| DATE 11/07/2003 12:35 PM |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89. HISTORICAL SEMINARS, RELATED TOURS AIM TO SPARK INTEREST IN HERITAGE HIGHWAY |
| The organizers of the first tours of U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway, are introducing a new component to get people interested in touring the region: historical seminars.“We hope that the seminars will stimulate people s interest in the region,” says Mary Ellen Elggren from Clawson-Sheilds Travel, who has conducted several tours of the 620 miles of Utah’s Heritage Highway. The seminars are designed to educate people about a chapter of Utah history, and interest people in finding out more by taking a related tour, she says.
The first series of seminars will be held Nov. 15 at Gardner Village, “Gathering Place,” 7800 S. 1100 West in Salt Lake City. Three different seminars will be held at 10 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. People may sign up for any of the three seminars in advance for a cost of $2 each, or attend all three for $5. Tickets will also be sold at the door at a cost of $4 per seminar. The theme of the seminars is “North American Setting for the Book of Mormon.” The 10 a.m. seminar is on Ancient American archaeology and will feature Wayne May of Ancient American Magazine talking about evidence of civilizations in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan that pre-date Christ. He will discuss how the findings are a good case for Book of Mormon archaeology in North America. At noon, Brigham Young University professor emeritus James Harris, who retired from the school s Department of Ancient Scriptures, will share his findings of hundreds of rock art panels in Utah and the southwest United States that appear similar and identical to inscriptions located in and near Jerusalem that date to 600 B.C. At 1 p.m., Duane Erickson, from the Book of Mormon Students Foundation, will discuss Ancient American geography. He will identify a North American setting for “The Promised Land” in a substantial hypothesis developed through significant geographical evidence. Seats are still available for the seminars, although they may be limited. “We’ve already had more than 200 people pre-register,” Clawson says, adding they are only charging enough to cover the cost of the room rental and equipment. “We want as many people as possible to come and hear the seminars. We hope that they give people a whole new reason to take a tour down the highway, and while they are there, take part in all there is to see and do.” For more information, contact Clawson Shields Tours at (801) 583-4038 or 1-800-6334-4928. Information is also available online at: www.clawsonshields.com. |
| For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
