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Show page Eight - The Springville Herald - July 29, 1987 REAL TOURGUIDE: Children like the Greek farm girl above may not have much to say in the way of historical fact, but they unconsciously provide some of the best tours going. Albert Ottomeyer photo A Traveler's Notebook Discover a city by Albert Ottomeyer Everyone has their own peculiar way of discovering the "true" character of any particular place when traveling. Some people spend hours gazing at masonry and other bits of architectural detail, trying to "feel" a city through its majestic, carved lines and rococo curves. For others, the nature of a place expresses ex-presses itself through nightlife-listening nightlife-listening to a local guitarist in a village tavern or stumbling through the throbbing, 18-hour-a-day nightlife of a place like Madrid. Furthermore, these methods of exploration and discovery seem to come out passionately when travelers tell their tales (and, unlike dead men, travelers usually have more than a sane person would wish to hear in one sitting). The ordinarily or-dinarily rational, open-minded adventurer can turn into a fiendishly opinionated pedagogue when he or she attempts to explain the "right" way to experience a new destination. "The only way to properly see a place like Paris is just to get lost in a neighborhood, to explore whatever might come along." (Note this is also a great way for the inexperienced inex-perienced traveler to get mugged by bands of roving gypsies in the "City of Light.") "You really can't know a place until you talk to the people. Don't be shy-just strike up a conversation with whomever you might bump into!" (Ever see the movie "An American Werewolf in London"? Note that this, too, can have its rough side.) "Just go on a tour. No hassles, and you see anything worth seeing." (That is, if anything worth seeing includes four hours worth of air conditioned bus and the lobby of the Cairo Hilton.) What emerges to many people after making several voyages is that the best method of exploration lies in a mixture of extremes. Sure, get lost in a foreign city-so long as you have a map tucked safely in your pocket in case you truly lose your way. Feel free to talk to people, but don't accost ac-cost every single person you encounter en-counter on the street. Take an afternoon af-ternoon tour to acquaint yourself with a new place. 'For all the abuse thty receive, tour guides can in fact be very valuable sources of information. in-formation. While on a tour, you might note sights which truly interest in-terest you, and make later, more extended visits. Just don't base your entire impression of Rome on a three-hour bus tour of the "ancient sights." Still, no" matter how balanced a method one might try to develop, everyone has a soft spot, the one aspect of a place which leaves an indelible impression of its character, the aspect always to keep a lookout for. For myself, the irresistable barometer of a location's character is in the children. Take Paris, lor example (and always an enduring example, too). How do you know that this is a city full of stylish, sophisticated people? Just look at the kids. No sagging diapers or drooping coveralls here-perish here-perish such thoughts. Children in Paris must be at least as well turned out as their parents: tiny letterman jackets with "American Girl" embroidered across the backs (imitation Americana is all the rage this year, especially among ithe under-15 set), miniscule argyle socks with petite white, canvas Keds to match. Yes, sir, these children know where they live, all right. Want to know the countries where agriculture is till very much a way of life? Don't look at the statistics-look statistics-look at the kids. After exploring the Ancient Greek ruins at Mycenae-the Mycenae-the legendary home of Agamemnon, Helen of Troy's brother-in-lawa friend and I decided to pursue a flock of sheep up a nearby hill, with the eventual aim not of petting the sheep but of getting a clearer view of the area. On approaching the sheep, however, we were surprised by the approach of a shepherdess, all of eight or nine years old. Dressed in a bright purple sweater, a red pleated skirt, and a blue tee shirt, she seemed to sum up the contrast between rural and modern Greece. Around her neck she wore a gold crucifix, and in her hand she held a knarled, hand-carved hand-carved staff, rough but in form adequate enough to drive her flock around the hills. Within clear sight of one of Greece's foremost tourist attractions, she seemed to have little