Martin Harris bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration almost until his last breath. And through the pageant, "Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew," his testimony continues on.

The musical pageant, which was staged here Aug. 16-17, 20-24, tells the story of the Restoration through the eyes of one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon.The story centers on a young boy, played by Harris' third great-grandson, Jason Harris, who is taken on a journey of Martin Harris' life by a spirit. The spirit was played by Jason's father, Neil Harris, who is Martin Harris' great-great-grandson.

About 16,000 attended the pageant this year, the ninth straight year of the production, which is held at the amphitheater in the Clarkston cemetery where Martin Harris is buried and where a monument stands in his honor.

Duane J. Huff, pageant director, explained that the audience sees a "fresh approach" to the Restoration by viewing the story through the life of Martin Harris. "Our purpose is to prepare the pageant each year to bear witness of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon."

To aid the missionary work, lectures on the life of Christ were held at a local meetinghouse before each night's performance. The lectures included a collection of paintings by Bill L. Hill entitled, "The Witness Series," which portrays the life of Christ and the Mormon people.

Lectures on the life of Martin Harris were also offered each night of the production at the amphitheater.

On the opening night, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Council of the Twelve spoke on the life of Martin Harris.

Martin Harris "bore his testimony over and over until his dying day," Elder Wirthlin noted. "On his deathbed, the last words that he spoke were: `Yes, I did see the angel; I did hear the voice of God.'

"I am grateful to be here this night to honor Martin Harris and to see these wonderful events of this important segment of the history of the Church portrayed by this devoted cast," he said.

Original music, written by Frank and Norma Dupree and Mike Cottle, aid in portraying Harris' life. Huff said the recorded music includes underscoring and orchestration by the BYU Philharmonic. The choral recording is by the Northern Utah Choral Society.

Extensive research and preparation have gone into this pageant through the years, Huff affirmed. He added that about 500 volunteers offer such services as making and adjusting costumes, and building stage settings.

Huff said all the effort has paid off as they have received letters from people who said they were so impressed with the production that they later investigated the Church and were baptized.

"We have a lot of youth groups. It's a marvelous lesson for them to see the Restoration portrayed this way. It's a great testimony builder for those in the Church as well as those out."