Castle Valley Pageant: A Must See!

Tom has ancestors among the original settlers of Castle Valley, Emery County, Utah. On a Bi-Annual basis, the Castle Valley Pageant tells the story of the settling of the valley. We've always wanted to go, but somehow each year our plans were pre-empted by other, more pressing matters.

This was the year. Our children were buttheads and didn't want to go, so we left their sorry selves at home and made a date of it. We drove for two hours, most of that through copious rain and a alarming quantity of lightning. Like a miracle, as we approached the outdoor amphitheatre nestled in the hills west of Huntington, the skies cleared and the rain fell behind us. It was a beautiful night for a pageant.

It's a great show that far exceeded my expectations. I laughed, I cried, and I want to go again. Alas, tonight is the last production for two years. If you live in Utah and are at all inclined to make the drive, I highly recommend it.

Tom was in fine form last night. During a scene that included a re-enactment of a portion of the Book of Mormon, Jehovah is speaking to the prophet Nephi. The voice actor was an older gentleman with a strong old time Utah accent. "Lift up yerr head and be of good cheerrr; for bihold, thuh tahm is at hand, and on this naht shall thuh sign be given, and on thuh morrow come I into the werrld, to show unto the werrld that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of mah holy prophets." (3 Nephi 1:13)

Tom leaned over to me as I took a pull on my water bottle. I tilted my head as his sweet breath tickled my ear.

"I guess I never thought about it before, but I didn't know that God had an Emery County accent."

He leaned back and flashed his brilliant grin as I snorted water out my nose. He waited until my coughing fit subsided and then leaned in again.

"But hey, what do I know?"

I think I'll keep that guy around a little longer. I like to laugh. Laughing is my favorite.