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Show k jA Citizen - Thursday, February 21, 195)1 - I Comment Editorial Arts Councils offer good entertainment There should be no doubt about the quality of community theater in north Utah County following the most recent edition of the Theatre Guild of Utah Valley's annual awards. The community-sponsored arts organizations in Lehi, American Fork and Pleasant Grove all received many accolades for productions held in the communities during the past year. Here is a brief list: Outstanding musical production: American Fork Arts Council's "The Pirates of Penzance." Outstanding Children's Theater Production: Lehi Children's Theater's Thea-ter's "The Pirates of Penzance." Outstanding Guild Member Award, Keith Christeson - the driving driv-ing force behind the Pleasant Grove Players. Outstanding Artistic Direction for a musical, Chris Brower for the AFAC's "The Pirates of Penzance." Outstanding Direction, Children's Theater, Kathleen Heed for LCTs "The Pirates of Penzance. (Gilbert and Sullivan also did well at the awards.) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical: Debi Hansen as Marian in AFAC's "The Music Man." Outstanding Juvenile Actor: Jeff Whitlock as Winthrop in AFAC's "The Music Man." The list goes on. All three arts organizations received re-ceived numerous awards for techni It's great to be part of this wonderful world I enjoy sitting by my east kitchen window win-dow and watching the sun rise over the mountains. . I glory in the beauty of it. Just a few wpgks; ago- we suffered from bitter cold, .then comes February and the sun at the promptings of nature starts its journey northward bringing with it welcome warmth. Oh yes, I saw a robin a few days ago. I don't know whether it's been here all winter win-ter or whether it got mixed up on its schedule, sched-ule, but I was happy to see it. I should write a column about my neighbors. neigh-bors. Several of those bitter cold mornings after a snowfall I would hear my good neighbors, the Don Abels and Owen Dean, cleaning the snow from my driveway and sidewalks. What could I write about people like this? They ask for no reward, but if they only know of the love and gratitude I carry in my heart for them, that is their reward. I had a little problem with my car. I called neighbor Bob Brooks. The weather was colder than an Eskimo's kiss, but in a few minutes Bob came up and got the vehicle running. All I can do is quote from the lowly carpenter, "Even as you have clone it unto one of these, ou have done it unto me." I cannot help but think of an old saying: "Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man's ingratitude." What a better world this would be if we thanked those who do little kindly deeds for us. I think of one or two. When I got out of Ellis Island in New York City, 1 was a lost soul. Tall buildings reached into sky, taxis roared by and I sat on my trunk on the sidewalk. I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Just then a policeman came and kneeled down by me. He put his hand on my shoulder. shoul-der. "What's the trouble, son," he asked me. Take gloves An American bomb penetrated an air raid shelter in Baghdad and, horror of horrors, "Civilians were killed!" Because there are American reporters in Bahgdad however unwillingly parroting parrot-ing Saddam Hussein's propoganda, there was worldwide condemnation of this "bombing of civilians." Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Ram-sey Clark denounced his own country for what he called "a violation of international interna-tional law," which he says prohibits the bombing of civilians. He is referring to the Geneva Conventions Conven-tions which prescribed some international rules for making wars less cruel, more "humane." That was in 1949 when the world was running scared from our A-bomb. What they wanted to do was to outlaw us! Most nations, including Iraq, never signed the document. If only we could learn to learn from the experience of war and not have to repeat the same mistakes. Perhaps we should vow now to learn from this most recent one. As we have decided, for better or worse, to accept women in combat areas, so should we reject forever the concept of "the sport- cal as well as artistic excellence. It all adds up to the fact that local residents didn't have to leave home to experience some very entertaining entertain-ing live theater. This kind of excellence comes at a cost. The volunteer hours to create such productions are countless, and community com-munity theater owes its success to the individuals willing to put in lots of time and lots of work. But our city councils also play an important role in supporting local productions and our local arts councils. coun-cils. They allocate part of the city funds for local productions and give the arts councils an official sponsor that helps secure grants, auditoriums auditori-ums and other necessities. The driving force behind community commu-nity theater, however, is the community commu-nity - by attending the productions, you make certain they will continue. The coining year promises to be another strong one for our local arts. Pleasant Grove has already given us a good start with "Lo and Behold." American Fork and Lehi are preparing prepar-ing spring productions. Our valley is blessed with abundant abun-dant talent, and lots of opportunities to see it in person. Thanks to our local arts councils and our local city governments, this talent is on display several times a year. Don't miss it ! browsing p- 1 jl By TOM GRIFFITHS K Somehow I explained my predicament. I had my ticket on the train to travel west but had no idea how to get to the station. He helped me to my feet and signalled for a taxi. He took me to the station and saw that I was on the right train. Then he shook my hand and said, "You'll be alright now." What do I remember about the New York cop? His friendly