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Show NMq HT m i k A Home of The Mormon Miracle Pageant 1991 Dates: July 11, 12, 13 and 16 thru 20 Volume 105 Number 41 50 a copy IU- - Manti LDS Temple MANTI, UTAH 84642, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1991 Mormon Miracle Pageant to fade into history l 25th anniversary will be its last. New script being written in Salt Lake. commemorate for eight nights of performance," said Tibbs. Each year folks travel to see the Pageant from all over the world. When you consider that Manti City has a population of about 2500 people, the size of the audience, the presentation and production are remarkable. Each year it now requires more than 500 people its 25th will be and the last anniversary performance of the Pageant as it has been known, according to Don V. Tibbs of Manti, who has been called to be the chairman of the 25th Anniversary Committee. Tibbs said officials at church headquarters in Salt Lake City have decided to rewrite the years. Tibbs indicated it will be difficult for many people to see the end of the Mormon Miracle Pageant in its present form because of the great spirit that has been present for these many years. Thousands of people have 0. Donaldson, Moroni; Marjorie Clarence "Dean Hailing, all of Manti; Mike Porter, Garth Beacham, Ross Findlay, all of Ephraim; Carole Mellor, Gunnison. LeMar Hanson of Ephraim is the General Chairman of the Pageant. The Director is Ronald Hall of Sterling. The Mormon Miracle Pageant had its beginnings 25 years ago at the county rodeo grounds. The small crowd in attendance has grown until last s ? f . tj each year. The stake missionaries ' have given away thousands off the touched by performances but none more than those who. have .worked closely with it and have seen it ' grow and improve over the years. Tibbs was first called by President R Clair Anderson, now deceased, who was widely known to be the father of the Mormon Miracle Pageant, to act as publicity chairman. The first year they expected about 500 people to attend the Temple Hill production. Five hundred chairs were put up and 5,000 people attended. The best publicity has always been by word of mouth. President Anderson told Tibbs he was still in charge of publicity but not to do anything because they couldnt handle the crowds. Restroom facilities were a major concern for all and especially for residents of homes surrounding the Temple grounds. There was motel also only one eight-roocafe at that in Manti and no time. V. Tibbs . f V ; 1 4 Forest Service will build new non-membe- rs m Judge Don fhn' j v - been Carter, Douglas Barton, and ; . served as a counselor in the Manti Other members of the 25th Anniversary Committee are Ida 4 ' the performances. Every year the Mormon Miracle Pageant grew more popular. The local youth vied ' for the major roles but anyone who had the desire could be part ' V - r"J . ", of the presentation. The cast has numbered in excess of 300 for every performance and all f ' leading parts have been double cast. Over 10,000 chars are put up and taken down each year. There is now a storage building j just for the storage of costumes, $ props and chairs for each f One of the dramatic scenes from the Mormon Miracle Pageant is the exhortation given by Samuel ' ' production.j the Lamanite on the wall. This will be the last year this scene is depicted. Because of the requirement, ithas always been difficult to determine how many have attended Utah Stake Presidency for ten Manti LDS Temple. A light wrap is suggested as the nights are cool in Sanpete. Tibbs, Joe Liddell, presentation and everyone giving service was encouraged to do so voluntarily or at cost. No one was to benefit financially from for the cast and support." Tibbs is the judge of the Sixth Judicial District Court of the State of Utah. He has been active through the years as part of the Mormon Miracle cast and support personnel. He also pageant. It is expected that a pageant will be performed in the future but the script is still being written. A special invitation is being extended to the public to attend the Pageant on July 11, 12 13, and the 16 through the 20. The production will begin about 9:15 p.m. on the south side of the i Pageant was organized as a missionary presentation and the committee has continually tried to prevent any commercialism near the Temple Hill. There has never been a charge for the years record of over 130,000. It is probably the largest attended pageant in the world BY IDA Q. DONALDSON The 1991 production of the Mormon Miracle Pageant will P Church dinners were organized to feed the visitors and eventfully fast food stands were set up around the community. In 1990 the churches served over 10,000 dinners. The Mormon Miracle Books of Mormon. Every year there are many stories and experiences that are told. Many people come year after year to see the show, and each year bring their friends and neighbors. During the presentation there were so many people, missionaries would have to be requested to come up out of the audience to translate for them. Soon, this