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Show Free Press Wednesday, June Celebrations are time to gather together newly-adopte- 1940's SteelDays.re-namedinth- e to commemorate US Steel's Geneva Plant and its contribution during World War II, was once known as Poultry Days for the numerous turkey ranches in the area. And Lehi's celebration hearkens back to a wild-wepast that boasted some of the most famous gunmen in Utah - such as Orrin Porter Rockwell. Alpine Days has a rich tradition st Week after week, I am faced with the challenge of writing many of the things that are included in the paper, a task that is not without its challenges. Sometimes the trick involves making a routine story -- like some city council meetings - interesti ng enough to read, yet informative at the same time. Other articles practically write themselves, particularly when I get to write positive things about people we know. Short items come in, too, but even those are not always easy to write; in fact, the big things like elections and graduation are probably easier to craft th an the sm all ones . Then there is this column, a unique challenge that faces me consistently. First, I must consider my subject, and must start by remembering what I have covered in other columns. Next, I roll the idea around, trying to gather all possible related thoughts, as well as the cohesive relationships that will make the story flow smoothly. Once those two tasks are completed, the actual writing becomes a fairly pleasant task, and if my thoughts have been gathered properly,, the words will usually take care of themselves. Occasionally, however, the idea may not materialize, or the words or thoughts may not fit together, or the fabled writer's muse just doesn't cooperate. I've come to realize recently that, at some point in our lives, we have all faced the dilemma of not having the right words for the situation. When I was growing up, I remember learning a valuable lesson from a friend, who instructed me in the fine art of graciously accepting a compliment. I had been used to abasing myself or dismissing such flattery in an effort to be humble. Overhearing my efforts to refuse the compliment, my friend suggested I simply express th anks and let the conversation move on. Even since that time, I have often won- - as a day of homecoming for one of Utah Valley's first communities, and it has been successful in integrating the old with the new. Often it is difficult for new members ofthe community who live "here" but work "somewhere else" to develop the sense of belonging that makes a town feel like home. Our community celebrations are an opportunity to pull these newcomers out of their neighborhoods and into the full lives of our towns. It lets them see what we are all about, and gives them a taste of the rich culture of which they have become a part. It gives the rest of us an opportunity to visit with our neighboring communities and to share in their past and their present. Here's an invitation to everyone to celebrate throughout the summer. Enjoy a bowl of strawberries and cream in Pleasant Grove this week. Take in the rodeo or cowboy poetry reading in Lehi and ride the Ferris wheel in American Fork. Come see the parades, visit the art, flower and quilt shows, watch the horse races, or play in the soft-ball games. Our community celebrations are a wonderful time to come together and revel in our common culture, and our uniqueness. And everyone tribute to fathers wherever they may be This is how it must have felt for people who grew up during the first part of this century - as they watched their world change before their eyes thanks to the automobile. Before their eyes, trails turned to highways and easy, convenient travel changed their world. The automobile rewrote the nature of earlier generation, and the printing press had a generation much earlier. Much as the computer is changing our generation. But with each "advancement," the speed of change has increased geometrically, and now we can literally watch the world change before our eyes. This change involves the "Information Highway," rather than the asphalt and concrete structures th at brought our nation together, or the steel an d wood railroad that united the nation in the 1800s. And we've all been here to watch If sweep-ingchang- Neo-fascis- and how we play. It was only 10 years ago that the idea of the PC (personal computer) as a workable work place was gaining some acceptance. Before th at, those desktop-sizeunits were strictly for fun. I had one of those Texas Instruments home computers that played nifty games and allowed you to write programs that you could store on a cassette tape. It took minutes to store even a simple program - and then you had no assurance that when it was played back into the computer the data d -- would work. I knew of lot of people in those days who were tinkering with computers with names names you like