Pageant performances cut in half
By Devin Felix
Logan Herald Journal
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Cache Valley summer tradition will now only be happening half as
often.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints=92 Martin Harris Pageant
will now only be held on odd-numbered years.
Donald Jeppesen, president of the pageant committee, said he was
informed about the change in October or November of last year by the
church=92s missionary department, which oversees the pageant, but the
department didn=92t tell him why they planned to change the schedule.
The pageant will not be held this year, but will be held in 2009, 2011
and so on.
Rob Howell, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, said the change was brought about to ease the burden the
pageant places on local members. Most of those involved in the
production of the pageant are LDS Church members in the Cache and Box
Elder county areas, he said.
=93We recognize that these folks who do this give countless hours of
sacrifice,=94 Howell said.
Howell also said holding the pageant every two years will build up
greater anticipation for the show among audience members and
participants.
Jeppesen said he will miss putting on the pageant this year.
=93I=92m disappointed,=94 Jeppesen said. =93I would rather have had it. I
think the annual basis makes it easier to keep your cast together and
easier to keep your volunteers together.=94
The pageant has been held for more than 20 years using a cast made up
mostly of residents from Cache and Box Elder valleys. The pageant
tells the story of Martin Harris, one of three men who testified he
had seen golden plates Joseph Smith translated to produce the Book of
Mormon. Harris died and is buried in Clarkston.
About 2,000 people attend each performance of the show, for a total of
about 22,000 people each year, Jeppesen said. Clarkston also sponsors
a town barbecue dinner in conjunction with the performances.
The pageant will now be held on alternating years with the Castle
Valley Pageant, a show that was held annually in Castle Dale. That
pageant, which tells the story of 19th century pioneers=92 settlement of
the Castle Dale area, will now be held only on even-numbered years.
Jeppesen said he looks forward to holding the pageant again in 2009.
=93Our plans are that it will be held next year in the month of August,=94
Jeppesen said.
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