“Animated Night on Broadway” Hits Local Stage this Weekend

Emma Garlitz (bottom, left), Chase Healey (bottom, right), Tatiana Graham (top, left) , and Kristina Holley (top right) rehearse for the upcoming “Animated Night on Broadway.” Photo courtesy of Michelle Fitzwater

Don't miss an “Animated Night on Broadway,” March 8-9, at 7:30 PM. Tickets, $8 per person, may be purchased online at www.paysoncommunitytheater.com or at the door each evening.  For story featuring thoughts on the production by director, Colleen Carrasco, check out this week's edition of The Payson Chronicle.  Order a subscription to the Chronicle at paysoads.com.

Michael “Jenks” Jenkins in Payson Last Friday Night: Aspiring Songwriter from Salem

Pictured: “Jenks” on the stage at Dalton’s

Something that makes “Jenks” Jenkins unique as a local performer is this: he performs mostly his own songs. 

“I’m an aspiring singer-songwriter,” the Salem resident explained as he prepared to begin his gig at Dalton’s last Friday night.  He’s currently working on a CD at a studio in Orfem and writes a lot.  His favorite of the songs he has written is “Waiting on You,” an upbeat indie-folk-type song.

“I’m throwing a benefit concert in April,” he adds, “to help raise money for orphans in Liberia, Africa.  The concert will be on April 6th at Boothe Brothers in Spanish Fork.”

“Jenks” is a Spanish Fork High graduate (2009) and is now working construction and has taken some classes at UVU.

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Santaquin Officials Discuss New Water Reclamation Facility Project

Pictured: at 40 West Ginger Gold Road (approximately 1200 North) with the Water Reclamation Plant in the background, left to right, Santaquin City Manager Ben Reeves, Santaquin Chamber of Commerce Secretary Brenda Shupe of “A Good Plumber,” Santaquin Chamber of Commerce President-Elect Carri Thompson of “Competitive Automotive,” and Santaquin City Councilman Jim Linford (Keigley Quarry can be seen in the distance)

Santaquin’s dramatic residential growth in the past two decades has required some momentous decisions to help keep up with it, and the construction of the new water reclamation facility is one of those.  Be sure to check out this week's edition of The Payson Chronicle, as we feature a discussion with local officials on the new water reclamation facility, slated for completion in September of this year.

Payson Prepares for Part in Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah

Troy Lerwill (pictured here) receiving a Payson High School Distinguished Alumnus award.   Troy and wife, Kirsten, have been chosen to serve as ancillary members of a local committee now overseeing projects associated with Payson's role as a tour stop during the summer's Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

Preparations are underway in Payson, since the city was named a stop for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. City Manager Dave Tuckett reported during a recent city council meeting that a committee comprised of community members is already under construction.

“It looks like it's going to be a good committee,” he said. Among them, noted Mr. Tuckett, are local Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) entertainer, Troy Lerwill and wife, Kirsten, who will serve as ancillary members.

The 2013 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah will begin Monday, August 5 with opening festivities in Cedar City, and continue across the state for six days of racing, Tuesday, August 6 to Sunday, August 11. It continues for a third consecutive year as one of the top professional cycling events in North America, a 2.1-rated stage race sanctioned by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Last year seven of the total 17 teams competed earlier in the year at the Tour de France. Known as “America’s Toughest Stage RaceTM”, the Tour of Utah featured 38,500 feet of climbing over the 543 miles covered in six days in 2012.

Spanning almost the entire length of the state, the Tour of Utah will begin in southern red rock country near world-famous Bryce Canyon National Park. It will finish among the alpine peaks of the Wasatch Front in northern Utah. The state is home to five National Parks and seven National Monuments; the Tour of Utah will have host venues near four of these natural treasures, three in the south and one to the north. Three Utah ski resorts will host either a stage start or a stage finish. The week of competition will include five road races and one circuit race. Detailed routes and race mileage will be announced in the coming months.