became a part of the planning and last year over 30 languages were translated to foreign visitors. Judge Tibbs stated that for the past 15 years he has worked with the ushers and assisted in helping specially invited guests. He has taken the singer of the National Anthem and the person invited to say the invocation to the top of the hill so they would know where to stand and what to do when the spotlights would hit them. To look down on an faith-promotin- g facility in north Ephraim Thanks to a combination deal involving the Forest Service, the city of Ephraim and Snow College, the Forest Service will be relocating to the north end of Ephraim in the future. Last Monday President Day signed a deed transferring ownership of 5.62 acres of the Snow Field Station to the United States Forest Service. District Ranger Tom Shore turned over a check to President Day making the sale complete. The portion of the field station involved in this sale will now be used to construct a new office building and warehouse complex for the Forest Service. Ephraim Mayor Bob Warnick became involved in the deal because the field station is owned by the state of Utah and Warnick is the Director of the field station. The new building, expected to be part of the Forest Services 1993 fiscal budget will be located on the north end of town near the Snow College billboard. This facility should be more user friendly in a number of ways, said Shore. It should be easier for everyone to park and to obtain information when they want it I know this (moving to the new facility) will definitely increase the walk-i- n traffic off the street. This will be the first time the U.S. Forest Service will own e a facility for the National Forest. Up until now the government has been leasing the building and facilities located at 150 S. State in Ephraim. This transaction required the approval from a number of people including the Secretary of Agriculture, the Utah Board of Regents, and the Snow College Institutional Council. Mayor Manti-Lasall- audience, some nights exceeding 25,000 people is a thrill beyond descriptions," Tibbs said. The Warnick was pleased with the transaction because this new use of the property fits in with the research and activities that have taken place at the field station in the past. Warnick said the first forestry research operation in the state was up Ephraim Canyon and the station has been used for agricultural research ever since Snow was a branch of Utah State University. Even though it will be a couple of years before anything visible happens on the site ranger Shore is excited about the Im sure that prospects. whatever the government builds on the site it will be first class and everyone will be both proud to work at or visit the new location. I also want to say how much we appreciate Snow College and Mayor Warnick for making this all possible." i ( 7-- : If J I (Continued on Page 6) Central Utah Ballet will present 'Hansel and Gretel Ballet May 4 The young performers of the Central Utah Ballet will present the ballet Hansel and Gretel witchs role. May 4. The May 4th presentation will be Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Manti City Building Auditorium. Under the supervision of Vivian Bagnall, to provide an opportunity for development, many of the ballet studios student teachers have been given choreography and production A The performing group of Central Utah Ballet will steal 'your heart as will other dancers, ages three to eleven. Cyle son of Lee and Lora Cox will perform as Hansel, and Karen Bartholomew, Ephraim, a daughter of Richard and Sherry Bartholomew will dance in the part of Gretel. Amy Nay, Gunnison, a daughter of Richard and Lori Nay, will take the Cox,-Manti- Cyle Cox Hansel . V. ' X 1 L The Church of Jesus Christ Saints is providing blankets, clothing and medical supplies for refugees in the Middle East. of Latter-da- , v ..I Karen Bartholomew "Gretel al LDS Church is furnishing humanitarian aid to Iraq refugees in Middle East assignments. Together they have worked to create a shortened variation of the ballet, Hansel and Gretel." National Kathy Slack, realty specialist, U.S. Forest Service;Tom Shore, District Ranger, Manti-LaSForest, Gerald Day, President, Snow College, and Bob Warnick, Mayorof Ephraim City are all smiles as deal is finalized for land fpr new Forest Service office. y Some 13,000 blankets provided by the Church and designated for the Kurdish refugees will be on a U.S. Defense Department flight to Turkey this week, according to officials of the Churchs Humanitarian Services Division. In addition, the Church has 80,000 pounds of used clothing awaiting shipment and is making $100,000 available for the purchase of needed medical supplies. The medical supplies will be made available to the United Nations, World Vision, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Those being provided the ICRC will be turned over to Red Cross societies in Turkey and Iran. The medical supplies are intended for refugees on the Turkish, Iranian and southern borders of Iraq, as well as Iraqi hospitals and clinics. |