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Show Messenger-Enterpris- Page Special Mormon Miracle Pageant Supplement Inc. e, 6 Remodeled Manti Temple will open again in 1984 by Pat Mellor The extensive remodeling of the Manti Temple is well underway and administration area and temple will area new The offices. accommodate computers which will be installed prior to the temples reopening. The north entrance to the temple used previously by all visitors is being totally remodeled. A large y addition is now under construction on the north side east of the old temple annex. New stone is being cut from the Temple quarry, and it is beautiful, says President Cox enthusiastically. The stone is measured and cut according to a meticulously-draw- n plan, and each stone is numbered and laid in accordance to the plan. should be completed, according to in the estimates, autumn of 1984, according to Temple President Wilbur Cox. contractors Included in the remodeling program to date have been the renewal of the entire mechanical plant, including the heat, electrical plant, interior and exterior lighting, and the installation of an air conditioning system. The entire boiler plant has been moved from its previous location up on the hill near the location of the old stack. A major facet of the remodeling program has been the revamp of the two-stor- The north side entrance will include a new facade constructed to exactly match the architecture of the original Temple. Included in the remodeling will be an elevator running from the basement to the second floor, and cafeteria facilities. More sealing rooms will be constructed, some of which will be accessed by using the Temples historic spiral staircases. "There are still many structural things to be started. Soon we will be able to start on the finishing work, such as the plaster, wainscoting, I etc., President Cox observed. think it is significant to note that no ordinance rooms will be materially changed, and the work of pioneer artisans will still be very much in evidence." t Annex under construction. New Manti Tempi Perfection is goal of Pageant cast Mortal Moroni bronze statue entitled the Mortal Moroni is the centerpiece of a meditative garden on LDS Church-owne- d property near the Mormon Miracle Pageant site on Temple Hill. The statue was dedicated July 16, as Pageant visitors and others gathered to see the unveiling of the statue. The work of art was created by Dr. A vard Fairbanks, who sculpted it especially for the memorial. The garden also has masonry benches and tables, planters and appropriate landscaping. Seed money for the porject was apro-vide- d by the family of the late R. Clair sometimes called the Anderson, 'founding father of the Pageant. A non-prof- it committee, headed by Anderson's daughter, Jane Barith waite, has spearheaded the project and pushed A nine-fo- by Bruce Jennings Practice makes perfect is an old adage that comes true for most in attendance at the eight mid-Julperformances of the Mormon Miracle Pageant. Director Mackscne Rux agrees on the value of practice, but she doesnt quite agree on the attainment of perfection so far as the pageant is concerned. it to its culmination. The Angel Moroni plays an important role in the Pageant. It was Moroni who deposited the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in the Hill Cumorah and later showed them to Joseph Smith, a scene in the Pageant. ot 1 y r-- - phases of the production. That means ever better stage settings; new, more appropriate costumes, and excellence in the performance of the dancers, the pioneers, the musicians and the other performers. According to local belief, Moroni aslo dedicated the site of the Manti Temple. Z tion. The memorial also contains plaques containing the names of pioneer families who founded Sanpete Valley, as well as names of contributors to the statue. ap jn warriors, sans costumes, rehears rehearsal. scene at Pageant Nephi and Lamanlt That striving for perfection is illustrated during the three weeks of rehearsals, where every detail is worked on with care, and at the two dress rehearsals before the opening night on July 14. A few of the performers, like Richard Olsen and Ned Madsen, are veterans in their roles. But most members of the cast each year are young people who stay with the pageant for a season, or sometimes The statue was cast by skilled workmen in Italy, under Fairbanks' direc- two or three, and then go away on missions or to school. As a consequence, each June for Mrs. Rux and her assistants is a new teaching exercise, a fresh start, another group to work with. ) Truing (tp' - ? i f rf fry Please Drive Courteously , V,. - e vv C ; & 'I r - . j- V 265 No. Main Ephraim, Utah Your Full Service Car Center Servicing South Central Utah CM2, While you're waiting for the Pageant, relax and enjoy 9 or 18 holes of Golf! . Ha 1 Full Golf Facilities end Pro Shop Pro: Kirk Abcrjglen tNOtPMNQ WINTtll TIRl CHANCtOViR! COOPER Lifelines y bottle "Theyre enthusiastic, committed and a delight to work with, Mrs. Rux says of the cast. Everyone of them seems to realize that his or her part is important to the overall performance and the story the pageant strives to convey. mm "P ' r Shes always striving for perfection though, her associates say, in all ed PI. i f'VI |