smile and comforting comfort-ing voice. That was many years ago but it is part of my memory. I must tell you of my kid brother, Ivor. When 1 left home lie was a little boy who went down into the woods and sang to the trees. Forty-five years would pass before I saw him again. He was a very sick man and he knew his days were limited. One morning he walked me up to the field back of his home, lie stopped, then said, "Listen." Across the valley a cuckoo was calling. "He is telling us it is spring," he said, then added, "God gave us a beautiful world. I am glad I have been part of it." His days were numbered but he left a memory with me that this is a beautiful world and I am a part of it. off to end Gulf conflict Paul Harvey News 1991 Los Angeles Times Syndicate ing war. In the Middle Ages knights in tournaments tourna-ments accepted a "code ofjionor." The "long red line" was p more recent adaptation of the British who have always al-ways imagined that wars should allow "time out for tea." Surely they and we have enough games now to play and to watch. We should not have to make a game of war anymore. The words "war" and "morality" are antithetical, unrelated. If the Battle of Bull Run could be performed like picnicentertainment with spectators cheering from their porches, surely the airplane put an end to that. Just who are When you go The trip to St. George came at a wonderful wonder-ful time. If you are going to hold a convention conven-tion in Utah in February, you ought to do it in St. George. But while our colleagues in the press were packing their golf clubs in preparation prepara-tion for the annual Utah Press Association convention recently, we loaded up the skis and headed for Elk Meadows - one of two ski resorts in southern Utah. When we turned off at Ik-aver and headed into the hills, we weren't sure what to expect. We had read briefly about Mount Holly and Elk Meadows in the Ski Guide the state sends out each year, but it doesn't g" much beyond lift ticket prices and lodging. What we found was a typical Utah canyon can-yon - full of sharp turns, pleasant-looking picnic sites and the breathtaking scenery we all take for granted. At two or three points, when the road was narrow and the drop-off was steep, we were reminded of the American Fork side of the Alpine Loop road. About 18 miles from Beaver, we reached the proverbial end of the road. In wintertime, winter-time, it isn't plowed past Elk Meadows. We could see the ski resort on both sides of the hill - an improbably arrangement and a pleasant surprise. What we found was lots of runs, and almost no skiers. That's a wonderful combination. combi-nation. And after all, it was a Friday and it was February. After parking and getting our lift pass, we picked up our skis and prepared to head for the lift. "Where's the lift?" I Tisked one of the only two other people who were wearing ski boots. "You just ski down here," we were told, as we were directed to leave the lodge and head out for nowhere. "It w ill take you to the lift." How to avoid Trips to the grocery store just aren't what they used to be. Especially on Saturday mornings. Not necessarily pleasant, but sometimes they are simply unavoidable. Changes in plans for last weekend forced a Saturday shopping spree. I thought I was ready. Menu pared down to something reasonable reason-able - check. List properly written - check. Alternatives ready, just in case -- check. Items grouped by category -- check. Cost estimate done for each item --check. --check. Enough monev to cover the necessities -- check. A snack in my pocket in case the lines were too long to endure -- check. Prepared forthecrowds, I left the house. Reaching the outer edges of the parking lot, I immediately searched for a place to leave my car. Ilnnmn. It wasn't quite as busy as I had dreaded. Maybe there was hope. Entering the stole brought another flicker of optimism. Although there were quite a few people shopping, most looked relatively sane and not at all dangerous. And there was definitelv loom for mv cart to fit in Yet, now for world leaders there remains re-mains the temptation to play war like a Nintendo game, pushing buttons in Washington that drop bombs on Baghdad. It is only since the airplane was adapted to combat that warriors have been expected ex-pected to differentiate between military and civilian targets. Theretofore the enemy was the enemy w hatever clothing he was wearing. Indeed, many of our sons and daughters daugh-ters in the desert just weeks ago were "civilians." Wars will continue to he the preferred method of resolving inter-nation differences differ-ences as long as civilians can call the shots from a safe distance. And their followers, like lobotomized lemmings, applaud their sportsmanlike refusal to use the weapons which could end any war in three days. Indeed, just the "threat" of all-out war is the most effective deterrent. If we have the clean, decisive, tactical nuclear w eapons of decision and if we have the courage to use them -- only then will would be world tyrants be forced to mind their manners. Nothing less will accomplish that purpose. the prime "moo'vers in Alpine City, anyway? to St. George, remember skis The Editor's Column Rv MARC HADDOCK And I wondered -- if the lodge is on this hill, and the lift is on that hill -- how do we get back here? The answer was a surprise. Elk Meadows is an interesting amalgam of the old and the new. The newer and gentler part of the mountain moun-tain features a double and a triple chair, and runs designed to make the beginning skier feel comfortable. The older part of the resort, christened Mount Holly, is more of a challenge, with steeper runs and older lifts. In fact, Mount Holly w as reminiscent of skiing in the 1960s. It is served by an old double chair to the top, and then, if you choose, a short poma lift opens a few more runs. A poma lift? I hadn't seen one for 20 years. For the