Atari and Commodore don't hear any more. Names reminiscent of the Nash, the Rambler and the Edsel. They are gone because they couldn't keep up. And the way things are going, I'm not sure we can keep up, either. Recently we bought a computer for our home - for business purposes, really. As writers, Sharon and I both needed good word processing equipment. So we invested in a home computer that had all the bells and whistles we thought we ulations? naturally to us. Public officials seek remedies for ills helpless to prevent. we pile laws upon laws seeking salvation by legislation because the 10 Moses brought down from the mountain are too simple to be significant. Why is there crime? People choose to meet their own needs .. real or perceived - at the expense of other people. Why is there war? Nations choose to meet their own needs we seem -- Communism tried that and failed. What if, as a last resort, we go to the back of the bookshelf? Spaceship Earth came with a book of instructions; let's see what it says. It says we should not be slothful in business; in fact, it says he who does not work - let him not eat. It says women should wear modest aru!7 9UUS ts -- Paul Harvey Product Inc. 1994 apparel. It says dcn't steal - anything! It says don't get drunk - period. It says you sleep only with your own -- -- wife. at the expense of other nations. Why is there divorce? Husbands and wives forsake each other's interests in pursuit of their own. Why is there racism, alcoholism, child abuse, animal abuse, lying, cheating, greed, laziness, teen pregnancy? The answer's the same... "Me first; you...whenever." Like undisciplined children, we lie on the floor threatening to "hold our breath until we turn blue," whining and complaining and demanding. wh in So ho w do we make er? int-- itelf diTip'.ined adults? More government programs, more reg self-center- ; es alter how we work, how we live passage of scripture was from the New Testament. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not attired like unto one of these, and are ye not more than the lilies of the field." He was con verted to the Mormon Church and learned the meaning of persecution. My mother was disowned by her family and I was never to see my grandparents again. I was quite a small boy when this incident happened. The family had rented a home at 217 Chapel Lane, so named because a minister's residence was at the end of the lane. We had lived there about a week when one day father returned home from work to find the neighbors had put all of our furniture out on the street and placed a large sign beside it that read, "Mormons not wanted on this street." But as a family we survived it. My father left us little of worldly wealth, but he left us something very precious. Whenever we were bothered by worldly cares, the thought always came back to us: "Are you not more than the lilies of the field?" To fathers everywhere, I pass this thought to you. We need to use Earth's book of instructions Pick a day, any day. Pick a newspaper, any paper. Fighting in Israel. Hatred in Haiti. War in Bosnia, Yemen, Rwanda. Fraud in the United States and the United Kingdom. in Italy, in Poland. Lawsuits, racism, scandal, drugs. Singapore's senior minister, Lee Kuan Yew, recently observed, "Human beings, regrettable though it be, are inherently vicious..." On this planet in rebellion, he's right, of course. Crime, divorce, abortion, incompetence, greed, irresponsibility come By RUSS DALY situation. Another very painful situation is that of trying to pay a compliment to someone who has failed to achieve a goal, especially in a competitive situation. Praise for performance could seem shallow, even though it might be and sincere. Such situations really do call for the "right word" and I feel so inadequate when the consolation muse does not strike at the appropriate time. The Miss Utah Pageant was a prime example of my desire to find just the right words and the frustration of feeling like I wasn't successful in that attempt. Words still cannot express the thrill we felt from the performances of our two Lehi girls, Melynda Powell and Jill Nattress, as they participated in the competition. Not only were their talent numbers fantastic, but they demonstrated extremely refined images in the evening wear phase. At the final competition, Jill received a judges' special talent award. It is probably little consolation to say that all of the contestants are winners regardless of the outcome, but these two certainly did Lehi and themselves proud. Our whole north county area, in fact, should be proud of the girls that represented us: Jill Wilson, Miss American Fork, was Heather one of the 10 honwas Miss Pleasant Grove, Mangum, ored with a judges' special talent award and was asked to perform her number for the audience; and Pleasant Grove resident Nanette Pearson, Miss Utah State Fair, won both preliminary talent and evening wear awards and