contact with the outsiders who swarmed so near. She was shy and spoke not a word of English-something English-something not as common as it might sound, when you consider that all Greek children learn English in school. The production of a camera made her start, and she seemed somewhat anxious about having her picture taken. Could she have been nervous that an angry parent would see her talking to strangers? Or is it possible that she had never seen a camera? But on that windy day at Mycenae, these questions did not matter. The Greek shepherdess, in a brief moment of acquaintance, revealed something of Greece that no piles of carved stone or stacks of modern buildings or statistics on agricultural conditions in the country could possibly tell. She showed us a tiny but nonetheless priviledged glance of another world, a place which decades of technology and industrial progress have erased in our lives. So when I am called upon to tell my travel tales and give my recommendations, while others emphatically state the virtues of this hotel or that neighborhood, I'll be rooting for the kids. The shepherdess, shepher-dess, the swank Parisia teeny-boppers teeny-boppers -these are the ones who truly tell tales. Mark My Words Garden fun by Mark Conroy There was a garden plot in the yard when I bought my house.' At the onset it was merely a patch of ground surrounded by cedar posts that sported a few weeds and no grass. Since it was obvious to the realtor that I was a city boy he made sure to identify it for me. "That there is your basic garden spot," he said, pointing. "Looks like a weed spot," I replied. "Basically." "Well, most people have 'em," he hastened to add, fearful that I was preparing to chip away at the price of the house. "Us Mormons are big on gardening and killing crickets, ya know." He neglected to add that there was a couple of other things Mormons Mor-mons are real big on. Digging and sweating. For the first two years I just let my weed collection grow. It got pretty dense and I finally started to hear primeval sounds coming from it, so I decided to get rid of the weeds and plant something useful. Like zucchini. The kid at Kolob Lumber sold me a hoe and grinned. I guess he knew that what I would really need resembled a logging contract or a tactical nuclear bomb. Shouldering my ignorance and the hoe, I sallied forth to my doom. I hadn't been chopping at the weeds for more than an hour before the ladies from the 'Leaf Society' started dropping by and leaving packages of seeds and the odd box of canning jars. I wish one of them would have left me a truss or some linament. "Try these, Mr. Conroy," one said. "Some of my mother's hybrid zucchini seeds. Uglius Elephantus I think they're called." "Thanks Mrs. J.," I wheezed. "Would you lift this weed off of me and get one of the boys to bring me a beer?" During the weekend that it took to clear out the weeds I saw grasshoppers the size of commercial airliners, a Tyranosaurus Rex and Dr. Livingston. A squad of Viet Cong even sniped at me from the weed line. It was not something I would like to go through again. The next week I planted strawberries, peas, corn, rhubarb, turnips and grapes. Kind of a mixed bag I know, but then I was new at it. My only previous experience at gardening was watering a plant my college room mate assured me was a household herb. A fact later disproved by a surprise visit from the campus cops. Anyway, the seeds were planted and I spent several long weeks watching them come up. Constant forages into the patch, to hack hysterically at sprouting weeds, took some of the satisfaction out of seeing the fruits of my labor, however. I can't believe that there are people who do this for fun. The sun took my strawberries, the grasshoppers ate my peas and turnips, and Wretch dug up the corn. The VC must have got the grapes. By July I was back watering the weeds. Gardening and I have parted company. No longer will I battle the elements to feed my family. At least not until they come up with a seed for a potato chip plant or one that produces six-packs like clumps of grapes. Combine peanut butter with a little honey. Makes a great sandwich spread for raisin bread or peanut muffins. Miplefon pufd tribute to Lurson loe citizens at 24t!i celebration Some of the early settlers of Mapleton were the Larsen family. Included with this prominent name are Hopla, Binks and Wing and a few more as generations go on, as the Larsen Lane grows in Mapleton. The people who came to Larsen Lane in the 1870's and 80's were Mormon converts from Denmark, Sweden, and