DATE 12/22/2003 1:45 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. Snowmobilers Gearing Up for New Season |
When the weather outside is frightful, snowmobilers know that one thing will soon be delightful: the trails in Sanpete County. The region boasts some of the best trails for snowmobiling in the entire country. In fact, the routes, friendly people and sporting opportunities resulted in Doug Miller, KUTV news’ outdoor specialist, proclaiming Sanpete County as the best outdoor recreation experience in the state earlier this year. Indeed, the combination of fresh snow and access to fabulous routes keep people coming back year after year. “I think the secret has gotten out,” said Judy Zumwalt, who, along with husband Glen, co-owns Big Pine Sports The two are known throughout Utah as the “unofficial source” for snowmobiling conditions in Utah. People call the store just about daily during the season for updates and conditions. Avid snowmobiler themselves, Glen is the past president of the Utah Snowmobile Association, while Judy handles the group’s public relations.Snowmobiling enthusiasts should be sure to visit the county this season and check out the redesign of the Arapeen trail system. The routes, found primarily in the Manti LaSal National Forest, have been carefully marked and mapped to ensure that riders find their way around the 370 miles that make up the trail system. The redesign was several years in the making and includes bridges, culverts and water bars.Another draw is Fairview Canyon. The paved canyon road leads to a trail head that provides access to more than 60 miles of trails to the north at Skyline Drive and some 30 miles to the south to Joe’s Valley. In fact, several clubs that are members of the Utah Snowmobile Association plant to visit Fairview in the new year. The Timp Ridge Runners Club has scheduled a visit for Jan. 10, and the Salt Lake Valley Club and the Snowflake Snowmobiler’s group both have booked Feb. 7 as a day to come to Fairview. There will also be a snowmobiler’s rally held in Fairview in April.
Economic development officials say snowmobiling is a huge benefit for the county. Visitors eat in local restaurants, stay in local hotels and bed and breakfasts, and visit stores and shops. “We have a tremendous opportunity down here for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowboarders, snow-shoers, all kind of winter sports,” Sally East, the county’s economic development director has said. “Our goal is to get the word out to people all across the state.” |
For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
“Mermaids in the Desert” Promote Arts, Healing – Press Release 12/10/2003
DATE 12/10/2003 9:37 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. “Mermaids in the Desert” Promote Arts, Healing |
Take a trip down U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway, and you will find something you don’t see every day: mermaids.Along the Heritage Highway in the towns of Elsinore, Salina and Monroe a group of women artists have come together and formed a unique coalition to promote their work, Mermaids in the Desert.
They are writers, poets, jewelry makers, painters and crafts makers who share a fondness for small Utah towns, their Danish heritage, the arts AND large bodies of water. “We are all so taken with the ocean, it means so much to us, and here we all are, so far inland,” laughs Doreen Christensen, one of the group’s founding members. The women have been working together to promote their artistic creations for a few years, but they reinvented themselves after Christensen developed a book and game with a mermaid theme. “All of us really are mermaids out here in the desert, trying to swim our way out of poverty and away from medical challenges and other personal situations,” Christensen says. “We all are trying to find ways to be able to spend more time on our art, and ways to use our art to help other people.” Christensen’s created her book and game, Mermaid Meditations, out of a need to find relief in her own life. Once paralyzed from the waist down, she is now able to walk, but still undergoes therapy. A certified clinical hypnotherapist, Christensen spends much of her time working with people with disabilities. “I noticed that I started to have this heaviness about me, this feeling of anxiety that I needed to do more to help them,” she says. “So I came up with this game, which is centered around the idea that even though your body may not be capable of taking you places, the spirit can go wherever it wants to.” The game, which is centered around a mystery story Christensen wrote about mermaids, includes 25 sea shells, sand and 25 separate meditations. It can be played individually or in small or large groups. “Each person reads a meditation and write what it means to them and later shares that with the group,” Christensen says. Once Christensen showed the book and game to the other women in her artists group, they began creating accessories to accompany Mermaid Meditations. “It just sort of evolved into a collection of all kind of things that we have made that have a mermaid theme “and we became Mermaids in the Desert,” she says. For example, one artist made a special pouch to hold the sea shells, another has created jewelry and another came up with Native American meditations. The group has published a small number of the books available for sale and a web site is under development to promote the book, game, and jewelry and other accessories. Mermaids in the Desert has also been holding private sessions for groups around the state who have heard about the game. “We have done sessions for groups of women, and for groups of men and women,” Christensen says. “The most surprising thing is how receptive men are when they play the game.” For more information about Mermaids in the Desert or Mermaid Meditations, contact Christensen at (435)527-4039 or by email: mermaidmeditations@yahoo.com. |
For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
Gingerbread Houses Built by Elementary School Children on Display – Press Release 12/06/2003
DATE 12/06/2003 11:59 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. Gingerbread Houses Built by Elementary School Children on Display |
Downtown Mt. Pleasant has once again been transformed into a gingerbread land.Gingerbread houses made by children from five local elementary schools are being showcased at Beck’s Home Furnishings, 15 West Main Street. They will remain in the large display windows throughout the holiday season. Prizes will be awarded for the best houses in two categories later this month.