was named as first runnewell-found- dered whether I really deserve any of the praise I have received, but now I try to politely acknowledge such statements and subtly change the subject. Some things I have still not been able to master, such as what to say to the people in a wedding or funeral line. Obviously, one would use different phrases for each, but both of them remain vague to me. When we were married, we held an open house here in Lehi, and my bride and I ended up being the only two people in the formal part of the line, so we were able to greet each guest individually. (Unfortunately, that method does not guarantee that either the bride or groom will remember the other's visiting relatives.) At our reception in Cedar City, I could not have recalled the names of probably 95 percent of the guests, but I do recall the fun my brother had, even though he knew even fewer people than I did. He would ask my wife's brother the name of an approaching guest, and then would greet that person by name, talkingas if they had been friends for years. Their reaction was priceless, and not only did he have fun, but they soon warmed up to him, too. Courtesy calls at funerals are especially difficult because I never know what to say to the deceased's family. Paying respects to the departed is easy, but talking to their family can be an unnerving experience. Maybe someone should teach a class on funeral home and weddingchapel etiquette, semi-finalist- s; r-up. With the Miss Lehi Pageant this week, we can be sure that all of the contestants really will be winners - and in turn, we as citizens will be winners, too regardless of the outcome. -- - something in my home library that could store the data included in 130 books on one thin, silver disk. The software that reads the disk is equally impressive - giving the reader virtually instantaneous access to any word reference in any of the 130 volumes. All you have to do is pick the word. I was fascinated with the package, going through the different books, selecting obscure words to try to find obscure references, searching for a quote from the "Journal -- their world, much as the train had an By TOM GRIFFITHS Tiie Daly Planet so that wc might all become more adept at having the "right words' to say in either Watch out for bumps on information highway is welcome. A To fathers everywhere, I send my love and greetings. There are a few who have failed as fathers, such as the one I am acquainted with. He divorced his wife and moved to California, leaving two little boys behind. What can I say about this type of man on Father's Day? I find it in the scriptures when the master said, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me." So my thoughts turn to my own father who left this life some years ago. I must admit there were times when our philosophy of life did not match. He was one of the school of the old world who believed that the father was responsible for the life of a child and the child should repay the father for this privilege. For example, as I neared my 12th birthday, Mr. James Churchill, the headmaster of the school I attended, called upon my father. "Mr. Griff," he said, "Your son is an excellent student and I recommend he go on to higher education." That evening I overheard a conversation between my parents. Father told my mother, "Mr. Churchill of the school came to see me. He recommended our son get more schooling, but how can we afford to feed him and clothe him if he doesn't work?" Mother said, "I'm sure we will manage." But when my 12th birthday came, father had a job waiting for me. Now, don't let me give you the impression that my father was inconsiderate ofhis children. His was a big job. He worked at the colliery (coal mine) for a few pounds a week. He had a large family. He never owned a home or a car. To my knowledge he had never driven one. He had never talked into a telephone and, of course, there was no television. But he raised a big garden and built a chicken coop out of scrap lumber. He was a religious man and his favorite Page 2 Sometimes the words don't come Editorial Each year at this time the communities of north Utah County embark on a series of community celebrations that recognize and honor the heritage and history of our area. It all begins this week when Pleasant Grove holds Strawberry Days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Events continue the following week followed by with Lehi's Round-up- , American Fork's Steel Days, Cedar Fort's and Cedar Hill's Pioneer Day celebrations, Highland's Fling, Alpine Days and the Lindon Fair. It makes for a busy summer, and provides a fine opportunity this year for newcomers to our rapidly-growin- g communities to gain a sense of the history, culture and nature of d home towns. their North Utah County is rich in the pioneer heritage it shares with much ofUtah, and yet each community has its own special flair. Pleasant Grove once boasted some of the finest strawberry farms in the nation. 