Sesquicentennial activities gearing up
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The Sesquicentennial Spectacular, the showpiece of this year's 150th observance of the coming of the Pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, will be seen live over the Church satellite system.
Capacity crowds are expected at the BYU Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah, for both performances of the show July 24 and 25 beginning at 8:30 each evening.The satellite telecast will be live July 24 at 8:30-10 p.m. MDT. That performance will be videotaped and rebroadcast over the satellite system the next evening at 6-7:30 p.m. MDT.
Viewers in Utah and vicinity can see a rebroadcast of the program over KBYU-TV Channel 11 on Saturday, July 26, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m.
The satellite broadcast was announced in a letter from President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, to local Church leaders in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
"Members are encouraged to invite their non-member friends" to view the telecast, he wrote. "The program may be recorded for future use."
The Spectacular features the entertainment talents of many Latter-day Saints, including the Tabernacle Choir, Mormon Symphony and Youth Chorus, the 1,700-voice combined Utah Valley Children's Choir and Family Choir, civic and ethnic organizations, and alumni from the BYU Folk Dancers, Living Legends and Young Ambassadors. Latter-day Saint luminaries involved in creating the musical and production numbers include Merrill Jenson, Crawford Gates, Mack Wilberg, Steven Kapp Perry, Arlen L. Card, Kurt Bestor, Randy Boothe, Ron Simpson, Janielle Christensen and K. Newell Dayley.
The First Presidency and their wives will enter the stadium, their pathway lined by the children's choir holding garlands of bright flowers. Dancing waters will be seen on four sides of the stadium. Other embellishments will include balloons, daytime fireworks, flags of many nations and a train of covered wagons streaming into the stadium.
There have been many ticket requests that could not be filled. The Sesquicentennial Committee is anxious that none of the tickets that have been sold go to waste and asked that those who have purchased a block of seats make certain that all the tickets they purchased are used.
The Spectacular will follow the Pioneer Rendezvous on the BYU campus, which has free admission. (Please see accompanying story about the Rendezvous.)