England. Their common com-mon bond was the LDS Church.Their needs were great for most of them arrived in Utah with little more than the clothes on their backs. Their desire to subdue the brush covered land, build miles of roads and irrigation ditches, master a common language, and sustain and support each other, together with their faith in God, made the taming of the desert possible and established a beautiful home life. There are twenty homes on Larsen Lane and five of the oldest homes whose families still own the land were selected to be honored last weekend at the Mapleton 24th of July Celebration. James Peter Larsen was born in Denmark April 3, 1860 and sailed with his parents to the United States landing in New York in 1869, and continuing their journey to Utah, settling in Spanish Fork. On the 28th of September, 1882, James and Mary Caroline Andersen traveled for two days by wagon to the Endowment House in Salt Lake to be married. Their first five children were born in Spanish Fork, and then in 1890 they moved to Mapleton and settled on a 40 acre tract of sagebrush land. Eleven more children were born in Mapleton and all eleven grew to adulthood. James built his family a fine stuccoed home. He served two missions for the church in Denmark, one from 1894 to 1895 and the other 1909 to 1910. He died of tuberculosis on October 4, 1914. Mary raised the family and did temple work in the St. George Temple. She died on Nov. 23, 1947. Two of her sons, Reed and Wilford, stayed on the farm and took tare of things. Wilford Larsen was born in Spanish Fork December 24, 1889. He married Margaret Clyde in 1910. In 1911. with the help of his father, James built a two room house on the south end of the family farm, 840 South Larsen Lane. Wilford was a farmer and raised livestock. He bought several pieces of land including in-cluding fields on Larsen Lane, which later they gave to their children. Wilford and Margaret had nine children, eight raised to adulthood. Five of their children still live in Larsen Lane: Clyde and Myrtle Larsen, Howard Larsen, Ned and Beth Larsen; Roy and Verlaine Tanner, and Marilyn Larsen. Wilford died in 1952 and Margaret in 1974. Heed Larsen was born October 22, 1900 in Mapleton. He was raised on the family farm. He married Jessie Wing, i the girl across the street) in 1919 in the SLC Temple. They built their very first home in Mapleton on Larsen Lane. After the death of Mary Larsen, mother of Reed, they moved into the family home in 1923. Reed and Jessie had six children: Blaine, Harold, Norma, Ferrus, Paul and Nelba. Jessie died in 1959. Reed married Marjorie Houtz in I960 and they still reside in Mapleton on Larsen Lane. They have been avid temple workers and served a mission to the South West Indian Mission. Two sons are still living on Larsen Lane, Ferrus and Beth Larsen and Paul and Lorraine Larsen. Over the years many people have inquired about the lovely old red brick home at 340 South on Larsen Lane with its mowed and cared for lawns. Lorenzo Hopla bought sixteen 'V' TIM I - - jritK ''" ",. -T.. fllinll The first Larsen home on Larsen Lane in Mapleton is shown above and was built by James Peter Larsen. He moved to Mapleton in 1890 where he built this stucco home and raised his family. Since that time many other Larsons and other families have resided on Larsen Lane. These people were honored at the 24th of July celebration in Mapleton last week. acres in 1875 and built this red brick home sometime between 1880 and 1885. Harold Hopla and Olivia Stringer Hopla had four children, Kate Hopla Anderson, Dave, John and Delbert. After Lorenzo's and Olivia's deaths about 1916, their son John and his wife Mable lived on the farm. John farmed and Mable was a teacher at the Mapleton School. Their son Harold married LaRae Larsen, who are the present owners of the beautiful home on Larsen Lane. William Binks was born November 30, 1888 in Springville and rew up on the family farm in Mapleton. Bill's father died when he was only 17. Bill did the farming and helped his mother with the four younger children. Bill married Hannah Frost Jan. 15, 1919 and brought his new bride, by horse and buggy, to their new home on South Larsen Lane. The Binks home was built by Alonzo S. Fullmer who made the bricks for the home at a site just east of the Binks home. The walls of the home are still durable and attractive at-tractive almost 100 years later. They enjoyed their life on the farm and were happy raising their four children, Berniece, Naomi, LaVon and Bernell. Bill died in 1951. Hannah was able to stay, for the most part, in