Tag Archives: Past Years’ Press Releases

Girls in Ephraim “Tying On” Holiday Cheer – Press Release 11/06/2003

DATE 11/16/2003 5:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Girls in Ephraim “Tying On” Holiday Cheer

Teenage girls living at the Young Women’s Empowerment Center (YWEC) in Ephraim have always found community service to be a personal growing experience.The girls have spent the summer months planting trees for the U.S. Forest Service, working outdoors in city cemeteries and parks, and cleaning up areas around local roads and highways.

So when the 10 girls currently living at YWEC were presented with a holiday project that gave them a chance to help children and youth in need, they embraced the opportunity. But this time, they were doing something most of them had never done in their young lives: quilting.

“They definitely didn’t know anything about quilting,” says Marilyn Jensen, one of six partners who operate the center. It provides a temporary home for girls who are underprivileged or have faced difficult challenges.

Jensen laughs as she recalls the first few times the girls worked on the project. There was a lot to learn, she says. “We’ve always done a lot of community service, but this is the first time we’ve ever done something as “domestic” as this.”

The girls hope to tie 70 quilts, which range in size from twin to queen, by Dec. 5. They will be distributed by the Shriner’s Hospital and the Masonic order to children and youth in need. Some of the quilts will also be provided to police agencies to hand out to the homeless.

“The girls are so motivated to meet that goal,” Jensen says. “They have it all figured out, how many they have to tie in one day to make it to 70. They work on the quilts in their free time and on weekends.”

Part of their motivation lies in the fact that they can relate to the people who will be receiving the quilts, Jensen adds. “Many of these girls grew up knowing what it’s like to go to bed without a quilt, they know what it feels like not to have anything. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment and responsibility, they like knowing that they can do things.”

That is the exact purpose of the project, says Ken Bona, who helped organize the effort as part of his role as chairman of three organizations with Christmas charities: the Paternal Order of the Eagles, the Masonic Orders and the Oddfellows. Members of those groups supplied the materials, including fabric, batting and yarn for the project.

“It’s a win-win situation,” he says. “It’s a wonderful program for the girls. It lets them give back to the community, and I understand that they are loving it. It also provides a much-needed service to people in need.”

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

HISTORICAL SEMINARS, RELATED TOURS AIM TO SPARK INTEREST IN HERITAGE HIGHWAY – Press Release 11/07/2003

DATE 11/07/2003 12:35 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Travel & Heritage Council Collecting Piano Histories – Press Release 11/03/2003

DATE 11/03/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Travel & Heritage Council Collecting Piano Histories

It’s fitting that the community is helping North Sanpete High School raise money to buy a new piano for use in school and community functions. Piano playing in one form or another has deep roots in the community and county, says Monte Bona, a member of the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council.

“In the days before radio, television and computers, the piano was the main form of entertainment in just about every family,” Bona says. “Many people may remember gathering around the piano in the parlor with friends and family on just about every occasion. Given that there is a community fund raising project going on to purchase a new piano for the high school, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to draw attention to the history of the piano in our city and county.”

The Sanpete Travel and Heritage Council is looking for stories, old photographs and memorabilia about the piano. Some of the county’s earliest settlers actually brought the unwieldy instruments across the plains with them. “Getting a piano here must have been an extremely difficult task,” Bona says.

The difficulty may be one of the reasons that the piano has continued to be a much-loved instrument over the years. Other reasons may be that the piano tended to be connected to the family. “Brass bands, which were also very popular in yesteryear, were the very common in small towns as a way for the community to pull together. Choir was also very popular, especially among church groups,” Bona says. “But the piano was in the home and it was a family gathering place.”

The Travel and Heritage Council would like to hear from people who have histories to tell like the stories Deneice Blackham and her son, Donnell Blackham of Moroni have to share. . Deneice Blackham taught piano for 72 years, retiring just two years ago at the age of 90. Not only did she teach piano out of her home, but at one time she played piano at the Fountain Green Theater, providing sound effects for the silent movies that played there. Her grandmother, Eliza Anderson, also played and taught the piano. “My mother never remembers a time in her life when there wasn’t a piano in the home,” Donnell Blackham says.

For more information Contact:

Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Sanpete County Libraries Double as ‘History Classrooms’ – Press Release 10/17/2003

DATE 10/17/2003 2:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Sanpete County Libraries Double as ‘History Classrooms’

Visiting a local Sanpete County library can be an educational experience in many ways, starting by simply taking a good look at the building itself.Sanpete County is home to three of Utah’s remaining 17 Carnegie Libraries, in Mt. Pleasant, Ephraim and Manti. All of the libraries were constructed early in the 20th Century as part of a nationwide and even worldwide effort by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to establish public libraries.

Each of Sanpete County’s Carnegie libraries provides a unique lesson in history. “The libraries all have an important historical role to play in their respective communities, as the town s only library in many cases and for their ties to the Carnegie program and to the architectural style of the period,” says Roger Roper, an architect with the Utah Division of State History.

Carnegie gave away tens of millions of dollars for the construction of libraries across the country, with the only condition being that the community would provide books and operational support. There were more than 1,650 Carnegie libraries built in the Untied States, including 23 in Utah constructed over a 17-year period, as well as some 650 in Great Britain and Ireland, 156 in Canada, and a handful in places like New Zealand, the West Indies and Fiji. The first library was built in Scotland in 1881.

In many small towns, the Carnegie Library was the most important piece of great architecture and often established standards of operation and building design that were used for many years in the construction of libraries in other communities. Most were inspired by the popular style of the period, with some including stained or leaded glass windows, high ceilings, and graceful woodwork. Others reflected regional style, such as the clean and lean Prairie School. The Prairie School style was made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright, Roper says. “Mt. Pleasant’s library is a classic Prairie School design, one of three such libraries in the state, with Mt. Pleasant’s being at the top of the list.” Mt. Pleasant’s library was built in 1917 and designed by the Salt Lake City architecture firm of Ware & Treganza. “It was one of the most well-known architecture firms of the 20th century,” Roper says.

Likewise, the Manti Library was designed by Watkins and Birch, a Provo-based architectural firm that also designed several other library buildings. The Ephraim library was built in 1914 and 1915. “The Ephraim and Manti libraries both represent the classic architectural style that was popular among Carnegie libraries back then,” Roper says. “They are rectangular in shape with symmetrical doors and windows. Most of the libraries were set up a half storey and would have stairs leading up to the door from the street.”

About 20 years ago, there was a statewide effort to place all of Utah’s Carnegie Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places. Since that time, no Carnegie libraries have been torn down. “They are still being used as libraries,” Roper says, adding some have been expanded and modified over the years to include access ramps for the disabled. “They were all very well-built structures and have served their purpose well.”

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Scholar Hopes to Share Rare Artifact Collection to Sanpete County – Press Release 10/13/2003

DATE 10/13/2003 5:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Scholar Hopes to Share Rare Artifact Collection to Sanpete County

A Brigham Young University professor emeritus is hoping to bring his extensive collection of petroglyph’s inscribed with an ancient Islamic alphabet to Sanpete County.James Harris, an ancient scriptures scholar, is engaged in talks to have the rare artifacts exhibited in a museum in Manti. The Manti Destiny Committee is planning to build a museum that would focus on the pioneers and American Indians and include a display of Harris’ collection.What Harris hopes to share with Sanpete County residents as well as the rest of the state and its visitors is a collection of petroglyph’s from the Western United States, including Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and California, that are inscribed with symbols and signs of an Islamic alphabet.The petroglyph’s have been Harris’ passion for more than a decade. The retired professor has made numerous research trips to Israel both during and following his tenure at BYU. During the early 1990s, he was working in Negeve. “It was during this trip that we found some inscriptions of an alphabet that had 22-signs and symbols,” he says. It was later discovered that the same alphabet was inscribed on rocks found in the Western United States. “It was a very marvelous discovery, and the only discovery of this alphabet writing in the Americas,” he says.

Harris began searching for and collecting petroglyph’s inscribed with the alphabet. “I now have more than 500 inscriptions, mostly from Utah, Arizona and Nevada,” he says. Harris has also been in correspondence with people living in Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Hawaii who have found similar petroglyph’s. “The inscriptions are 99 per cent of the same alphabet,” Harris says. “It’s the same script and the words are spelled the same way,” he says, explaining that the signs and symbols are identical to those discovered in Negeve, including the menorah, the Star of David, a sun shield, and the same icons and abbreviations for the God of Israel.

There are many theories about how American Indians came to know and use an alphabet of Islamic origins, Harris says. They range from the Bering Strait theory (since Alaska and Siberia were once connected in the distant past, some people believe ancestors of Native Americans crossed the land bridge to North America) to trans-ocean migrations. “But how the alphabet got here isn’t important,” Harris says. “What’s important is the fact that the petroglyph’s are here.”