Stage Three will bridge the central region of Utah in Richfield with Payson in the Utah Valley to the north.  Richfield is the largest city in south-central Utah, nestled in the high desert of Sevier County. This mile-high city marks the midway point in mileage between Cedar City and Salt Lake City. Surrounded by the beauty of the Fishlake National Forest, Richfield is an outdoor recreation heaven. The Stage Three finish will take the Tour to the south side of Utah Lake, where Payson rests in the shadows of the Wasatch Front. The scenery in Payson has made this a popular location for the film industry, as it was the location for “Footloose” and the television series Touched by an Angel. The Tour has passed through this section of the Provo-Orem metropolitan area in previous years, but this is the first time it has hosted a stage finish.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah began as a three-day Thanksgiving Point Stage Race & Cycling Festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2004. The Utah Cycling Partnership, owned by the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, purchased the event in 2007 and re-launched the cycling event in 2008 as a five-day National Racing Calendar event. In 2011, the Tour of Utah was elevated by the UCI to a 2.1-rated stage race on the UCI America Tour. The race is also sanctioned by USA Cycling, Inc.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah continues to be free to all spectators, making professional cycling one of the most unique pro sports in the world today. More than 2,000 volunteer positions will be filled over the course of the week, and registration is available on the Tour’s web site,www.tourofutah.com. Additional Tour updates can be followed via Facebook, Twitter andVimeo.

Raising Funds for Payson Veterans Home with "Music from the Heart"

Pictured (left-right): Glenn Bradford of the American Legion, Tintic VFW Commander Lloyd Conder, Utah Elks Veterans Chairman Robert Pagnani, Ms. Spanish Fork Pageant contestant, Alex Houghton, and Randy Edward, Vice Commander of the American Legion

Veterans Corner

by Your local American Legion Post 48

Elks Fundraiser Successful in Raising Awareness and Money for the Utah State Veterans Home. (Again.)

A big “Thank You” goes out to Robert Pagnani, Elks Veterans representative for the State of Utah.  With the help of his wife and many other friends and volunteers, as the first “Music from the Heart” fundraiser, held on February 16, was a huge success. What hopefully will be the first of an annual event was attended by many locals in support of the new Veterans Home that will open in Payson in May or June of this year to serve the many Veterans and their families who reside primarily in the seven or eight counties that are considered central Utah. Many vendors attended the event, accompanied by music and continuous entertainment throughout the day.

Pulled pork sandwiches, were provided at no charge, but most contributed by way of a donation for the food and drink provided. The pork was graciously donated by Christiansen’s Family Farm of Vernon, Utah.  Springville Meat also donated the cutting and wrapping of the pork.  Businesses and individuals from around the state also donated numerous items that were raffled off to those lucky enough to have there name drawn.

Music and entertainment was provided by the Tintic  High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Kodey Hughes, Old Time Fiddlers, Payson Cowboy Poets and local singers, like Camille Humpherys.

Both opening and closing  flag ceremonies were performed by the American Legion District Four Honor Guard. The VFW and the Diamond Fork Riding Club were also sponsors of this event.

With the support and help of the thirteen Elks Lodges in Utah, the Elks had donated over $12,000.00 before this event. When final numbers are provided, that number could be in the neighborhood of $20,000.00. That alone would upgrade furnishings in each of  five complete rooms at the 108-room facility. Don Cole, a veteran, and his wife Jane Anne also presented a check at this event for $4,000.00.

Memorialize in Print

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Culture and Citizens Among Payson's Greatest Assets

Discussing the community's finest characteristics at the recent State of the City, Mayor Rick Moore praised locals residents for their talents and deep spirit of volunteerism. “I am proud to be mayor here,” he said.

Mayor Moore encouraged continued support within the community. “Stand up,” he told the audience, “and contribute.”

Pictured here are two gentlemen who have been doing that very thing. And for a very long time. Charlie Wilson (left) and Maynard Scott (right) are pictured here, standing outside one of Payson's most popular landmarks, the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center. The photo was taken on February 13, a day after the address, and soon after they had attended a meeting at the Peteetneet.

Mr. Scott, along with his wife, Helen Scott--whose dedication to both the Peteetneet and Scottish Festival has been immeasurable--reigned over the 2012 Payson Onion Days Parade as Grand Marshals. The Scotts were among locals spotlighted by Mayor Moore during the State of the City event, their actions among the exemplary in 2012.

Culture was yet another attribute cited by Mayor Moore, and the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center is a beacon of such.  According to Moore, the Peteetneet will be on the receiving end of additional funding this year, thanks to a major music concert slated for June 8.  Proceeds will be used to begin a process of sealing the bricks on the historic building.  An announcement as to who will be making a tour stop in Payson could be made soon.