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Show Comments Free Press - Wednesday, August 20, 1997 - Page 'Let us come in,' said the Three Little Pigs Editorial Once upon a time there were three little pigs who lived with their parents in a modest home in a small community in Utah. Life was great for the family, although for many years they had to travel to other communities to do the bulk of their shopping. The kids knew everyone in their school and they had a good time, except for the fact that they always got beat in sports because they played the bigger towns nearby, who either had better players or simply won because they convinced the members of the small school that they were no better than second rate. Since there was nothing to do in the little community, and the kids were forced to "drag" the main streets of other cities, there wasn't much crime. No one locked their doors at night and people were free to walk the streets at any hour, night or day. Somewhere along the way, however, people started discovering the little town and many newcomers moved into the area. Perhaps this was because the farmers who had tilled the land for many years found that they could make more money by selling to developers with visions of grandeur, or at least visions of big bucks. And so we come to the part of our story where the three little pigs had to face reality and find their own places to live. As sometimes happens in families, the father of the family offered part of the family estate to the oldest pig. Both of them thought it would be a simple matter to subdivide their land to allow the son to build his home on the property. So they went before the city fathers and asked permission to build the second home on the property, a situation the leaders called, "home plus one." The two found out that, in many ways, it was harder to get permission for the one home than it would have been to ask for a Lone Peak High joins group of great schools tation, and American Fork students form the core of a youth court system which has become a model for similar programs throughout the Welcome, Lone Peak High School. For decades, north Utah County has been defined in part by its three high schools. American Fork High, Lehi High and Pleasant Grove High have not only come to represent the best Utah high schools have to offer, they have created a strong sense of community. For many years they also generated great rivalries, as students from the three schools competed for athletic and academic honors. Disparate growth patterns have changed that, but it hasn't stopped each school from creating great traditions. Pleasant Grove, for example, has dominated wrestling competition in the 4A division for the past seven years, creating one of the great dynasties in Utah high school sports. And the Vikings can be counted on to provide stiff competition in other sports as well, having earned state titles in football and baseball in recent years. In addition, the PGHS Esteem Team has been one of the state leaders in high school community service organizations, establishing a standard that the school and community can be proud of. Lehi High School had an equally powerful reputation in the ranks of the 3A schools, and last year earned News the Deseret Athletic Supremacy award for its division, as the students earned five state athletic titles and the state chess championship. The Pioneers won the coveted award the first three years it was offered as a 2A school starting some 15 years ago. Talk about tradition. American Fork High School, competing in the 5A ranks, is a perennial contender for region and state titles in sports, music, drama and academics. The Caveman Marching Band has acquired a national repu country. Add it all up and you have a lot of excellence in three average size communities all packed away in the northern corner of Utah County. Don't expect Lone Peak to change that. If anything, Lone Peak High School should add to the prestige already accumulated by north Utah County's high schools. Principal Jim Starr has gone to great lengths to make certain the new school hits the ground running. Expect strong performances in athletics, dramatics and music competition. Given the talent that has been assembled at the school, expect Lone Peak to have an immediate impact in every arena. In the process, Lone Peak High may also restore the local rivalries that have been absent for many years. It's been a long time since three north Utah County high schools competed at the same level, but that's what will happen this year when American Fork, Pleasant Grove and Lone Peak High Schools all enter this season in the 4A division. Lehi may soon join those ranks as well, rather than face limitations in competitive opportunities proposed for 3A schools spread throughout the state. On the one hand, it's sad to lose the sense of community created by the three high schools of the past. Lone Peak breaks the city limits barriers with which we have become familiar and comfortable. On the other hand, it's great to welcome a new player in the arena of