Harris spends much of his time doing presentations on his research and presenting papers at professional gatherings. His goal with the exhibit in Manti is to make people aware of the petroglyph’s and explain the interest Utah pioneers had in them when they arrived. “The unique situation with the pioneers is they considered the American Indians they encountered as remnants of Israel,” he says.

Officials hope to open the museum, which is still in the early stages of development, in the next two years.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Native Wines Honors The ‘Honest Apple’ – Press Release 10/7/2003

DATE 10/07/2003 12:55 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Native Wines Honors The ‘Honest Apple’

Native Wines, the Mt. Pleasant company that is renowned for making unfiltered wine from local wild fruits, is holding a celebration to honor one its favorite ingredients: the apple.

On Saturday, October 18 from noon to 6 p.m. Native Wines owners Bob Sorenson and Winnie Wood are hosting Honest Apple Day. More than 50 kinds of heirloom apples will be available for sampling, along with as many as 30 different homemade apple pies, apple cider, apple butter and apple wine.

There will also be an Ugliest Witch in the West contest, with cash prizes being awarded for both children and adults, and a non-motorized parade at 4 p.m. Saturday (sign up at 2 p.m. at Wasatch Studio, 67 W. Main Street) featuring the witches and scooters, horse or dog-drawn carriages, skateboards and more. Other activities include musical performances and wine and cheese tasting.

The World s Best Apple Pie contest will be held at 3 p.m, with judging by a distinguished panel to determine the best pie.All activities will be held at Native Wines, 72 S. 500 West in Mt. Pleasant.

The fall event has become another annual tradition of Native Wines, which is also involved in the Sanpitch Rhubarb Festival that is held in May and celebrates the plant and its many uses. Local vendors come up with interesting things to eat and drink featuring rhubarb, including ice cream, salsa, syrup and baked goods.

Native Wines, located in a historic building near downtown Mt. Pleasant, uses fruit that is picked from wild trees and shrubs in the mountains and valleys of central Utah. Sorenson and Wood return many of the seeds the fruit used in the winery (chokecherry, rosehip, elderberry, currant, gooseberry) to their native habitats in a toast to the future.

For more information on Native Wines or Honest Apple Day, phone (435) 462-9261.

For more information Contact:

Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Oral Histories, “Lost Treasures” of Beloved Fountain Green Theater Being Preserved, Restored – Press Release 9/26/2003

DATE 9/26/2003 5:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Oral Histories,
“Lost Treasures” of Beloved Fountain Green Theater Being Preserved, Restored

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council about the people, places and preservation efforts along U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway. When Rachel Syme and Devon Mikkelson were young, the theater and dance hall in downtown Fountain Green were the life of the town.Mikkelson, now in his 80’s, fondly recalls going to the theater to see his favorite actor, Hoot Gibson, on the big screen. Mikkelson went to the movies a lot because his mother was a widow and the LDS Church, which owned the theater back then, let the children of widows attend shows for free. The movies didn t have sound back then. The young Mikkelson often got a ride into town on a sled that was pulled by his dog, who would wait outside faithfully until his master s return.

Syme, also in her 80s, recalls working as an usherette in the movie theater to earn her ticket to the show. Tickets cost 10 cents for children back then and 15 cents for adults. It was her job to show people to their seats, or sell boxes of candy that sometimes contained prizes like a necklace or a watch. Syme even remembers the names of almost everyone she worked for and with at the theater, including the piano player who would sit below the stage near the screen and provide sound effects for the silent films. “It was so much fun, it was truly a social hall back then,” she says.

If Fred Burns has his way, when the children of Fountain Green are the same age Mikkelson and Syme are now, they too will have wonderful memories of the theater and social hall to share. Burns, along with a crew of dedicated volunteers, is working tirelessly to restore the 100-year-old theater and dance hall to its former glory. Along the way, he is preserving the memories of people like Syme and Mikkelson in an oral history book, as well as finding and restoring keepsakes from the original theatre and displaying them for the audiences of today to enjoy.

“A lot of people who grew up in this town and still live here remember going to the movies at the theater and what a special thing it was,” Burns said. “We want it to be that way again.” Burns is head of the Fountain Green chapter for the Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area, which is part of the Utah Heritage Highway Alliance’s preparation for obtaining national designation for U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway. He and his team have raised more than $600,000 for the restoration project, including grants from the Eccles Foundation. Assistance has also been provided by volunteers, including former resident Russ Evans and Lewis and Lynn Rasmussen (who owned the dance hall and theater) and Dean and Gene Peckham, twins who own a Salt Lake City asphalt company and have donated countless hours and substantial amounts of money to the restoration.

The structure is really two buildings in one, Burns says. One side was used as a theater that showed movies and hosted plays and vaudeville acts, and the other side was a dance hall and later a cultural hall. Burns and the volunteers have restored many of the original elements of the theater, including the old ticket booth, woodwork and stencils. They’ve also found some of the theater’s original treasures, such as the roll-down screen that covered and protected the movie screen. The screen has a mural-type image that is surrounded by advertisements from local businesses at the time.

“We found in the basement during the renovation, just rolled up and sitting there. It’s in great shape,” Burns says. “The screen is signed on the back by actors who were in plays that were performed here.” The screen is being restored by Brigham Young University and will be on display at the theater. “We’re told that the screen alone is worth as much as the entire building. I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life, it’s a great find,” he says.

When it comes to finding out information about the theater, Burns doesn’t have to look too hard or too far. “We have a complete history right here in town,” he says referring to people like Syme and Mikkelson. “I’m sitting these people down and talking to them about what they remember about the theater,” he says. The memories will be put into a booklet and many of them will be shared at the theater’s grand opening celebration early next year. There are also plans for a Mormon Heritage Film Festival next fall, as well as plays, musical performances and other activities once the theater is up and running. “We hope to show one to two shows a week.,” Burns says.

Burns was drawn to the theater restoration project out of his love and respect for old buildings. A former painter and business owner from West Jordan, he fell in love with Fountain Green more than three decades ago while working on painting the Manti Temple. He bought a home in the town some 36 years ago, using it in the summer and on weekends. He and his family permanently moved to Fountain Green year and a half ago after he retired.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Escalante Gallery Features Local Artists, Heritage Theme – Press Release 9/15/2003

DATE 9/15/2003 5:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Escalante Gallery Features Local Artists, Heritage Theme

Artists living and working in Garfield County, including some who are descendants of pioneers who settled the area, have found a venue to display and sell their wares in Desert Wolf Gallery.

The gallery, located in Escalante and owned by Sharol Bernardo, features the works of painters, rug makers, potters, welders, photographers and writers. It also displays and sells Western cowboy collectibles and Native American jewelry, rugs, baskets and pottery.

Painters who are featured at the gallery include Lynn Griffin, Sheila Woolley Faulkner, Randsom Owens, Sharon Graf, J. Nelson, Susan Bellew and Scotty Mitchell. Their work focuses on Western art, wildlife and landscapes, and their media varies from oil and acrylic to pastel and watercolor.

Heritage rugs woven by Lillian Lyman are displayed and demonstrate pioneer craft and thrift, and the applique work of Ruthanne Oliver is also prominently featured at the gallery. Other fiber artists include Sharol Bernardo who crochets and Sue Mosier, who does cross stitch art that is framed by barnwood frames constructed by her husband, Don Mosier.

Also presented in the gallery are wood objects created by Bradley Spencer, Desert Rose Wood Creations, the Christensen-Blauser-Litterall family, Larry Davis, Nature Sounds Drum Factory, Keven Petersen and Jennifer Brewer, and Richard Costigan. Their projects range from sculpted boxes and red cedar furniture to lamp bases, carvings, drums, and picture boxes. There is also mission-style furniture created by Dennis Bertucci and a wishing well constructed of old wood from a torn-down barn by Evan Reeves.

Welders-turned-artists Bill Kuhns and Dan Cottam also have works at the gallery, and there are photographs by Chris Zakin and Sharol Bernardo. Hand-made greeting cards are also for sale, including pen-and-ink drawings by Howard Hutchison, dried wild flower cards by Lillian Lyman, and photo-cards of her appliqué designs by Ruthanne Oliver. There is also jewelry work by Gwendolyn Zeta.

There are also books by several local writers, including Jerry Roundy, Helen Bailey Schow and Jens Munthe.

For more information Contact:

Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Anasazi State Park Museum Open Year-Round to Educate, Enlighten – Press Release 9/7/2003

DATE 9/07/2003 2:33 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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. The Heritage Highway.

