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Show Cyan Magenta Yellow Black sanpEtE county (List includes events scheduled at time of publication. Other events will be announced in the Sanpete Events calendar in future editions.) Ephraim Thursday, Dec. 13 Ephraim Middle School Candle Light Program, Eccles Center, 7 p.m. Choir and band will perform. Outstanding students will present the Yule Candle to notable citizens. Nominations accepted at Ephraim Middle School. Saturday, Dec. 8 Christmas glass ornaments workshop for parents and kids, Central Utah Art Center, noon, $15. For information, contact Jared Latimer, 283-5110. Monday, Dec. 17 Ephraim Elementary Christmas Concert, Snow College Activities Center, 6:30 p.m. fairViEw Dec. 10-22 and 24 Live nativity scene on State Street near town center, 6-8 p.m. Free hot chocolate. Spectators are invited to dress up and participate in the scene. For the finale on Christmas Eve, visitors are invited to dress in Bible or Old English costumes and join in Christmas caroling. manti Tuesday, Dec. 11 Home Show, sponsored by Manti City Fire Department, 6 p.m. Purchase tickets at displayed homes for $6 or from a Manti City Youth Council member for $5. Wednesday, Dec. 12 Manti Elementary Christmas program, Manti High School auditorium, 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 19-20 Manti High School Women’s Christmas Concert, Manti High School, 7 p.m. mt. plEasant Thursday, Dec. 6 Christmas choir concert, North Sanpete Middle School, 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24 Christmas Eve service, First Southern Baptist Church, 2000 South S.R. 117, 7-9 p.m. moroni Tuesday, Dec. 11 Christmas concert, Fairview Elementary School, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 Band concert, North Sanpete Middle School, details to be announced. Gunnison snow collEGE Sunday, Dec. 9 Festival of Carols, Gunnison Valley High School, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 Single adults Christmas dinner and program, Centerfield LDS Ward, 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17 Gunnison senior citizens Christmas potluck and program, Gunnison Senior Citizens Center, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18 Christmas band and choir concert, Gunnison Valley High School Auditorium, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19 Yule Program, Gunnison Valley Middle School, 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31 Gunnison LDS Stake New Year’s Eve program, Gunnison Stake Center, details to be announced. Wednesday, Dec. 5 Wind Ensemble, Eccles Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 6-7 LDSingers annual Christmas program, Ephraim LDS Institute, 7:30 p.m., free. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8-9 Handel’s “The Messiah,” Eccles Center, 7 p.m., free. sprinG city Thursday, Dec. 20 Annual Christmas program, at the elementary school, 6:30 p.m. stErlinG Monday, Dec. 24 Santa will visit each home on Christmas Eve. Jayde Christiansen Jayde Christiansen is serving with 145th Field Artillery Unit of the Utah National Guard in Iraq. Though he and his wife, Erin, currently reside in Cedar City while Jayde attends Southern Utah University, they both have very close ties to Sanpete: Jayde is the son of Kenneth and Patty Christiansen of Axtell, and is the son-in-law of Greg and Sandy Johnson of Fountain Green. Jayde returned to Utah on Thanksgiving for a two-week leave. The Messenger caught up with Jayde last Monday and asked him about his experience. “It’s either really boring, or really happening. There’s no fine medium,” he said. Regarding the times it’s “really happening,” we asked him about reports that the 145th had been attacked, though no one had been hurt. “That’s the weirdest feeling, to wake up to a mortar attack. That’s happened a few times, pulled us out of bed a few times. It’s scary. A3 Sanpete Messenger/Gunnison Valley Edition Wednesday, December 5, 2007 It’s real scary. That’s about the most exciting thing that’s happened. That, and every now an then you’ll have a plain Army breakfast of rice and pancakes, but once in a while they’ll throw in fried potatoes, and then it’s a good day after that.” Jayde says he misses the mountains and the climate of Utah. “It’s dry and hot and a flat horizon, whereas [in Utah] you’ve got the big mountains.” We asked if, in addition to what he missed, there was anything that he had taken for granted at home that he has a new appreciation for after being in Iraq. “Yeah,” he said, “a long hot shower. You can only turn the water on when you need it over there. You turn it on, get wet, turn it off, soap up, turn it on, and rinse off.” Though Jayde said it was good to be home for a couple of weeks, it was something he wasn’t used to, after not having a day off in the last six months. “I sit here and think, ‘I’ve got to be somewhere.’ I’m not used to having this much time off. It’s Erin and Jayde Christiansen at the SLC airport upon Jayde's arrival for a holiday leave. gone by quick.” To everyone here at home, Jayde said, “Thanks. Thanks for the support thus far. A lot of us can feel we’re being thought of. At least I can. There’s just days when things seem to go right. “Thanks for all the care packages. I got a care package the other day of stuff that I needed, and that would make Letters from home life a lot easier, and it was like someone read my mind back home. “The support really goes a long way when, at the end of the day, you don’t see the results of [your efforts]. And then you get a letter from home from someone saying thanks—it just makes it worthwhile.” The Utah National Guard’s policy is to not publish the addresses of deployed guard members, but has cooperated with the Messenger to get your letters to members of the 145th. To send a letter