north Utah County high school activities. The change may well bring us closer together than we've been in years. Back to School jlays f'w Beky's Beat Was this if. d g s, n As a young, struggling, newlywed salesman, living in the little town of Lancaster, S.C., things were tight economically. We were frequently in the position of buying gasoline for the little Crosley automobile 50 cents' worth at a time. We were struggling to make our apartment rent, light bills, telephone bills the whole "schmeer." It was not a happy time financially for us. Every sale was a as the cupboard was frequently close to being bare. We never missed a meal, but there were occasions when we wondered where the next one was coming from. Then one day we struck it rich. I was going through my chest of drawers for some unknown reason, and underneath bills my clothes were two twenty-dolla- r bill. I thought I had hit and a the jackpot big time! I remembered that "life-saver- ten-doll- Zig Ziglar's Encouraging word 1997 Creators Syndicate, Inc. a few weeks earlier I'd had a big week, had earned far more money than usual and had put it there for safekeeping and in case of an emergency. My timing for finding it was perfect. As I recall, I had less than two dollars in my pocket, the gas gauge registered "empty," and the Published weekly by 0 ievialiews Gup member ol NATIONAL a NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84003 MtM & Great response to production Editor: As we have just completed the Lehi Utah Stake production of Follow Your Heart, we feel overwhelmed with the response and support we felt from the community. Together we laud the efforts of the nearly 100 individuals who put in much time and sacrifice to make this dream a reality. We also want to thank pantry was close to being the same. Since then, I've had lots of exciting moments in my life, but for sheer gratitude and excitement I can't recall any event that generated more instant enthusiasm than finding that $50 did. I've often wondered why it is that we don't get more excited, generate more enthusiasm and express more gratitude for more of the "little things" that hapthe more we pen to us in life. It's true express gratitude for what we have, the more we will have to express gratitude for. Take that approach to life, and I'll see you at the top! City Editor Subscription The Daly Planet By RUSS DALY it 14-lsubdivision. The leaders said they would have to build a road into their property and then deed the road to the city, although they would have to maintain it themselves. And the neighbors came and complained that the second home would probably be substandard to the other homes in the area, and that would detract from the values of their property, so the leaders had to take that into consideration, too. After several months, though, and after the bovine father and son spent a gazillion dollars having new plans drawn up, the leaders finally allowed them to build, with restrictive covenants, of course. By this time, however, the pig had run out of money, and since the father was on a fixed income, he couldn't help, either, and the pig was forced to take employment out of state; last we heard, they were living in California, far from the family they loved. Having seen the hassles his older brother had to endure, the second little pig decided that home ownership was too much of a hassle, so he decided to rent an apartment. Unfortunately, the undercurrent of sentiment was so strong in the community that the pig and his family decided that the stigma was too great, and therefore, they moved out of their community into one that seemed more tolerant of outlook. He thought his request would be a breeze. But little did he know the workings of government During the public hearing, some of his neighbors came to protest that they didn't like the color or the workmanship of his building. Others were concerned that the business would bring too much traffic onto an already busy street. (Never mind the economic benefits that could come to them and the community.) In the end, they decided against approving the little pig's business and they never knew what could have happened as a result. The little pig, on the other hand, decided to locate his business in the community to the east, where it is still thriving today. And with the success of his business, he was able to construct one of the finest homes in that same community. The moral of the story Everyone knows that you can't approve every little pig who comes in wanting to develop property, but how are you going to keep them down on the farm once they've seen Paree. . Author's Note: The resemblance of any pig or other character in this story to any specific real person, living or dead, is purely incidental. anti-rent- typo of the Freudian type? The Editor's Column if" . effi By MARC HADDOCK front page. Actually, I am a notoriously bad typist who, despite the title of managing editor, regularly confuses "it's" and "its" in my own copy. In fact it is very difficult to proof read your own copy, so I make four or five other people