their home and take care of her garden and flowers and worked at the Holley Store. She died in 1985. Hugh B. Wing purchased their farm on Larsen Lane in about 1919, where he and his wife Mary Ellen Kirkman brought their family to live. They had six children: Hugh B., Earl, Jessie Larsen, George, Ralph, and Lewis. Hugh was civic minded and served as President of the Mapleton Town Board during the time the culinary water pipe line was installed. Mary was an energetic person and a great homemaker. She died in 1945 and Hugh in 1947. Their son Lewis and his wife Margaret own the family home. Utah County Fair events The Utah County Fair, which will be held August 12, 13, 14 and 15, 1987 at the fairgrounds in Spanish Fork, provides something for every resident, young and old alike, in Utah County. If your interests lie in Homemaking, flowers, Fruits and vegetables or the Fine Arts the Fair provides it all. The Home Arts Department allows residents to expose their talents in cooking, canning, sewing, quilting, needlework, knitting and crocheting, hobbies and crafts, etc. Sculptures, Artists, Photographers, and those working with ceramics can share their talents by exhibiting in the Fine Arts department. As in the past, there will be a livestock show, 4-H and F.F.A. Department displays. The Horse Show has been extended to run during the Fair, and both the Horticulture Hor-ticulture and Floriculture departments depart-ments have been expanded for bigger and better shows. The Carnival, Car-nival, Petting Farm, and Entertainment En-tertainment Tent will be operational throughout the Fair. The main events during the Fair will be Utah Horse Pull, Wednesday 12, 7:30 p.m. Thursday 13, 7:30 p.m. Dwight Yoakam, new male vocalist of the year, will appear in concert. T.N.T., Truck and Tractor Pull will make appearances Friday 14, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 15, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL Sewing Machine Tune-Up Reg. s5250 NOV $2495 plus parts A-l Vac & Sew 149 No. Main St. Spanish Fork, Utah PHONE 798-8902 Oil& Clean TensionTop Tension Bottom Timing Needle Buy Buff Plate & Hook Only Good at Spanish Fork Store All Makes - No Sergers xpirat 9-15-87 ill MM11 1 a i D P 0 a D I Ticket Request Form Tickets may be ordered either by mail or telephone To order by mail, simply complete the order form below and mail to World Folkfest. P0. Box 306. Springville. Utah 84003. To order by telephone, call Salt Lake City. 538-2253: Ogden. 626-6550; Springville. Spring-ville. 489-3213. NAME ADDRESS .. CITY, STATE. 7IP PHONE ( I Salt Lake City Numhei ot lu;kels Ordered I i W&0. Experience a kaleidoscope of costume and color, music and dance as more than 600 dancers and musicians from 17 countries dazzle the imagination imagi-nation at the World folkfest 1987. Experience the world as you see all-new teams from four continents perform in authentic folk costumes to audiences in Ogden, Salt Lake and Springville. This year's World Folkfest the largest in North America features performers from Japan, India, Israel, Spain and Brazil. - - W - 4r mnii Jm f Pertomiantes. M,trn all at Capilol Tiieaire Hoor Thursday Aug 6 8 00pm Friday Aug 7 8 U0 p in Saturday Aug 8 8 00 p :n Tichel prices imdiviititdl :,e,ib S8 00 Sublolal . S . Postage and Handling TOTAL ElNCl OSED Lowet Balcony Upper Balcony S500 S2 00 Featuring performers from: Antigua Argentina Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Polish Malaysia Hungary Switzerland United States India Israel Italy Sardinia Yugoslavia Italy Sicily Japan e i e B B B B Ogden Aflulls Spain n nnr?r?Cai in x B Peilormanrps Tuesday Auq 11 6 00pm Dee Events Centei Wednesday. Aug 12 8 00pm Browtung Auditorium Thursday. Aug 13 8 00pm Oee Events Center Individual Bale Subtotal Passport Rate (All 3 per Ionium esi Subtotal S . . Group Rale 110 or more jdirit tv abov pertotmancnsi Subtotal Poslaqe and Handling TOTAL ENCLOSED . Number ol Tickets Oidered S600 S1500 Under 12 S3 00 S7 00 $5 00ea S .. S2 00 Springville Adults Performances Salurday, Aug 8 8 00 p in Outdoor Staye Monday Aug 10. 8 01) p m Outdoor Stage Springville High School Tuesday Aug It 8 0Opin Outdoor Stage Thursday Aug 13 80Op in Outdoor Stage Friday, Aug 14 8 00pm Outdoor Stage Springville High School Saluiday. Aug tb 8 00 pin Ouldoor Slug" Individual Hate Sublolal . . Passport Rale (Select 3 perl I Subtotal ... S Group Rale 110 or moie adult-, lor above perloimamesi Subtotal Postage and Handling . TOTAL INCLOSE D Numhei ol Tickets Oidered Under 12 soon $1500 S3 00 s .. S?00 s S5 00ea S . . . S200 s . . n |