uninitiated, a poma lift pulls you up the mountain instead of carrying you up. It requires a steady hand to get on, and allows no relief on tired legs, since you "ski" up the hill. It is an upgrade of the old T-bar that has likewise gone out of style. But not at Elk Meadows. A short T-bar lift turned out '.o be the answer to getting back to the lodge after a day of skiing. It was operated by the same person who operated oper-ated the chair lift and m ade enough noise to ruin the atmosphere. Fortunately, it was only turned on when someone needed a lift. A rare occurrence. All this is too much work for most modern mod-ern skiers. The more sophisticated resorts of northern Utah have long since replaced those Saturday samples Barb 's Wire among all the others. But when I reached the end of the first aisle, a long-forgotten hazard suddenly surfaced. I remembered there was another reason to avoid shopping on weekends - the samples. While they vary among a great ' of products, the freebies generally i two categories - those you want and you don't. There's usually no middle gi Somehow the people passing the items out also fit into two groups -- pleasantly aggressive and just plain aggressive. Those who place them there recognize two facts. One -- there is a large concentration concentra-tion of shoppers at those times. Two -many of the buyers tend to be less organized organ-ized than those at other times during the week. Each circuit around the store brings them dangerously close to the temptations. There are a few strategies shoppers can use for both varieties. If for any of a number of reasons you want to avoid a product, try one of these. A solid, forgi ve-me-but look on your face, combined with a "Sorry, I'm allergic" works every time. Pick someone about two aisles away and start a vigorous conversation with them. The sampler will be much too polite to interrupt. Study your shopping list. No one would try to disrupt your concentration on some Letter to the editor A thank you for the Editor: This past week I inadvertently put my subscription renewal check for the "American "Ameri-can Fork Citizen" into the Deseret News' payment lockbox at the local 7-11. Your secretary telephone today to inform in-form me that a kind person had put a stamp on the envelope and forwarded it to your Policy on letters to the editor We welcome letters to the editor. All letters should be typewritten and double spaced. Letters must also be signed, and must include the writer's name and telephone number. Please send letters to Editor. Newish .wa Group, P.O. Box 7, American Fork, Utah, 84003. their poma lifts to attract the big money skiers. Elk Meadows doesn't care. And they really don't need to. What they offer is unimpeded skiing, and a personal touch. There couldn't have been more that 30 skiers on both hills that Friday -- most of them individuals staying in the several condos that must create the support for the resort. I could swear that the employees outnumbered the skiers. In fact, at most resorts, lift operators take a pretty impersonal approach to the hundreds of bodies they shepherd through the lift lines and onto the chairs. At Elk Meadows, we were on a first name basis with the lift operators by the third run. One of them told us that while weekday crowds are sparse, things pick up on the weekends, and 10 groups of 150 skiers each were due in that night for a ski weekend. The day was beautiful. The snow was sparse, like everywhere else it's been a dry year - but it was adequate and the skiing was good. The solitude was exquisite peaceful and serene and relaxing. Those are all things I can't find on the golf course. Most of the skiers came from Nevada and California. Most were making their visit a several-day experience, full of lots of skiing and plenty of quiet nights. There's not much night life in Beaver, and outside of Lousy Jim's saloon, it didn't look like there was much to do at nights at Elk Meadows, either. But it looked like the perfect getaway for a skiing family. And in such an improbable location. We're going back to St. George for the convention again next February. It will be another chance to load up the skis. Next year, we plan on leaving earlier, and trying the hills at Brianhead above Cedar City. thing so obviously well-prepared and important. im-portant. The screen. What works in basketball is effective in the grocery store. Position yourself your-self outside and slightly behind someone you know will succumb to temptation. That way you can sail by while the sampler is busy with them. Kids. If you were smart enough to leave them at home while you try to efficiently shop, borrow some from someone else. They can drive the sampler crazy. If you do want to try something new or taste something you already know you like, different strategies come into play. By tasting, you open yourself up where you have to make some comment. Here are some suggestions to bypass the purchase without bypassing the goodies: "I'm between paydays right now andean only get the absolute essentials." (Let them think you're interested.) "How long does your offer last?" "My husband has another cart and he already al-ready picked some up." If it's perishable, you're in luck. "I have a lot of shopping to do. I'll get it on my way out." Of course there is one more option. If it's somethingyou really enjoy and want lots of tastes, try one or all of these. Take off your coat and go back. You'll look like an entirely different person. Carry some glasses or a scarf in your purse to alter your look. You'll be able to get lots more. Join a group. When a lot of people cluster clus-ter around, you'll have another chance. Bon appetit and good luck! unknown mailer office. I would like to thank the unknown person per-son who took the time and trouble, and the expense to do this for me. It truly made my day to know there are such caring people in the world. -Mrs. Carol Beistle |