read most of my stuff before I ever dare print it. There were similar errors in the paper of these were not of my the previous week making. For one thing, we listed one city council member who has two years remain-- " ing in his term as being up for There were others, but to be honest, I can neither remember them nor find them again. I spend my week worrying about what will appear in next week's newspaper, not what has already appeared. We try to eliminate the errors, and while we suffer over each one, none has yet been found to be fatal. I know they were there because I intended to write a column about it last week and changed my mind. This week I decided I couldn't put it off any longer. There is a saying about my chosen profession that goes something like this: "A doctor buries his mistakes. A lawyer Brett Bezzant Marc Haddock Russ Daly price S24x per year Second class postage paid at American Fork, Utah Postmaster lend address change to 59 Witt Main. American Fork. Utah (4003 Editor: In response to Mrs. Wilson's letter, I would like to first thank her for her kind remarks and for being a good citizen of Lehi. Deadlines Classified Advertising .Tuesday, noon Display Advertising .Monday. 5 p.m. News Monday. 2 p.m. Missionaries Monday, 2 p.m. Weddings Monday. 2 Community Calendar Letters to the Editor Obituaries Monday. 10 pm. a.m. Monday. 10 am 11 am Tuesday. all who found time in their busy schedules to come to the performances. The audiences each night were wonderful and made presenting the musical sheer pleasure. The city of Lehi continues to hold a unique identity, in spite of growing pressures to become a "bedroom" community to the larger towns north and south of here. That identity became evident throughout this production. We sensed a great need from both the cast and the audience to feel the bonds from the past that have made our community the home that it is for each of us. We thank those who helped share this history and the gift they have given to all of us. There is a good feeling in our town. We felt that each night of the performances. We appreciate so much the devotion and support we received from husbands, family, friends, and neighbors. Whenever we needed something, someone stepped forward and provided for it. There was a wonderful spirit of cooperation and working together. This town is filled with people who care about each other and who give much to keeping the community strong. We thank each of you. You are the ones who make Lehi the great place to live that it is! . -- Cathy Dorton Julie Loveridge Many help fix pool problem Quote on a church wall in Sussex, England: "A vision without a task is but a dream. A task without a vision is drudgery. But a vision and a task are the hope of the world." Circulation Publisher Managing Editor diversity among residents. The last little pig also tried to do something a little out of the ordinary. He started out with a home business (back in the good old days when that was a slice of Americana rather than a bureaucratic nightmare) which grew to the point that he was in a position to build a retail facility. Since he was building anyway, he decidbusiness, which ed to make a multi-unwould not only give him some revenue with which to offset his construction costs, but which would improve the town's economic sees his put behind bars. But the journalist prints his mistakes on the front page and sends a copy to everyone in the community." Lately it seems like that is exactly what we are doing. And frankly, I have no excuse. That "Loan Peak" headline was examined by five persons other than myself before the page was okayed. We all missed it. I lost a few hours of sleep over it. But in the long run I decided this was more of a Freudian typographical error. After all, we were just in the throes of paying our school fees for two high school students and a 9th grader. With band fees, that will come to over $1,000 for a year of our "free" public education. I hate to think of next year, when we will be paying for two band students. I could just as well have called our other secondary schools names like "American h Rent High." High" or I tried to come up with one for Pleasant Grove, but "PG and Barefoot High" is both unprintable and inaccurate, so I decided against it. Any suggestion would be welcome. My only other excuse for the mistake is the old standard about how newspapers try to provide something for everyone, and some folks are always looking for other people's mistakes, so we throw a few in every week just for them. Actually, we hope these kinds of errors are few and far between, but we also understand that when so few people deal with so many words, some mistakes are inevitable. We will try to make them less obvious and less Freudian, too. For those who enjoy the search, happy Fork-it-ov- "Le-Hig- hunting. Letters to the editor Telephone Numbers Advertising News TRie 9 309-50- A Each year the Utah Press Association array of awards for everything from Best ROP Ad Campaign to . All of these awards are Community Sen-iceafter except one "Screw Up of the