15, 1994 - -- It says you don't do what you "want," you do what you'd "ought," and for those whose consciences are anesthetized, it specifies which is which. If that book were not a divinely inspired road map from here to hereafter, it would still be the best rule book for a good life here. Wecan ignore that book or deny it. We can challenge it, revile it, rewrite it, reject it... But when we have done our worst, it will still be there waiting for us, haunting i.is,callingouttous,"Behaveorbedamned; believe and be saved." s Editor's Column By MARC HADDOCK -- X" ' would need. Weiigure it will keep us computing happily into the next decade. An d we have enjoyed out shiny new 486 computer. The Pentium processor was announced a few weeks after our purchase, making our computer obsolete. The Power PC was unveiled a few months after our purchase, making it even more obsolete. Still, we are happy, with no thought of trying to match the changes chip for chip. You can't. It just shows how fast things are changing. One of the neatest features of our comdrive - a computer puter was a drive that lets us use data stored on compact disks. We can play musical CDs or run software stored on CDs. It's great. Last week, I received a copy of a CD product created by Covenant Com n - a disk that contains the complete texts of several works relating to the LDS CD-RO- ica-tio- -- Church. Well, that's more than several works. "The LDS Library" contains, in fact, over 130 volumes of material relating to the LDS Church. On one CD. (For those interested, that includes the 26 volume "Journal of Discourses" and all the confersome 40 ence talks from 1950 to 1970 e volumes, the "Documentary History of the Church," and volumes of work by Bruce R. McConkie, James E. Talmage and Hugh Nibley. There is so much stuff here, it is h ard to get a han die on CD-RO- seven-volum- it. I had heard about the storage capacity of laser disks when I worked at BYU some 14 years ago. But I never thought I'd have - of Discourses" that would successfully derail a priesthood quorum lesson for a whole class period. Sharon was perplexed. "Why would you want a CD with 130 books in it that you would never read in the first place?" she asked. And there may be more truth to the question that I was to explore here. But the potential provided by current technology is - at least to me. Imagine, books without number on a few five-inc- h silver disks. Imagine an entire home library reduced to a single CD - and accessible, at that. Try to envision it. Just think of the pages you could write to answer the essay question: "If you were lost on a desert island, and could only have one CD, which 100 books would you choose to be on it, and why?" And change is com ing so fast-- - it won't be long until CD readers the size of a Game Boy will be available so folks can read the collected works of their favorite authors -and some inventive soul will probably include a recorded version of the books as well, so you can listen as you read, or just mind-bogglin- g -- -- listen. With the Information Highway on our doorstep, it won't be long until books are published by releasing them over the computer network, rather than bothering with a publisher and all. The is a portent of greater things to come. And it won't take another generation for it to come, either. This time, great change is just an innovation away. Hold onto your hats! CD-RO- Pride makes Lehi great Editor: The storm was wild. Damage was considerable. In Wines Park, three huge, old trees were uprooted and lawns were covered with branches and debris. Next morningsaws started buzzing. They buzzed all day, but by sundown the park was once more neat and clean. Amazing! Throughout the week trucks and front-en- d loaders cruised the City streets, pick Lehi needs ing up limbs from private property. Citizens picked up, raked and swept. By weekend there was little evidence left of the damages, thanks to city workers and citizens alike. How good to live in a community where pride and energy work together to keep things nice. -- Elma Christofferson a recreation center for the youth theater. Editor: I am a freshman at Lehi Jr. High. I think that Lehi needs a recreational center. The younger youth needs a place where we won't be getting into trouble and we can be doing something fun. We need a place where we can swim, do aerobics, and be entertained. Not just a recreational center, either; maybe a movie People don't really like having to go clear over to AF just to see a movie. If we had more things to do in Lehi, there would be more people who would come to Lehi and it would help our community. If we had more things to do, then we wouldn't have to go a long ways just to have fun. -- - Stacey Fillmore Policy on ieiters 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, Newtah News Group, P.O. Box 7, American Fork, Utah, 84003. |