. Typically, visitors must be escorted by military members — and that's just when it's business as usual, to say nothing of having Bush in town.

Evans clammed up about plans, though, after announcing the change of venue. He doesn't know now whether there will be an alternative rally to accommodate members of the public whom the Secret Service might not permit on the airfield. The Deseret Morning News will continue to offer updates as plans change in the next several days.

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Contributing: Deborah Bulkeley, Stephen Speckman, and the Associated Press.

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E-mail: kswinyard@desnews.com