"He used to sing for me at my birthday parties," Hansen said. She now wishes she had recorded him singing to her.

Murray High choir teacher Scott Alan said he started hearing about Archuleta when the teen was in junior high.

Alan's students would go to concerts at the junior high and hear Archuleta sing solo parts. They would tell Alan about the younger teen's amazing voice.

"I thought, 'Eh, sure,'" Alan said.

Then he heard Archuleta when he was in the Murray High a cappella choir.

"He is a wonderful communicator," Alan said. "He is definitely a standout."

Murray High students Tanner Carr, Nate Hawkins and Tyler Rasband said that when they hang out with people from other schools or cities, Archuleta is the topic of conversation. Carr said even a friend of his who is serving an LDS mission in Ireland is asked if he knows Archuleta when people find out he is from Murray.

"I hear he's big in the Philippines, too," Hawkins said.

Whatever his Philippines fan base may be, Aragon and other neighborhood fans of Archuleta, called the "Arch Angels," are doing their part to boost local support of their "Idol."

They have tied white ribbons around the neighborhood. Aragon said the signs and balloons had to be taken down the day after "David's Day" because of the wind.

On Monday nights, Aragon and neighbors who want to join in parade around in their cars honking, yelling and playing Archuleta's music to remind people who to vote for the next night.

"It's crazy," Aragon said.

Murray High School public-relations specialist D. Wright said the Archuleta craze has been fun. The school doesn't expect to have this happen again, she said, so they are making the most of it. (But a reality series filmed at the school is planned.)

As far as the national attention, she said, "There is nothing negative about it."

But it may be strange.

"Girls were screaming over David's water bottle that he left from Friday," Wright said.

She said much of the Archuleta memorabilia from "David's Day" was stolen, including Wright's script for the events of the day and the notes that Paula Abdul sent about what songs Archuleta should sing.

"I want to check eBay to see if that stuff is on there," Wright said.

Mayor Snarr said Archuleta deserves all of the credit for the positive attention. He said Archuleta is the same in real life as he is on TV — a good guy. Snarr said he is pleased with how the community has pulled together for the Murray teen. "David's Day" occurred because many Murray groups cooperated and organized it.

"Murray is a hip town — and," the mustachioed Snarr said, "I'm not a hick."

---

E-mail: mbennett@desnews.com