Anasazi State Park Museum Open Year-Round to Educate, Enlighten

Mike Nelson never tires of telling visitors to the Anasazi State Park Museum about the Ancestral Pueblo people who once occupied the surrounding land.Good thing. With more than 35,000 people stopping by the park and museum each year, Nelson does quite a bit of talking about the Ancestral Pueblo people and their history. “The majority of those who come by are first-time visitors,” Nelson says.

The museum is located in Anasazi State Park in Boulder, Utah, just off of U.S. Highway 89 and State Roads 12 and 24. State Road 12 was recently deemed an All-American Road, one of only about 18 such roads in the country, and U.S. Highway 89 has been proposed for historical designation. The designation will allow for continued preservation and increased tourism in regions along the highway from Kanab in the south and Fairview in the north and include the counties of Sanpete, Sevier, Wayne, Garfield, Piute and Kane, as well as the Boulder Loop. It will also likely bring more visitors to the museum Nelson has managed for three years.

But he welcomes the opportunity to educate and enlighten even more people about the Ancestral Pueblo people and their way of life. “There are things here for people to see that are 900 years old, such as artifacts and posts and parts of walls from the original villages that once stood here,” Nelson says.

What is now Anasazi State Park was once one of the largest Anasazi communities west of the Colorado River. The site is believed to have been occupied from A.D. 1050 to 1200. The village remains largely unexcavated, but many artifacts have been uncovered and are on display in the museum. The museum includes hands-on exhibits, microscopes visitors can use to examine artifacts, an auditorium with rotating exhibits, and artifacts and replicas of Anasazi life and villages. The site of the park and museum was first excavated in the 1950s, and the museum built in 1970 and remodeled in 1995.

Nelson and his staff work year-round, keeping the museum open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer months and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the winter.

Among the interesting stories and history lessons that Nelson can tell visitors is why the state park and the name of the tribe of people who once lived on the land differ. Anasazi is a Navajo word interpreted to mean ancient enemies, enemy ancestors or ancient ones. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Navajo arrived in what is now the southwestern United States. Ancestors of their foe, the modern Pueblo Indians, inhabited the area prior to the Navajo.

“There are 19 Pueblo tribes today who are all recognized as descendants of the Anasazi people,” Nelson said. For that reason, and the fact that the Pueblo Indians are known for being very peaceful people, the name Ancestral Pueblo is a much more accurate term, he says.

The Anasazi State Park Museum
Open seven days a week 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during summer months 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during winter months (435) 335-7308

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Community Working Together to Restore Veterans Memorial – Press Release 9/2/2003

DATE 9/02/2003 12:54 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Community Working Together to Restore Veterans Memorial

An effort is underway to restore the Veterans Memorial in Mt. Pleasant City, headed by a citizens committee and involving the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council, the Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance and local members of Veterans of Foreign Wars.The goal is to restore the memorial, a monument located on Main Street in Mt. Pleasant that honors local veterans who served in the Black Hawk War, Spanish American War, World War I and II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. Plans call for adding the names of those who also served in recent wars and conflicts in the Middle East.

“The monument is in a state of disrepair,” says Sally East, Sanpete County’s Economic Development Director. “The Travel and Heritage Council has gotten involved in this restoration effort as a way to acknowledge the important role veterans played in the development of Sanpete County.”

The project is being overseen by a committee of more than 20 local residents, along with representatives of the aforementioned organizations. “The monument sits right on the corner of U.S. Highway 89 and Main Street in Mt. Pleasant, making it an important historical site along the northern end of U.S. Highway 89,” says Monte Bona, a member of the highway alliance.

The preservation and restoration effort will include restoring the names of veterans currently listed, adding more names, and searching for names that were lost due to deterioration or were removed from the monument over the years, Bona says. Mt. Pleasant Mayor Chesley Christensen and Edith Sparks will head the effort to research the names of local veterans. The Mt. Pleasant newspaper, The Pyramid, is also providing assistance by running enlarged photographs of names on the monument in hopes of tracking down family members.

“We are hoping that relatives of those who served will see the names of their family members and contact us. We’re also relying on the community to let us know of the names of people who served that may be missing from the memorial,” Bona says.

Part of the restoration effort includes fund raising. The committee will be applying for grants to assist in the $50,000 project and is hoping to collect small contributions from family members of veterans. “This is truly a community project, one that honors the past and helps unite us for the future,” Bona says.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Paper-Making Artist Lives “A Life Less Ordinary,” Runs Junction Art Connection – Press Release 8/26/2003

DATE 8/26/2003 10:04 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Paper-Making Artist Lives “A Life Less Ordinary,” Runs Junction Art Connection

Joan Gould Winderman is used to living a far-from-ordinary life.
In the late 1960s, she ran an art gallery outside of Philadelphia before working as a teacher and reading specialist. After her children were grown, she and her husband, Earle, moved to an Indian Reservation in Arizona. Six years later, they headed even further South, settling in the former silver mining town of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, where Joan embraced the art of primitive Japanese paper making and began collecting Mexico art and crafts.
So, somehow, opening an art and crafts gallery in the tiny Utah town of Junction (population 130) when she was entering her 70s didn’t seem like an outrageous idea. Never mind that Winderman’s passion is for an art few people recognize, or that the gallery is only open six months of the year.

“I’m used to an uphill battle,” she says with a laugh. Winderman opened The Junction Art Connection, 95 N. Main, four years ago. Housed in an 1895 brick home, the gallery is open “by appointment or by chance” from May through October. “I have to leave occasionally to go to the grocery store, which is 50 miles away. Other than that, we’re open whenever I’m here.”

The art and crafts gallery is home to Winderman’s own art of collage paper and jewelry-making, and she also displays Mexico and Utah arts and crafts made by other artists, including ceramics, prints, oils, jewelry, dolls and sculptures.

“Some people who stop by look around and say “whoa, this is a labor of love,” Winderman says. “My husband has a different term: he calls it “an ego trip.”

Winderman’s love of art, particularly Mexico art and paper-making, started in the late 1960s when she ran a gallery with her sister-in-law. After a few years, it became increasingly difficult to keep it open, raise a family, and make a living. So she turned to teaching. “But I always said I would do it again some day.”

“Some day” ended up being more than three decades later. The Winderman’s stumbled across the town of Junction when they were looking to escape the hot, humid summers of Alamos. “We just headed north, looking for any place above 5,000 feet.” They went through New Mexico first, eventually making their way into Utah and finding a historic home for sale on U.S. Highway 89. “It was gorgeous, but too big for just the two of us, so I thought it would make a great gallery.”

It’s inside this magical-looking house where Winderman indulges in her paper-making art. She follows the “Japanese primitive method,” which involves pulling plants from her yard and boiling and cooking them over and over to make paper. It can take up to 30 hours.

“You never know what you are going to get. I like to take plants, cook them down, and see what color they make. You can never guess by looking at a plant what color the paper will be.” She has made paper from carrots, banana leaves, straw and holly hocks. It’s a lot like cooking stew, you have to watch it all the time. But I love the process, playing with it. It’s always exciting, beautiful and always a surprise.”

Visitors to the gallery are often puzzled by Winderman s paper creations. “They don’t usually recognize it as paper, it’s not what they are used to seeing.” She also makes cards and earrings from her paper, which, she adds, “is actually a very sturdy.”

Winderman loves to talk about paper-making with people who stop by the gallery and about the other artists whose works are displayed. “I like to share the beautiful things I see in Mexico and want people to know about the people and the tribes who made the art that they are seeing.”

Junction Art Connection
Open May through October “by appointment or by chance”
95 N. Main Street,
Junction (U.S. Highway 89)
(435) 577-2999

http://www.junctionartconnection.com

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Kanab Artist “Speaks For the Trees” – Press Release 8/12/2003

DATE 8/12/2003 5:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Kanab Artist “Speaks For the Trees”

Laurali Noteman has spent many an hour lying beneath crooked, old trees, gazing up at the branches with one thought in mind: I wish they could talk.“Trees could tell you the history of what they’ve seen through the generations,” says Noteman, a Kanab resident for 30 years. “Every since I was a child, trees have always intrigued me. They are record keepers of what has gone on around them, of how the Earth has evolved. They are sentinels of time.”

Since trees cannot talk, Noteman has become a “Lorax” of sorts, speaking for them through her art, much like the beloved character in the Dr. Seuss story. Her pen-and-ink pictures are meticulously drawn, capturing every branch and weathered section of bark. “When you sit and draw a tree, you get to know every little line of that tree, and you can feel their story,” she says.

For the first time, Noteman is sharing her tree “conversations” with the general public. Several of her pen-and-ink tree drawings, along with some pastels and photographs, are on display at the State Bank of Southern Utah, 98 W. Center Street, in Kanab through the month of August.