The annual gingerbread house competition has become one of the most beloved “newer” Christmas traditions in the area. “There is just something about a gingerbread house and Christmas,” says Christy Johansen, of Mt. Pleasant’s Main Street Program, who is coordinating this year’s event. “People are excited to come by and see what the children made. The houses are always amazing. It s fun to get the children involved this way, and to see what themes the children pick every year,” she said. In past years, entries have included castles built out of graham crackers, houses built from homemade gingerbread, horses made from gum drops and pretzels, people skiing down candy mountains and even Harry Potter themes, Johansen said. “We’ve had brothers and sisters work together on houses and entries built by two and three children, and they are all very creative.” The gingerbread houses were made by children from elementary schools in Fountain Green, Mt. Pleasant, Fairview and Spring City. Those on display were chosen as the best houses from each school in two categories: kindergarten through grade 3, and grades 4-6. “We try to have about four houses from each school. Sometimes the judges have a hard time making up their minds so we have a few more,” Johansen said. “Every year, support for the program increases. The schools have been incredible, and we’ve had so many children interested in taking part.” The houses on display will be judged by a committee of five people on Dec. 16, and prizes awarded Dec. 20. There will be a first, second and third-place awards in each division, with $70 awarded for first place, $35 for second place and $20 for third place. In addition, the elementary schools that produced the first-place winners each receive $50 for use in the school. “The judges are looking for creativity, originality, and most importantly, for houses that were worked on entirely by children, without any help from mom or dad,” Johansen said. “That is always part of the criteria: did the child do this on his or her own?” |
For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
Film Festival To Highlight Mormon Film Making – Press Release 11/24/2003
DATE 11/24/2003 9:55 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. Film Festival To Highlight Mormon Film Making |
Fountain Green will host the First Annual Mormon Heritage Film Festival Aug. 26-28 2004.
The three-day festival will be held in the newly-restored Fountain Green Theater and Dance Hall. A complete schedule of juried awards, scholarships and itinerary of film events will be available Dec. 20. The community has raised more than $600,000 in grants and in-kind contributions for the restoration project, including grants from the Utah Historical Society, a Rural Development Matching Block Grants, U.S. Forest Service, Community Impact Board and The Eccles Foundation. Numerous community fund-raising events were also held. The project has been underway for two years. Devon Mikkelsen, 84, of Fountain Green, remembers hooking up his dog to his hickory sleigh for a break neck ride into town to see silent film star Hoot Gibson. The first film shown at the theater was hand-cranked. Almost 100 citizens crowded around a potbelly stove in the center of the seats. Small children brought blankets and feel asleep at the front of the theater. Denise Blackham, 94, was the pianist, playing along to the black-and-white films after practicing all afternoon, following the action with appropriate crescendo and pianissimo. “It was pure magic,” Mikkelsen says. The magic still lives. The cities and towns along U.S. Highway 89, the Heritage Highway Fountain Green, Moroni, Mt. Pleasant, Fairview, Spring City, Ephriam and Manti — all boast beautifully-restored opera houses, theaters and meeting houses. The highway is a 250-mile corridor attracting national and international tourists. Hollywood discovered the area in the 1940s when Darryl Zanuck presented the epic film Brigham Young, starring Tyrone Power, Dean Jagger and Linda Darnell. It cost $2,000 and was heralded the epic tale of the West. Fast forward to the new millennia and the time is ripe for a Mormon Heritage Film Festival. The festival will be formally juried by film professionals. All seven Sanpete County municipalities will participate. “The initial festival is just the beginning of a planned year of audience-targeted events and ongoing educational curriculum, created for young school children,” said Fred Burns, event chairman. Events for children will include ongoing educational curriculum composed of script writing, music composition and community theater events. The Mormon Heritage Film Institute will also host quarterly bus tours of Sanpete County highlighting its rich heritage. “A “future film makers” program is also in the planning stages,” says Monte Bona, a festival board member. “We are awaiting input from the local communities and interested educators and students.” |
For more information Contact:
Monte Bona |
Beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Press Release 11/23/2003
DATE 11/23/2003 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. Beginning to look a lot like Christmas |
It will begin to look a lot like Christmas in Sanpete County at the end of the month, with numerous holiday activities planned from the day after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve.
