Floats for today's parade took months of work

SANDY — An abundance of boats and trains will make an appearance in the Days of '47 parade today.

From LDS stakes to Larry H. Miller's sports and entertainment enterprises, 39 floats were available for viewing Saturday and Monday at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy. Those who attended the event voted for the best floats among the ones that went to the preview.

Floats in the parade include Chinese Society of Utah, Delta Air Lines, Intermountain Health Care, Brigham Young University and numerous stakes and wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the valley.

Hundreds of people worked several months to produce the floats in today's parade.

The Bountiful Stake's "Mormon Meteor" float features the tortoise and the hare racing through the Salt Flats, the tortoise in a car with the hare running behind. The float, made from steel, wire fencing and Styrofoam, took creativity and hard work, said Debbie Beauregard, one of the chairwomen for putting the float together. They started working on the float in May and finished just recently.

Although the float required all her extra time, Beauregard said it was worth it.

Beauregard's sister, Barbie Landsaw, carved the tortoise, hare and two vultures from Styrofoam. Landsaw, who isn't a member of the Bountiful Stake, felt she branched out with her artistic experience.

"It was a learning experience," she said. "It took about 2 1/2 months of nine to 16 hours a day. I have my life back now."

Jay Beauregard, Debbie's husband, said about 40 to 50 people helped create the float, the first time in nine years that the Bountiful Stake has entered a float in the parade.

Many of the floats featured posters and slide shows of the work that went into the floats .

The entertainment at the preview included face painting and balloons, as well as performances from high school bands and dance groups.

The parade begins at 9 a.m. at the corner of South Temple and Main Street. It will also be broadcast on KSL.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com