A full-time human resources director for Kane County hospital, Noteman says she has “dabbled” in art off and on since she was a child. After she had three kids, “life got crazy and I put art on hold for a while.” Now that her children are grown with children of their own, Noteman spends her evenings and weekends working on her art. Noteman’s art was given the “stamp of approval” from the U.S. Highway 89 Alliance, which sanctions and promotes the work of artists and artisans located along Utah’s Heritage Highway.

Noteman uses a croquill pen to create her tree drawings. “It has the finest tip you can get, which you need for all the lines on a tree. Drawing trees takes an unbelievable amount of time, there are thousands of little lines.” It’s not uncommon for her so spend more than 20 hours on a single drawing. “I will draw just about any tree, as long as it’s not straight,” she says with a laugh. “I like them to have personality.”

She also does pen -and- ink drawings of animals, mostly wildlife. She turns many of them, as well as her tree drawings, into note and greeting cards. Her pastels are mostly portraits of people or animals, and her photographs tend to focus on people. “With a photo, you can catch something very warm and human, which is what I try to capture. Some of my portraits of my grand kids are so warm you just want to giggle. It’s a “feel-good” type of photography.”

Noteman took up photography as a result of her fascination with trees. She and her husband Mike often horseback ride into the wilderness. When she finds a tree she likes, she takes photos of it in order to preserve the memory. “Some of the locations are so remote that once you get in there, it’s just about impossible to go back again. So I started taking a camera along to remember the tree, and the shading and the light. My photos just started getting better and better.”

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Cowboy Poetry Rodeo Highlight of Western Legends Roundup – Press Release 8/11/2003

DATE 8/11/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Cowboy Poetry Rodeo Highlight of Western Legends Roundup

 This story is told of a city out West, rich in its trove of historic debris. A small, friendly town, with a most noble quest- “Stayin’ in touch with how things-used-to-be.” Each Fall as the warm summer days near an end, memories of earlier times come astir, then following through on this yesteryears trend, folks will oblige grand events to occur. Old legends are gathered from out of the past, dusted and polished to sparkle like new. Events re-enacted, the heroes re-cast, the “Past” comes alive for the “Present” to view. The sights and the sounds you are likely to hear will conjure up visions of more rugged times. See glimpses from life of the hardy pioneer, hear echoes of history in ballad and rhymes. So let your mind wander, forget it’s today, pretend to be livin’ those days of the past. Then when comes the morrow, you’re likely to say— “Kanab’s Western Legends, shape memories that last!” )) S.A.Jackson ’03Sam Jackson is known as the “dean” of the cowboy poetry rodeo circuit. The Kanab resident earned this title for developing the concept and producing the first cowboy poetry rodeo competition in Cedar City in 1998.Just what is a Cowboy Poetry Rodeo? One sure way to find out is to attend the Western Legends Roundup Aug. 20-24 in Kanab, where the Cowboy Poetry Rodeo is one of the featured attractions. The two-day competition will be held Aug. 22 and 23 supported in part by a grant from the Utah Humanities Council – and this year featuring more than 30 of North America’s top cowboy and cowgirl poets vying for the $5,000 in purse’s and trophies.

Jackson can also provide an explanation along with a bit of history. Cowboy poetry is any poem, prose, ballad, story, or song with a basic pastoral theme about country living, ranch life, or farm animals. “The work can come from anyone who feels that they, either through experience or research, can realistically address the subject,” he says. “Working as a cowboy or ranching experience is not a requirement.” Stories may be written about the past, present, or future and there is no restriction on geography. “Every area of the world has its rural life and is fair game,” Jackson says.

“I sensed that the genre of cowboy poetry, if presented in a positive manner, could become a valuable tool in more ways than just entertainment,” he says. “I felt not only could cowboy poetry help keep our western heritage alive, it could also serve as a rostrum for spreading the ‘Western’ message that most resident stewards of our western lands are doing a noble job as caretakers.”

For cowboy poetry to gain that status and keep the public’s interest, Jackson felt had to be written and presented in a professional and entertaining manner. “So I developed the Cowboy Poetry Rodeo scenario to assist in accomplishing the task.” A Cowboy Poetry Rodeo is organized as much like a regular stock rodeo as possible. Each contestant pays an entry fee and may enter any one of four different events. “Poet/serious” or “Poet/humorous” (a poet performs their own work) “Reciter/serious” or Reciter/humorous” (a reciter performs the work of others). Each “ride” is judged by a panel of 5 seasoned cowboy poets.

During the rodeo at the Western Legends Roundup, the top half of the poets from the first days go-round on Friday advance to the second go-round Saturday morning. The highest four final scores in each event receive prize money, with the top score in each event receiving a championship buckle and an invitation to perform in the head liner show. The Kanab Cowboy Poetry Rodeo begins both days at 8 a.m. at the Old Barn Theater located at Parry’s Lodge.

In addition to the Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, cowboy poetry will be highlighted each day of the Western Legends Roundup, beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 with the opening ceremonies at the Kanab High School gym. The gala will include cowboy poets and music.

Thursday, Aug. 21, Jackson will host a free cowboy poetry workshop at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Parry’s Lodge Old Barn Theater. The workshop is aimed at anyone who might be interested in listening to, reading, or writing cowboy poetry. It will feature Canadian poet Doris Daley, who has been a featured entertainer and emcee at every cowboy festival in Canada and several in the United States. She is also the author of a new book, Rhyme and Reason, and a new CD, Poetry in Motion. She will share performance and recitation tips and techniques.

There will be a music and poetry jam session each evening following the Western shows at the Kanab High School auditorium, at the Chuck Wagon Cafi, and at the Wigwam Trading Post in downtown Kanab. All interested cowboy poets and musicians and the public are invited.

On Friday, in addition to the Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, there will be performances by featured Western music groups and cowboy poets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the rodeo begins at 8 a.m., and Western music and cowboy poetry performances begin at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the downtown festival activities. At 12 p.m., there will be a High Noon Cowboy Parade and some of the poets will ride in a wagon, and there will be cowboy poetry performances at 3 p.m. as part of the Outlaw Trail Show. Sunday at 9 a.m. there will be a cowboy poetry church under the big “Preachin Tent” on the elementary school lawn.

Kanab’s Western Legends Roundup pays homage to the city’s role as “Little Hollywood” in Utah and the influence cowboys and Western film makers had on the region. Hundreds of western feature films and television episodes were shot in the small town. Because of that history, Kanab holds a celebration each year that attracts thousands of people. For more information, contact the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council, (435) 462-2502.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

2003 Sanpete County Fair Has Something for Everyone – Press Release 8/4/2003

DATE 8/04/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

2003 Sanpete County Fair Has Something for Everyone

The annual Sanpete County Fair, known for its ability to transport fair goers back in time a hundred years, is being held Aug. 16-23 in Manti.The Sanpete County Fair Board has resisted trends to evolve into a more trade show-type event and preserved many of the county fair traditions started decades ago, such as horse and cattle shows, royalty contests, rodeos, pet shows and barbershop quartets and a cowboy poetry concert. The result is an old-fashioned celebration with something for everyone, says Sally East, Sanpete County’s economic development director.”There are many elements of the fair that promote the home town’ element of local county fairs,” East says. “For example, there are 4-H programs involved in the fair, and I remember being in 4-H and the self satisfaction you get when you perfect your muffin or cookie recipe and take it to the fair and get a ribbon. It’s that home-grown, grass-roots feeling that I think we are losing across the nation.”

The fair is also a wonderful way for Utahans both local and out-of-towners to take a step back in time and experience life the way it once was in rural Utah, she says. “The fair gives Sanpete County an opportunity to preserve its culture, convey its heritage and celebrate its unique rural history,” she says. “And it brings so many people out into the community. Whether its to the antique car show, to the demolition derby, the horse pull to watch those beautiful animals, or at the local talent show where many kids are performing for the first time and you have mom, dad, and grandma and grandpa in the audience. You see a lot of new people and people you haven’t seen in a long, long time.”

Prior to this year’s fair, there will be an Open Horse Show held Saturday, Aug. 9 at 8 a.m. at the Manti fair grounds. The competition will feature halter classes and showmanship classes for youth. Performance classes will include the lead line, walk trot, Western Pleasure and horsemanship divisions. There will also be trailer races, egg races, boot races, barrels poles and an obstacle course.

Fair highlights include the Miss Sanpete County royalty contest, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 16 in the Manti High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Cost is $6 and includes entertainment. Fair activities on Monday, Aug. 18 include the Karena Junior Buckle Rodeo at 6 p.m. for youth ages 6 – 17, and the cowboy poetry contest at 7 p.m. at Manti High School, featuring some of the best cowboy poets and singers in the nation will be at the event. Cost is only $3. Entertainers include JP Carson, Fred Engle and Sam DeLeeuw. In addition, the top five young cowboy poets, determined at an earlier competition, will entertain Monday night. There will also be musical performances by “Stampede” and “In Cahoots.”

