Utah organizations aren’t immune from the lure of April Fools’ Day jokes, posting what can literally be called “fake news.”
The Utah Army National Guard took to Twitter first thing Monday morning with an announcement that Donovan Mitchell, the star shooting guard for the Utah Jazz, was going to enlist in the Guard.
The Guard’s Twitter thread said Mitchell “will be enlisting as a cannon crewmember (MOS 13B) for his love of teamwork and shooting.” The tweet ended with the hashtag #AprilFools.
The Utah Symphony took advantage of the day to announce a collaboration with Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary to bring animals — from cockatoos to elephants — onto the Abravanel Hall stage to perform classical music.
”Several species of birds from the Tracy Aviary will be on the percussion and woodwind sections. The elephants at Utah’s Hogle Zoo will also be joining the orchestra on ‘Pines of Rome’ and ‘Carnival of the Animals,’” Utah Symphony announced in a press release.
The announcement came with an accompanying video, which suggests everything may not be on the up-and-up.
Meanwhile, parents of students at Salt Lake City’s West High School received an email Sunday from principal Ford White, thwarting an attempted April Fools’ prank.
A rumor spread via social media that the school would open at 7:45 a.m. Monday, the time school opens on Tuesdays through Fridays, rather than the regular 9:45 a.m. Monday “late start.” In the email, White said that one of the school’s social media sites was hacked with the incorrect schedule.
Out in Daggett County, Flaming Gorge Resort, about a 200-mile drive east of Salt Lake City, announced on Facebook that it was selling tags for the annual jackalope hunt, set for April 31. (Double-check that date, and remember the rhyme: “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. ...”)
Rangers at Zion National Park put up a prankish Instagram post, announcing plans to install a zip line from the top of Angels Landing starting in 2020.
“Finally, our visitors will be able to soar like a California condor!" the post reads, before giving in with a more serious tone: “These places are protected for their natural beauty and historical significance. Amusement rides and most modern additions would only distract from that significance and could not improve these magnificent places.”