“We want people traveling down the Heritage Highway U.S. 89 to stop off in the cities and towns along the highway for an old-fashioned Christmas,” says Monte Bona, a member of the Mt. Pleasant city council. Festivities get underway bright and early the morning of Nov. 28 in Manti. At 6:30 a.m., local merchants will open their doors for early bird Christmas shoppers. There will be a visit from Santa at 11 a.m., a free family movie at City Hall at 2 p.m., and the annual Christmas lights parade at 6 p.m. down Main Street. After the parade, the community is invited to the high school for entertainment and refreshments. On Nov. 28 & 29, Fairview will hold an Ultimate Garage Sale and Gift Boutique Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fairview Dance Hall. Admission for the swap-meet style event is free. There will be a food court, handmade items and garage-sale items. Santa will visit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Kenda at 427-3915 for more information. Also on Nov. 28 & 29 and Dec. 6, Horseshoe Mountain Pottery will hold its annual Holiday Pottery Sale in Spring City. The event, which features the work of Joe Bennion, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition, Peel Furniture Works, 565 W. Main Street in Mt. Pleasant, will hold an open house and sale, Nov. 28 & 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring handcrafted furniture and other items. Dec. 5&6 is the annual Piñata Festival in Ephraim. The event gets underway at 5 p.m. Friday through 8 p.m. and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Snow College Student Activity Center. The sub-for-Santa event features Piñatas decorated by local families and groups and Mexican food booths. Dec. 6 is also the date of the annual Sanpete County Bed and Breakfast tour sponsored by local B & B innkeepers, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free event will also include give a ways for weekend visits and plays at Snow College. Contact Teri Morris 282-8286. There will also be a Beautiful Home Tour that same day sponsored by the Sanpete Valley Hospital from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 advance and $7 at the door. Towns to be featured are Fountain Green and Moroni, including the newly-restored Moroni Opera House. Contact Heidi for information at 462-2441. The Ephraim City Festival and Light Parade will also be Dec. 6 from 2 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. The festival starts at 2 p.m., with the parade commencing at 6 p.m. Contact Penny Cartwright for details, 283-4631. The Annual Messiah Concert will also be held Dec. 6 & 7 in Ephraim at the Ephraim Stake Center, 400 East Center Street. Admission is free. Contact Judy Morgan for information, 283-7469. Mt. Pleasant will host its annual Best Hot Chocolate Contest, Dec. 8. Merchants along Main will have gingerbread houses on display made by elementary school children and merchants will compete for the for best hot chocolate. Shoppers get to sample hot chocolate in each store, collecting stamps on special cards along the way. A drawing will be held from all submitted entries. Dec. 10-13 there will be a performance of See How They Run play by Phillip King at the Snow College Campus at the Eccles Performing Arts Center. Dec. 13 is also the date for the Christmas Fiesta at the Moroni Activity Center, 255 N. Center Street. There will be a pot luck dinner, a play, music and a visit from Santa. Dec. 11 in Manti there will be a Holiday Home Show from 4 to 9 p.m. at Manti City Hall. The event is a fund raiser for the Manti city swimming pool. Admission is $5 in advance and $6 at the door. The Mt. Pleasant Bell Choir will hold its annual performance Dec. 14 at the First Presbyterian Church, 91 S. 100 West. Also Dec. 14 is the North Sanpete Community concert at the LDS North Stake Center at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 is the date for the shopping spree drawing in Mt. Pleasant City at the recreation center at the corner of State and Main streets. The 2 p.m. event will feature door prizes, drawings, and Santa will arrive by fire truck. Dec. 24, the annual Christmas Service will be at the First Presbyterian Church. Be sure to also mark you calendars for New Year s Eve! Plan to attend a community event at the Manti Stake Center. The 18 and older event is a fund raiser for the community swimming pool. The $5 entrance fee includes food, big band music and a floor show. For more information, contact John or Diane Keeler 835-9421. |
For more information Contact:
Monte Bona |
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 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
|
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, |
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 |
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 |
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
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 |
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:
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 |