Tuesday, Aug. 19 there will be a 7 p.m. barber shop quartet concert in the Manti High School auditorium. The event features the Utah Valley Chapter of the Skyline Chorus of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. Admission is $3.

Highlights of activities being held on Wednesday, Aug. 20 include the opening of the Midway Carnival at 6 p.m. and the Farm Bureau Talent Find at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 there will be beef, dairy, swine fitting and showmanship at 8:30 a.m., small animal judging at 10 a.m., a local talent show from 4 to 6 p.m., a derby parade down Main Street in Manti at 6 p.m. and a demolition derby at the fairgrounds at 7 p.m. The demolition derby, with tickets costing $7 and $8.

Events on Friday, Aug. 22 include the antique tractor and equipment show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring old farm equipment in all its restore splendor. The Pet Show, which is celebrating its 26th year, will begin at 11 a.m. and feature pets of all shapes and sizes. The first-annual Dutch oven cook-off will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. The Big Extreme Motorcycle Show will begin at 2, 3 and 5 p.m. The show features professional freestyle riders performing stunts 40 to 60 feet in the air. The riders have been featured on numerous television and sports shows. At 6 p.m., there will be a Car Show Cruise Night down Main Street, followed by Family Night at the Clegg Championship Rodeo at 8 p.m. Family admission to the rodeo is $25. Clegg Championship Rodeo has been a participant at the Sanpete County Fair for 24 years. Hometown contestants will also be featured.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, activities begin early in the morning with a 6:30 a.m. 5-K “Fun Run, followed by the annual EMT breakfast at 8 a.m. A car show begins at 10 a.m., along with mud volley ball, local talent shows, and the antique tractor show. At noon there will be a beef producer’s dinner, followed by a 12:30 clown show class. At 1:30 p.m., the best draft horse teams in the U.S. will be featured in an old-fashioned horse pulling match. The teams are much like those used a century ago to do farm work and weigh from 3,000 to 5,200 pounds. Other events that day include a mud scramble and pie eating contest. The annual Mammoth Parade will be held on Main Street at 5 p.m., featuring floats and musical performances. It will be followed by the evening rodeo performance at 8 p.m.

“The Fair Board has put together a spectacular celebration, and really pulled together to make this a wonderful celebration,” East says. For a complete schedule or additional information on the fair, call (435) 462-2502.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Symposium on Grit and Valor of Cowboy Pioneers Featured Event at Annual Western Legends Roundup – Press Release 7/25/2003

DATE 7/25/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Symposium on Grit and Valor of Cowboy Pioneers Featured Event at Annual Western Legends Roundup

A special symposium on the grit and valor of Utah’s cowboy pioneers and the Western movie makers who captured their characteristics on film will be part of the fifth annual Western Legends Roundup Aug. 21 in Kanab, thanks to a grant from the Utah Humanities Council.The symposium, entitled The True Grit, Valor, Character and Work Ethic of Kane County’s Pioneers and

American Westerns that Conveyed Those Values, is also supported by the Utah Heritage Highway Alliance and the Kane County Travel Council and Film Commission. The symposium will allow people to see, discuss and experience the legends of the Westerns and see how Kane County’s pioneers played out the Western experience. The event will be held at 2 p.m. in the Crescent Moon Theater and be hosted by film historian Jim D`arc.

The symposium was proposed in coordination with Sen. Bob Bennett’s bill to designate the 250 mile U.S. Highway 89 corridor from Fairview to Kanab as the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area. Its title was taken from a statement read into the Congressional Record in June 2002 by Michigan Congressmen Jim Barcia on the value of Western films: As a characteristically American film genre, Westerns occupy an honored place in the hearts and minds of all of us who see honor and glory in the rugged individualism portrayed in those movies…for embodying the true grit, valor and work ethic of the cowboys, frontiersmen and pioneers who forged America into the great and noble nation it is today.

The symposium will later be expanded into a documentary and be developed into a Web page. The project will be modeled after the popular lecture series, The Famous and Infamous Along Heritage Highway 89, and its companion documentary, Stories from Heritage Highway 89, produced by the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council, U.S. Highway 89 Alliance and KBYU-TV.

The Aug. 21 symposium will look at both the history of the pioneers in the Kanab area and the interesting phenomenon that Hollywood chose to go to Kanab to film Westerns. It will be followed by a showing of the movie Pony Express, starring Charlton Heston, who talked about making the movie in Stories Along U.S. Highway 89. Pony Express was filmed in Kanab in 1953 and also featured well-known movie actors Rhonda Fleming, Forrest Tucker and Jan Sterling.

Kanab’s popularity as a location for Western films earned the city the title Little Hollywood, as hundreds of western feature films and television episodes were shot in the small town. Because of that history, the city recognizes the contributions film makers and actors made to the area each year with the Western Legends Roundup.

Thousands of people attend the annual celebration, which runs Aug. 20-24 this year and features Western movies, music, exhibits discussions, workshops and more. Kanab also has a Little Hollywood Walk of Fame, a display of plaques in the downtown area that honors movie stars, producers and directors.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

TBSI Preserving Past, Future Along U.S. Highway 89 and Beyond – Press Release 7/18/2003

DATE 7/18/2003 2:10 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

TBSI Preserving Past, Future Along U.S. Highway 89 and Beyond

The Traditional Skills Building Institute (TBSI) at Snow College and the U.S. Highway 89 Alliance share a common goal: restoring and preserving pieces of the past. Over the past several years, the two have teamed up on several restoration projects along Utah’s Heritage Highway. Now, TBSI is taking its objective beyond the highway, branching out to reach Utah’s urban cities, its smallest communities, and even the rest of the world.This is all about furthering the art of traditional building skills, says Russ Mendenhall, TBSI director. Our goal is educating people on how to use these skills in preserving historic buildings and in new construction, which we accomplish through our hands-on workshops. If we can combine that goal with projects that benefit the highway and state, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

TBSI has been holding workshops in Ephraim and the Sanpete County region, teaching skills such as stone work, brick laying, wood carving and stain glass making. Over the years, we’ve had a lot of people from other parts of the state express interest in the workshops, Mendenhall says. However, many of them said that they couldn t make it down to Ephriam, so we decided to take what we have to offer up to them. As a result, TBSI has been holding a series of workshops at the This Is The Place State Park in Salt Lake City to reach a broader audience. The workshops, which run for three days, involve instruction and hands-on experience using widely recognized craftsmen. They are designed for architects, builders, contractors, trades people, students, educators and homeowners. The next workshop, Traditional Furniture Making, is scheduled for July 31 – Aug. 2. Participants will learn traditional joinery techniques by using hand planes, chisels and saws to construct a pioneer furniture project. The workshop is being taught by Dale Peel of Peel Furniture Works in Mt. Pleasant. Next, TBSI plans to travel to the little-known ghost town of Grafton, Utah, near Zions National Park for a workshop on adobe restoration. The ghost town was the location shoot for parts of the film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and will be the training ground for participants taking part in the unique workshop. TBSI workshops have also been held in Torrey, Utah, where students completed two stone benches. In addition, TBSI students traveled to Bacup, England, in March where they did masonry restoration work on a historical building and a stone wall. Students stayed with host families and studied the history and culture of the area.

Along U.S. Highway 89, TBSI has been involved in the restoration of a church in Salina, where they did stone work, and they are considering planning a workshop in Centerfield on a church restoration project. It is a very interesting building, made of oolite stone, Mendenhall says. In Moroni, the group has been involved in the renovation and restoration of the Moroni Opera House. TBSI students also worked on the Spring City school house project, working on plaster work, moldings and masonry.

All of these projects are fine examples of the type of outstanding work students are doing through TBSI, Mendenhall says. For more information on TBSI or upcoming workshops, call (435) 283-7324 or check out their web site: http://www.snow.edu/TBSI.

 

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Manti City Hall Restoration Project Receives Eccles Grant – Press Release 7/7/2003

DATE 7/7/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Manti City Hall Restoration Project Receives Eccles Grant

The restoration of Manti’s Old City Hall building received a boost recently in the form of a $28,000 grant from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation.The grant will be used to finish interior and begin exterior improvements on the historic structure. The Eccles family is the most generous family, says Shannon Miller, chair of the Manti Historic Preservation Commission. They saw the value of keeping and renovating this beautiful building.

Built around 1870, the Old City Hall building had been neglected and deteriorated over the years, and was most recently used as a storage facility. Under the guidance of the Manti commission, the Destiny Committee, and volunteer Vern Buchanan, the Italianate structure is being lovingly restored. It’s an architecturally significant building, there aren’t too many structures of this kind left in the state, Miller says. There were a lot of people who wanted to restore it, but nothing was being done officially. Vern just stepped up and said I’ll do it.