sought Year" Award. In all other categories, entries are made by the newspaper on behalf of itself. We nominate other newspapers for the "Screw Up of the Year" award. I keep a file of the worst gaffes I find in reading other weeklies from throughout Utah. I've even submitted an entry. This year, for example, a 1995 entry in my files shows a mug shot of a sweet little old lady next to a lurid headline that reads: "Murder suspect to appear in court." The photo actually goes with a story just below the one of the murder suspect, and that one bears the headline: "Pioneer Day honors Alice Peel Hafen." But above the fold you just see Mrs. Hafen's photo and the incriminating headline. Now that's a screw up worthy of note. I have something similar in another weekly involving LDS General authority Thomas S. Monson and a criminal. Misspelled words, awkward juxtapositions, it all adds up to some often funny and always embarrassing newspaper mistakes. But as far as I know, we've never been nominated. We've never won. But this year we are working on it. Lately, it seems like we could compete for the Screw Up of the Week award and win consistently. Last week, for example, in a story about the new Highland-arehigh school, we spelled the school name "Loan Peak" right there on the front page. Actually "we" didn't do that, I did. Me. Right there on the means a lot A little ISSN No. 8750-466U.S.P.S. No. e front-pag- gives out an Ready or not, summer's over. schools are already jn fciftnaft sion and the rest of the students in our communities will be back in class on Monday (we hope). It may still be 95 degrees out there, but it's time to hit the books anyway. Time for drivers to start remembering By BEKY BEATON and observing those school crosswalks and traffic zones. Time for parents to ante up all the fees and assorted charges toil in gardens and on farms. Time to savor the crimson and gold involved in their student's "free" public education. sunsets that end our shortening days. Time for teenagers to start getting to Time to breathe in deeply the sweet scent bed the same day they got up, instead of of late summer blossoms at their peak. Time to scan the skies as flocks of birds the next one. Time to scour the ads for all those clothes and supleave their already-coolinnesting plies that will gobble up whatever of the grounds in the Arctic and Canada and head south for the coming winter. budget is left after registration. Time to forget about Rattlesnake Yes, the halcyon days of summer are Rapids and Seven Peaks. Time to put over, but look what's in store: another exciting year of learning, falling leaves in away the water skis, skateboards, dune buggies and all the other all their brilliant colors, seasons of competition at the schools and with the Jazz and toys. ..at least during school hours. Time to recover from sunburns, mosGrizzlies, days of dances and fun with quito bites, bruises from wiping out on the friends, holidays with the family, skiing water at 30 m.p.h., skinned knees and and snowmen ... all the wonders of fall elbows earned by braving the terrors of and a Utah winter. the local hillsides, and unintended colliOr, we can waste our time wishing we sions with rocks from falling on the mounwere somewhere else and daydreaming about our summer activities, instead of tain trails. Time to enjoy the sweetness of corn on relishing our memories and getting on the cob, home-growtomatoes, Green with the business of life, whether in the River watermelon, backyard raspberries classroom, office, shop or home. It's all in how you look at it. and all the other rewards of a season of Year-roun- 2 But I need to give credit where credit is due for correcting the problem of the heaters at the pool. That is to my manager, Kim Cooper, Mountain Fuel, and Four Seasons, especially Bob Johnson. Thanks. Caleb Franklin Thanks to entire pool crew Editor It has been brought to my attention that many people worked very hard to find out and correct the problem with the boilers at the Lehi swimming pool. I applaud and express my appreciation to all who helped. I thoroughly enjoy my quiet lap swimming at the pool and am grateful to all those who make the pool nice and clean, as well as an enjoyable atmosphere. Thanks to you all. Glenna Wilson Great job on Follow Your Heart Editor One evening last week, I attended the production of Follow Your Heart. I enjoyed it very much. I would like to thank anyone who played a part in that production. Thank you for sharing your time and your talent with the people of Lehi. I really appreciate it All of you did a great job. Many times my life has been made more enjoyable because others are willing to share. Thank you! Kathrin We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must include the author's name (printed AND signed) and a telephone number. We reserve the right to edit ters for clarity, punctuation, taste and length. HOW TO REACH US By Mail P.O. Box 7, American Fork, UT 84003 In Person 59 W. Main, American Fork let- Letters are welcome on any topic. By Fax 756-527- 4 By newtahaol.com Cook |