to a guard member in Iraq, send it c/o Sanpete Messenger, 35 S. Main Street, Manti, UT 84642, or drop it off at our office at the same address. The newspaper will forward your letters to the soldiers in Iraq along with subscriptions of the newspaper which are being sent to them, also in cooperation with the Utah National Guard. The Utah National Guard’s 145th Field Artillery Unit is proudly supported by: ACT Composites Alltel/Titan Wireless Big G Automotive Candies on Main Carolyn Brock-Farmers Insurance Centerfield Town Central Utah Title Dave Lambertson-State Farm Insurance Dyreng Farms Ephraim City Ephraim McDonald’s Ephraim Wal-Mart Fairview City Fayette Town Ftn. Green City Gene and Judy Chantry Gunnison City Gunnison Implement Co. Gunnison Subway Gunnison Valley Animal Clinic Gunnison Valley Hospital Herbs by Dial Jensen Drug and Floral M&M Trucking and Excavation Manti City Mayfield Town Moroni City Mr. Insurance/Mrs. Insurance-Mary S. Anderson Renae’s Five Star Drive-in Sanpete County Satterwhite Companies Snow College The Sanpete Messenger Triple L Transport Wales Town Zions Bank-Manti To become a sponsor, call John at 835-4241, or email john@sanpetemessenger.com. SARA HANSEN / MESSENGER PHOTO Snow students aid in collection of Sub for Santa doantions. More cash needed for Sub for Santa donations By Sara Hansen Staff writer EPHRAIM—Sub for Santa efforts are taking off, but more donations—particularly cash— are needed to help programs that serve about 300 needy families reach cruising altitude. Volunteers took stock of the progress and forged collaboration across programs at a meeting at Don’s Gallery Café last Thursday, Nov. 29. Becky Wilson, chairwoman of Sanpete Sub for Santa, which is based in Mt. Pleasant but serves the whole county, says quite a few toys are left from last year and additional toys have been donated. While still more toys, clothing, blankets, etc. will be needed, the biggest need right now is cash, especially since Sanpete Sub for Santa has agreed to share its money with the Manti-based Child Abuse Prevention Team (CAPT). Lately, Wilson says, she’s been greeting friends with hugs— and then asking for their checks. More than 20 Sub for Santa drop sites have been set up around the county, identified by a photo of a Santa in an oversize beard and a sign saying, “I’m not really Santa, I just sub for Santa.” (See accompanying list.) Each site has a large bin for donated items and a smaller box (volunteers call it the “ballot box”) where both applications for assistance and donations may be dropped. Families needing help will find a pad of applications next to the “ballot box.” Cash is used to meet special needs of applicant families that can’t be met with donated items and for program expenses. For instance, Sanpete Sub for Santa is headquartered in the Mt. Pleasant National Guard Armory. But to use the free space, the program had to take out liability insurance costing $450. The group also paid a key volunteer $150 for gas, even though at $3 plus per gallon, that amount probably won’t cover gas costs for making weekly pickups at locations from Gunnison to Fairview. One longstanding goal of Sanpete Sub for Santa has been to coordinate various Christmas assistance efforts. The first step occurred early this season when the Snow College Student Activities Center (SAC) linked up with the Sanpete program instead of running a separate program. Student volunteers, led by Will Christensen and TaLisha Wheatley, are picking up gifts from half a dozen Ephraim locations. They’ve also agreed to put together holiday packages for applicant families from Ephraim. Last week, the students raised more than $1,600 by “arresting” students and faculty members and holding them in “jail” in the college bell tower until they bailed out by making a donation. The next step toward a coordinated effort occurred when CAPT leader Kay Jensen brought her applicant list to the meeting last week. She had approximately 150 names. Jensen and Robert Buckner, applications coordinator for Sub for Santa, compared lists to eliminate any duplicate applications. CAPT volunteers from Manti High School, Ephraim Middle School and Snow College have been refurbishing donated bikes and making wooden toys. But CAPT, like Sub for Santa, needs cash to meet some of the critical needs. In the past, Jensen has paid for family needs out of her own pocket. Sanpete Sub for Santa board member Suzanne Dean suggested that cash collected by the countywide program be divided between Sanpete Sub for Santa and CAPT based on the number of families each was serving. Jensen said hearing the suggestion of cash sharing felt like an angel was resting on her shoulder. Casino Theatre plans to reopen GUNNISON—The Casino Star Theatre plans on reopening in a few months after it is sure fumes from the Top Stop gas leak are out of the building. The building took a particular blow because of its underground tunnels, one of its historical features. The tunnels served as an ideal spot for the gas to accumulate. Even though the building is closed, restoration will continue, according to leaders of the Casino Star Theatre Foundation. The Brass Tacks Quartet concert, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been rescheduled for March 28, 2008. Season-ticket holders and anyone who pre-purchased tickets may use the tickets at the March performance. Writers!! The Sanpete Messenger wants to be the best little newspaper in America! If you want to get on board with an award-winning county newspaper, call us! If you love to write, have an interest in politics and community news, and are confident about your grammar and punctuation skills, call Suzanne at 835-4241 and/or email a one-page resume to: Suzanne@sanpetemessenger.com Tell a friend! The Sanpete Messenger/ Gunnison Valley Edition |