Inside, the building will include a visitors and U.S. Highway 89 travel center, a museum and restrooms on the main floor, and a reception hall and caterers kitchen upstairs. Much of the interior work has already been completed, Miller says. Outside, efforts are underway to restore details such as a widow’s walk, the low-pitched hipped roof and decorative bracketed eves, along with repairing wood work and windows.

The Eccles grant is the latest support the project received. In March, the restoration committee received a $6,000 grant from the Utah Division of State History’s Certified Local Governments Program. It also received a grant from Exxon Mobile, thanks to the efforts of volunteer Alan Justesen. He contributed more than 60 hours of slave labor’ to the project, and his company matched his efforts with a financial contribution, Miller says. There have been a lot of miracles that have made this project possible.

In addition to Buchanan and Justesen, Miller says numerous volunteers have spent countless hours on the effort, including Susan Carter, one of the original project supporters; Manti City Manager Bill Nicholson; and cabinet maker Gary Bringhurst. All of the volunteers have been so enthusiastic, it’s just remarkable, Miller says. They are the reason we’ve been able to do so much with so little. For example, she says a local resident stopped by to see the project, admired the original, but worn wood floors and offered to sand and restore them.

All of these angels just keep flying down, Miller says In addition to the Old City Hall restoration, the Manti Historic Preservation Commission is backing other projects in the city, especially efforts to find a location for a community swimming pool. We are supportive of all of the volunteer efforts in this community, Miller says. Our goal is for people to see and understand how important these projects are to our community and city.

The Manti commission is considered one of the chapter’s of the reorganized Utah Heritage Highway Alliance. The Alliance, which includes members from Sanpete, Kane, Wayne, Garfield, Sevier and Piute counties, has a goal of preserving the historic highway U.S. 89 and using the counties’ unique heritage as a promotion tool.

Indeed, Miller says that one of the Manti group’s goals is to publicize the value of putting resources into preservation instead of demolition. We want to show people how preservation relates to ordinary people, she says.  We want to explain the tax benefits and recognition that you can get when you restore a historic structure. The commission also wants to educate people about the role such buildings can play in establishing a community’s identity and contribute to its economic development.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Heritage Projects Garner Best of State Medals – Press Release 6/29/2003

DATE 6/29/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Heritage Projects Garner Best of State Medals

Two Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council and U.S. Highway 89 Alliance projects were awarded Best of State medals during a June 28 ceremony in Salt Lake City.Best of State is the premier public forum for awards and recognition in the state of Utah. The competition is dedicated to promoting higher visibility and public awareness for outstanding individuals, businesses. The 11 main categories are: arts and entertainment, science and technology, community development, manufacturing, agriculture, sports and recreation, merchandising, hospitality/travel/tourism, education, services, and dining establishments.

The brochure “The Artisans and Crafters of Utah’s Heritage Highway 89” received a medal in the Arts and Entertainment (Handicrafts) division. The brochure features the products created by artists and craft makers along U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway. It was produced by the U.S. Highway 89 Alliance.

Also in the Arts and Entertainment category, the videos Stories Along U.S. Highway 89 and Cultures in Conflict, a documentary on the Black Hawk War, received medals. Both videos were produced by KBYU’s Rob Sibley. Stories Along U.S. Highway 89 features the people, places and history of Highway 89, and includes in-depth interviews and historical re-enactments. Cultures in Conflict is an award-winning documentary on Chief Black Hawk and the Black Hawk War that looks at how the Native American leader and the war influenced and changed the Sanpete County region.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Rodeo, Rendezvous Highlights of Hub City Days Rooted in traditions of the Old West – Press Release 6/22/2003

DATE 6/22/2003 7:48 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Rodeo, Rendezvous Highlights of Hub City Days
Rooted in traditions of the Old West

Mt. Pleasant City’s annual Hub City Days will feature two main attractions that celebrate the history and traditions of Utah and the Old West: a professional rodeo and a mountain man rendezvous.The Clegg Championship Rodeo will be held on the Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5 at 8 p.m. at the city rodeo grounds. Like Hub City Days, which celebrates the history and traditions of Mt. Pleasant, the Clegg Championship Rodeo will celebrate the influence the rodeo had on the Western United States and Utah. It’s the first time in many years that a professional rodeo has been part of Hub City Days.”Rodeo in Mt. Pleasant is quite a tradition,” says Chris Larsen, a member of the city council. “I remember when I was growing up, every year on the Fourth of July we’d go to the parade and then over to the city park and ride steers all day and then watch the professional rodeo at night.”

However, one thing Larsen didn’t realize as a child (or, rather, until he joined the Mt. Pleasant city council) was that the city had been running the rodeos at a financial loss for years. “It got to the point where we just couldn’t do it anymore.”

The city continued to run the children’s rodeo or “Muttin’ Bustin'” competition as part of Hub City Days. Revenue from that annual, volunteer-run event over time helped finance some needed improvements at the rodeo grounds and helped bring professional rodeo back.

The Muttin’ Bustin children’s rodeo will be held this year as well. It will take place at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights. “We really wanted to keep the tradition of the children’s rodeo…we are doing all of this for the kids anyway,” Larsen says.

In addition, local rodeo riders can take part in the Clegg Championship Rodeo. Sign ups will be held June 27. For information, contact Debbie Stallings at (435) 462-3816.

The rodeo will feature riders competing in calf roping, steer wrestling, bare back riding, bull riding, barrel racing and more. The cost for the Clegg Championship Rodeo is $6 for adults and $3 for children under age 12. Larsen says the city hopes to “break even” on the rodeo in hopes of making it an annual event once again.

The word “rodeo” actually comes from the Spanish word “rodear” meaning to roundup, and was the name used in the Spanish Ranchero days when the semi-wild herds of cattle were gathered in the spring for branding and ear marking. Rodeos often took place again in the fall when the cattle were slaughtered, and the semi-annual roundup was the origin of the modern rodeo. It also served as a social gathering and celebration for the various families that lived on enormous ranches. Those rodeos could last a week or more and would often include cook-outs, bronco riding, roping and other competitions.

In addition to the rodeo, the fourth annual Black Hawk Mountain Man Rendezvous will be held during Hub City Days. The event begins July 4 (it will be held in Mt. Pleasant’s City Park) and continues through Sunday, July 6. The rendezvous celebrates the history of mountain men and the traditions of making heritage products, which continue to be an attraction in the region today.

As in past years, this year’s event is being organized by David and Pat Gonzalez, who are longtime enthusiasts of Mountain Men rendezvous, with help from the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council. The Gonzalez’ have been attending Mountain Men rendezvous with their children for more than a decade. Once again, one of the main attractions will be a “Traders Row” that will include historic items like those made and sold at Mountain Men Rendezvous before 1840. Those items will include handmade leather goods, clothing, tin ware, bead work, bags, belts, pipe bags, wooden boxes and other historic items.

In addition to Traders Row, the rendezvous will also include muzzle-loader shootouts, exhibits, trading, displays, candy cannon explosions, tomahawk and knife-throwing contests, frying pan tosses, Dutch-oven cook offs, kids games, Native American dancers, historical re-enactments and shooting contests coordinated by TNT Muzzle Loaders, which supplies the targets and scoring cards.

Participants will camp out in authentic teepees and wall tents during the three-day event, which is expected to attract shooters and traders from throughout Utah and parts of the United States. For more information, contact Gonzalez at (435) 462-0152 or call the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council, (435) 462-2456.

 

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Mt. Pleasant Readies for Annual Hub Days Celebration – Press Release 6/18/2003

DATE 6/18/2003 7:44 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Mt. Pleasant Readies for Annual Hub Days Celebration

Once again, Mt. Pleasant City is gearing up for its annual Hub City Days celebration June 28 – July 6 with events including a Mountain Man rendezvous, parades, rodeos, musical performances and a 5K run/walk. The celebration, in honor of Mt. Pleasant being the Hub City of Sanpete County, is just some of the many things to see and do along Utah s Heritage Highway, U.S. 89 over the July 4th holiday.Activities begin Saturday, June 28 with an 8 a.m. men s softball tournament at the North Sanpete High School ball field. To register, contact Stephanie Blaine at (435) 462-3108. On Sunday, June 29, there will be a Freedom Rally, featuring the Sanpete Valley Singers, at 7 p.m. in the North Sanpete High School auditorium. Thursday, July 3 there will a Barrel-A-Rama at 7 p.m. at the city rodeo grounds, with registration being held at 6 p.m.

July 4 festivities begin with a 7 a.m. Fun run/walk beginning at the Horseshoe Mountain Restaurant parking lot. Proceeds will benefit the Lung Cancer Foundation in memory of Phyllis Shelley. Also at 7 a.m. there will be an IHC Hospital breakfast in the city park. Other scheduled July 4 events include:

  • 11 a.m. Childrens Parade. Entrants should line up between 700 South and Park Road.
  • 11:30 Mammoth Parade, Entrants should line up at 700 South and State Street. To sign up for the parade, contact Dan Simons, 462-0150 or Mt. Pleasant City Hall, 462-2456.
  • 1 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars hamburger lunch, Mt. Pleasant City Park.
  • 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. musical performances, Mt. Pleasant City Park, including the Native American dance group, Morning Star, and the folk singing group, Family Ties.
  • 1 – 4 p.m., Craft booths. Cost is $15 per booth. To reserve a booth, call (435) 462-3488.
  • 7 p.m., Mutton Bustin Childrens Rodeo, open to the first 25 children who register.
  • 8 p.m., Rodeo, to register, call Debbie Stallings, (435) 462-3816.
  • 10 p.m., Fireworks show.

In addition, throughout the day July 4, there will be events and activities in the city park, including a Mountain Man Rendevous, food, games, musical performances and dutch-oven cooking. The Mountain Man Rendevous, which runs through Sunday, July 6, is being sponsored by TNT Muzzleloaders and the Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council. The rendezvous will include exhibits, trading, displays, candy cannon explosions, homemade rootbeer and other food items, tomahawk and knife-throwing contests, frying pan tosses, kids games, demonstrations, shooting contests and more. The fourth annual gathering is hosted by David and Pat Gonzalez. For information, call (435) 462-0152.

Hub Days continues Saturday, July 5 with a morning co-ed softball at North Sanpete County High School. For information, contact Stephanie Blaine, 462-3108, and a 8 a.m. golf tournament. To register for the golf tournament, call Dave Goodwin at (435) 427-9586. Sunday activities include shooting contests and awards at the Mountain Man Rendezvous.

For general information about Hub City Days, call Mt. Pleasant City at (435) 462-2502.

 

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

First Run, Walk & Roll Race Set for June 21 – Press Release 6/7/2003

DATE 6/07/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

First Run, Walk & Roll Race Set for June 21

Unique Event will be part of Danish Heritage Days Celebration in Elsinore When she was undergoing rehabilitation for paralysis on the left side of her body, Doreen Christensen used to visualize herself running a 5-K race. June 21, she will join with people of all physical ability levels taking part in the first annual Red Rock Run, Rock and Roll 5-K race in Elsinore.

The race includes running, walking, assisted wheelchair (pushed or powered) and roller blades/skates categories, and is being held as part of the city s annual Danish Heritage Days celebration. The race will benefit the St. George Red Rock Center for Independence, one of six independent living centers across Utah. It s one of a series of races that will be held during the month of June to benefit Utah s independent living centers. This is the first time in 13 years that all of the centers across the state have held runs during the month of June, Christensen says.

I know firsthand that these kind of events help people to visualize a higher level of the human spirit, it’s very important. Christensen, who has run several 5-K races as part of her own recovery therapy, will take part in a June 14 race in Salt Lake City and will help coordinate the June 21 race in Elsinore. Proceeds from the Elsinore race will benefit consumers of the Red Rock Center.

The Elsinore race is for both serious competitors and for people of all physical ability levels who just want to have fun Christensen says. It is sanctioned by the Utah Runners Association, which means there will be counters available for runners collecting official times for race credits. We are also looking for sponsors for people to be in the race, so even if people don t want to participate, they can support the center by sponsoring a participant.

Pre-registration for the race is $15 (to register or sponsor a participant, phone 1-800-649-2340) or $20 on the day of the race. Race registration begins at 6 a.m. June 21 at the race start location, 200 North and Center Street. The race starts at 7 a.m.

We are very excited about the race and connecting it to Danish Heritage Days, says Christensen, who also sits on the committee that organizes the annual festival. In that once little corner of Utah Elsinore, Joseph and Monroe you have influence from the Danish, Irish, Scottish, English and Native American cultures. It’s neat to come into the area and run on land that is joined collectively by these different cultures. It’s a great way to celebrate that.

For more information Contact:

Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Elsinore Gears Up for Annual Danish Heritage Days Celebration – Press Release 6/6/2003

DATE 6/06/2003 9:42 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

Elsinore Gears Up for Annual Danish Heritage Days Celebration

Elsinore resident CR Wood is extending an open invitation to a few thousand of his closest friends across the state. He is asking that they join him for his city s annual Danish Heritage Days celebration June 17 – June 22.If you want to be a part of something totally unique that you will remember for a long time, this festival is the place to be, says Wood, who sits on a committee that organizes the four-day celebration.Danish Heritage Days will include cowboy poetry performances, a special 5-K run, walk & roll, a parade, musical performances, a car show, craft boutique, heritage tours and more. The quality of the entertainment gets better every year, and this year is the best line up we’ve ever attracted, Wood says.

Elsinore, which has a population of less than 1,000 people, hopes to double or triple the city s size during the celebration. This year s festivities begin Tuesday, June 17 with a flag ceremony near the White Rock School House on Center Street, followed by a go-cart race at 5 p.m. and Karioke at 7 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a bike course set up for a 5 p.m. event and concessions, and Thursday s highlight is an ugly ducking race at the state canal.

Friday night the Green Valley Cloggers will put on a free show, followed by free cowboy poetry performances starting at 7 p.m. in the city park. The event will feature Buckaroo Folklorist Tom Sharpe from Grand Junction, Colorado, and local muleman Perry Payne. Mulemen are better thinkers than cowboys, that s the difference, jokes Woods, who is also a cowboy poet. Brenda Sam DeLeeuw will also perform her Hilda Stories. There will also be a special performance by Steve and Terri Taylor, the Utah Chapter of Western Music Association s Female Performer of the Year and Male Soloist of the Year, with David Anderson on the 12-string guitar. All three of them are great soloists, and they are even better as a group, Wood says.

Saturday is packed with activities, beginning with the Red Rock Run, Walk & Roll (see accompanying story) at 7 a.m., followed by a parade at 10 a.m. People interested in having an entry in the parade should contact Ken Jensen at (435) 527-3836.

Also beginning at 10 a.m. and running throughout the day are the mountain men rendezvous, car show, craft fair, quilt show, heritage tours and children s games. People interested in having a craft booth should contact Sharon McIntosh at (435) 527-4594. At 11 a.m., there will be a story hour and at 2 p.m., a Women s Social.

At 6 p.m., a benefit chuck wagon dinner will be held, along with a benefit concert featuring cowboy poetry and Western music at 7 p.m. in the city park The Skunk Herders, a group made up of Idaho performers Gene and Sandy Jones, are set to take the stage, along with Ogden s Don Kennington. He is a national treasure, Wood says of Kennington. He is in his 70s now and is the greatest pure cowboy I know. Local favorite JoLynne Kirkwood will also be featured, and Wood will also perform. The cowboy poetry will be followed by the Western musical trio Latigo.

Cost is $10 for both activities, or $6 for dinner and $5 for entertainment if purchased separately. All proceeds will go to the Danish Heritage Days committee to fund the construction of a permanent stage in the park. The event is also sponsored by the Bad Water Cattle Company and Smith and Edwards in Willard Bay. Saturday will conclude with a fireworks show at dark in the city park. Sunday, there will be an 8 a.m. Sunday morning service and free continental breakfast.

This is the third year that Elsinore had held the festival, which honours the traditions that were brought into the region by Danish settlers. Danish immigrants were attracted to Utah in the mid 19th century when there was an industrial revolution of sorts in Denmark. Traditional skill workers such as tailors, furniture makers, and potters were put out of business when villagers began shopping and buying supplies from larger cities and towns. Many of these villagers converted to Mormonism and moved to the West. When they arrived in Utah, they quickly discovered that much of the Salt Lake Valley was already called for. But the Sanpete and Sevier counties were still very open at that time, so Danes settled in the region in droves.

In 1876, dozens of these settlers packed their wagons and came across the bench of Cottonwood Creek in Richfield and came here, Wood says. Brigham Young s brother, Joseph, was touring the region and thought it reminded him of the Castle Elsinore in Denmark and that is how the city got its name. It s also known as Little Denmark.

Elsinore first celebrated its Danish roots in 1976, on the 100th anniversary of the settlers trek into the region. Some 25 years later, a group of local residents organized a trip to re-enact the settlers moving into the region was organized. We later decided that we should celebrate our history more often than every 25 or every 100 years, and the Heritage Days was born.

For more information on the festivities, call (435) 527-3306 or (435) 527-4391.

 

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

Panguitch Wildlife Museum a ‘Living Dream’ – Press Release 5/31/2003

DATE 5/31/2003 8:50 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Panguitch Wildlife Museum a ‘Living Dream’

Close your eyes before entering the Paunsagaunt Western Wildlife Museum in Panguitch. When you open them again, you will find yourself transported to another place and time.In this magical place, deer, elk and even black bears roam freely in their natural habitats. Ducks swim and nest along riverbanks, a mother beaver suckles her young, and a bobcat — maybe in search of dinner — takes a swipe at a bird flying overhead. Animals native to Africa, Asia, India and Europe can also be seen, along with rare birds from all around the world.You see, once you are inside the doors of the museum, located at 250 E. Center Street and on U.S. Highway 89, you are inside the dream of museum curator and owner Robert Driedonks. “When I was a very young man — about nine years of age — I moved from Holland to British Columbia and became very intrigued with the wilderness.“Some years later, after I moved to Las Vegas and took up hunting, I made up my mind that I would start a museum of wildlife to leave a legacy behind. I wanted people to see and experience animals in their natural habitats. It was my dream.”

For the past 37 years, Driedonks has followed that dream, traveling around the world hunting exotic game and birds, along with animals native to the United States. “When I was a young man, I used to have a plane drop me and a friend off in Alaska and pick us up a week later…I’ve hunted in Africa three times, in New Zealand, Alaska, and all over the United States.”

Nearly all of Driedonks’ hunting expeditions are part of a controlled lottery system designed to manage and protect wildlife habitat and resources. “I just got my first elk tag to hunt in Nevada — it took 28 years,” he says. “I was gone for seven days, but I never shot an elk, even though I saw many, many bulls. It isn’t always about the hunting, sometimes, it’s just about the beauty of the experience.” He also has special educational permits that allow him to obtain animals that have died naturally in the wild.

Nine years ago, Driedonks opened the Paunsagaunt Western Wildlife Museum to display his collection, choosing Panguitch because of its proximity to Bryce Canyon (some 23 miles away) and the museum’s name because Paunsagaunt like the town of Panguitch is a Piute name.

Working with taxidermist Hagan Thompson, Driedonks displays the animals in their natural habitats and mounts them in poses indicative of their behavior in the wild. The museum’s walls have also been carefully painted by professional artists to complement each display, so the animals appear to be in the mountains, grazing in a field, or by a lake or stream. Driedonks also took careful pains to ensure that the angles and lighting in the building allow people to take excellent photographs.

“Right now, I have about half of my wildlife collection on display at the museum,” say Driedonks, who divides his time between Panguitch and his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. He adds that the support of his wife, Teri, has allowed him to embellish his dream and vision. The museum now features mounted displays of more than 200 native North American animals, more than 200 exotic game animals from India, Africa and Europe, and rare birds of prey (and their prey!)

Driedonks hopes to eventually expand the museum to accommodate his entire wildlife collection, valued at more than $1.3 million. “I’m going to Africa again next year, and then to British Columbia in 2005, and then I may call it quits.” At age 55, Driedonks jokes that he is “slowing down and getting more melancholy.” He also hopes to focus on other parts of his “dream.”

Over time, that dream and the museum have expanded. In addition to the birds and animals, Driedonks has also assembled a large butterfly collection of more than 1,400 specimens, and a large collection of interesting and rare insects. There are also displays of American Indian pottery, artifacts, tools and weapons. He also has fossils on display and even a collection of more than 600 sea shells. He also hosts educational programs for school and scouting troops (thousands of children have toured the museum over the past nine years) that discuss the animals, their habitats, and the history of managed sporting and the protection of wildlife resources.

“I love living my dream,” Driedonks says.
The Paunsagaunt Western Wildlife Museum is open May through October, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the website http://www.brycecanyonwildlifemuseum.com  or call (435) 676-2500.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502

 

Triathlon in Richfield June 28th – Press Release 5/20/2003

DATE 5/20/2003 4:55 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Triathlon in Richfield June 28th

You know you have always wanted to say you’re a triathlete. Now here’s your chance! If you can swim, bike, and run, the first annual Fish Lake Triathlon is for you. Begin your training and get registered to join participants from all areas of Utah and throughout the United States. All three events are held in Richfield and each of these races will begin and end at the Richfield City Swimming Pool. This triathlon is called a sprint, because it will consist of a 1/4 mile swim in the Richfield City Swimming Pool, a 12.5 mile bike ride out past the Cove View Golf Course and back, and the final leg will be a 3.2 mile run. This is a fairly flat course with minimal hills, helping you to accomplish your lowest record-setting times. The events will be followed by an awards ceremony and prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in both male and female categories ages 0-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50 & up.  Milliseconds computerized timing chips will be used for perfect accuracy. Generous sponsors are from local and national businesses such as Oakley and Powerade. All proceeds for the triathlon will go to Rotary International, to help eradicate polio throughout the world. Working with Richfield City on this project, Rotary President, Dr. Richard Luekenga said, “We hope this triathlon will become an annual event, bringing new visitors to our beautiful area that will benefit our community in the years to come.”

Entry forms can be obtained at: all local banks, Valley Vision, Jorgensen Honda, and Christensen’s Department Store. Or to obtain a form on line, send an email to: 1vvision@msn.com. You may also register at this website link: http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1044986  
The Fish Lake Triathlon will begin Saturday, June 28th at 7:00 am, at the Richfield City Swimming Pool patio area. Participants should be there at 6:00 am to check in and get ready to have a great time. Be watching in the Richfield Reaper for triathlon training tips.

Registration Form Here for mail in registrations.

For more information Contact:Fish Lake Registration
186 Castle Rock Ct.
Richfield, UT 84701
Phone: 435-896-9085
Fax: 435-896-9484
E-mail:
1vvision@msn.com

Memorial Quilt Highlight of Annual Panguitch Quilt Walk Days – Press Release 5/9/2003

DATE 5/9/2003 8:42 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89.

Memorial Quilt Highlight of Annual Panguitch Quilt Walk Days

A internationally-supported memorial quilt made in remembrance of victims of 9-11 will be displayed for the first time in Utah during the annual Panguitch Quilt Walk Days June 12 – 14. We are very excited about having the quilt here, says Janine Fellows, manager of the Panguitch Main Street Program, which is sponsoring the event. The quilt s visit couldn’t t come at a better time than our annual quilt celebration.Quilts have special meaning in our city s history, and having the 9/11 memorial quilt here will make for an incredible celebration.

The United in Memory quilt is dedicated to victims of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the passengers and crew members of American Airlines Flights 11 and 77, and United Airlines Flights 95 and 175. It is similar to the world-famous AIDS quilt, and consists of panels measuring 10-1/2′ x 10-1/2′, with each panel consisting of 25 blocks, with each block memorializing a victim of 9/11.

The quilt project was initially started by two Long Beach, Calif., residents in May 2002, and it grew in scope and size as word spread throughout the nation and world. In all, hundreds of volunteers from across the United States and 17 foreign countries contributed to the quilt.

A woman in town has a niece who worked on the quilt, and we were able to being it here through that connection, Fellows says. The quilt is more than 14,000 square feet in size. If it were laid out flat, it would take up three-quarters of a football field, Fellows says.

The quilt will be on display in Panguitch s Triple C arena all three days of the festival and be open to the public free of charge. Exact times are still pending, but Fellows says people may call (866) 590-4134 as the event nears or check the city s web page, www.panguitch.org, for a complete schedule.

The quilt will be set up on special stands or laid on the floor, with paths that allow spectators to walk and view the sections. There will also be videos, CDs and other materials on hand that talk about some of the people who are memorialized in the quilt, Fellows says.

This is the sixth year that Panguitch has held Quilt Walk Days, which celebrates the role the quilt played in the city s history. When the pioneers first came to Panguitch, they ran out of food. A party of seven men set out to travel more than 40 miles for supplies. But the snow was so deep, the wagon wheels got stuck in the snow when they were only 10 miles out of town. The men decided to pray and spread quilts out on the snow. They noticed when they were kneeling on the quilts that they didn’t t sink into the snow. So they took the quilts and spread them on the snow and slowly leap frogged their way to get supplies.

The festival will feature a play that reenacts the snowed-in quilt walk. It will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of dessert or dinner theatre. The three-day event also includes quilting classes, quilt displays and quilt blocking demonstrations, and a quilt trunk show Friday and Saturday at noon. The show features women who bring their family s quilts in trunks and tell the stories behind the quilts, Fellows says. There are always some remarkable tales.

For more information about the event, contact the Panguitch Main Street Program at (866) 590-4134.

For more information Contact:Monte Bona
Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council
(435) 462-2502
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