KZIONradio

My Nauvoo Picture gallery is now online and is located here. You can view the many pictures I took while in Nauvoo and even comment on them. I’ll continue to use this gallery for other events I attend that are associated with KZION.

We got up early Saturday morning and drove to St. Louis leaving behind our friend, Nauvoo, Il. Shelly and I both had a great time in Nauvoo. We loved hanging out with Rich and Tyra Bischoff. Stephanie and her family were fantastic and we enjoyed the time spent with them. After our long flight back to Salt Lake City we stayed overnight in Sandy, UT. This morning we made the drive to St. George and are finally home.



It looks like KZION did Ok without me. I need to get some shows scheduled and some new music added to the playlist. As soon as I figure out how to transfer all my Nauvoo pictures from my laptop to my PC I’ll get some more pictures uploaded.

Friday was the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We saved the Carthage Jail trip for Friday so we could visit on the anniversary. Carthage is just 20-25 miles from Nauvoo. I knew this was going to be a spiritual experience so we prepared beforehand to ensure we were in tune with the Spirit. When we arrived we were greeted with statutes of Joseph and Hyrum with Carthage Jail just beyond the statutes.







On the walk to the visitors center there were a series of plaques with quotes from Joseph and Hyrum. My favorite quote was, “Patience is heavenly, obedience is noble, forgiveness is merciful, and exaltation is godly; and he that holds out faithful to the end shall in no wise lose his reward. A good man will endure all things to honor Christ, and even dispose of the whole world, and all in it, to save his soul.”



The jail is mostly original. Most of the buildings we visited in Nauvoo were reconstructions but the Carthage Jail has the original flooring, handrails, doors and some of the windows. The structure was original too. We went inside the visitors center and waited for the next tour to begin.

Read the rest of this entry »

Audiences for the Wednesday and Thursday night performances of Stephanie Smith and Rich Bischoff were much better. Wednesday night we had about 60 people in the auduence and Thursday night there were about 50. You sure can tell the difference in a performer when there are a few people in the audience and a lot of people in the audience. There was a lot of energy both nights.







Wednesday, we visited some more of the historical sites and tours here in Nauvoo. We visitied a replica of the Webb Blacksmith Shop where there were demonstrations of blacksmithing skills using the actual equipment of the 1840’s. It was extremely hot and humid on Wednesday and we gained an appreciation for what a blacksmith of the 1840’s had to endure working in the summertime. We left with a souvenior called a prairie diamond. Most of the saints were too poor to purchase rings to give to their loved ones so they took a nail used in horseshoeing and curled it into the shape of a ring.







We also visited the Browning Gun Shop. I wasn’t aware that the Browning Arms Company was started by an LDS family. We saw a demonstration of how guns were built and viewed an awesome display of guns from the past and present. Think about how a barrel was created in the 1840’s. The technology to drill a hole down the middle of a steel rod had not been discovered yet.



We visited an inspiring pioneer memorial. The monument lists and honors individuals who, according to journal and diary entries, died during the migration west. We also visited the Seventies Hall. This is an authentically restored historic structure that served as a small chapel for worship services, instruction, and lectures. The first Nauvoo library was located on the upper floor.

Read the rest of this entry »

Much of the historical sites in Nauvoo are owned by The Community of Christ church. Tuesday we took some of the tours they offer and visited some of their historical sites. I was a little skeptical at first but one of the senior missionaries told us to make sure we take their tours and that most of the information they give is true.



We visited the Mansion House. This was Joseph and Emma’s home in 1842. There were a few furniture items in the house that actually belonged to the Smith family. Too many people were coming to visit the Prophet so they had to add on a hotel wing in 1843. This is where the Prophet departed from as he left for Carthage. Much of the house was restored but there is still some in tact.



The Nauvoo House was being built during the time the Prophet was alive. It was meant to accommodate guests to Nauvoo but was never completed during the Prophet Joseph Smith’s lifetime. There were many artifacts from the 1840’s on display.



We also saw Joseph and Emma’s first log cabin in Nauvoo. Built in 1839, they lived there until the Mansion House was completed. Pictures were not allowed in the structures but were allowed outside. I’ll post some of the pictures a little later. We also visited the graveyard that holds the bodies of Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lucy Mack, Joseph Smith Sr., and other family members. It seems odd that The Community of Christ church has possession of the bodies if in fact the bodies are actually there.



The Community of Christ church members were very friendly and knowledgeable. I think they are good people and it’s wonderful that they have preserved all of these artifacts. However, I noticed a big difference in the Spirit while visiting our church historical sites and visiting the C of C historical sites. It may be a prejudice I have but I felt a difference.



The attendance to the concert Tuesday night was just as disappointing as Monday night. In spite of Rich and Stephanie’s efforts performing at different locations during the day, few people showed up. Stephanie’s mom Laury, is such a marvelous marketer and is working with the theatre manager to help spread the word about these nightly performances. I still think that as the week progresses the attendance will improve.



I have some pictures of Rich and Stephanie performing. In spite of the disappointing attendance I’m having a blast watching the performances. The pictures that I post here on the blog are all thumbnails. By clicking on the thumbnail you can view a larger version of the picture. I don’t have my professional image editing software with me so the quality of these pictures are not the best. When I get home I will replace them with better quality versions.



This fist picture is of Shelly (my wife), Tyra (Rich’s wife), me, Rich, and Stephanie.







These four pictures are of Stephanie and Rich.



      

People in the midwest take great pride in their country. I feel embarrassed at how unpatriotic I appear to be compared to the people out here. It’s a rare home that doesn’t have some type of flag or red, white and blue ribbon displayed. There are a few homes in Nauvoo that are covered with red, white and blue lights. I almost thought they still had their Christmas lights on until I realized they were all patriotic colors.



We saw three super large tents full of fireworks on our drive into Nauvoo. I have a feeling there is going to be some serious fireworks shows on Independence Day.



A local radio station was scheduled to interview Rich Bischoff this morning by phone but Rich’s cell phone has the same service issues I’m having so Rich and Tyra came to our room and Rich had his interview. The Walmart draw hit Rich and his wife on their day two also. So we drove into Keokuk with the Bischoff’s to the Walmart and then grabbed some lunch.



It is such a different lifestyle here. I have yet to see one person talking on a cell phone. I rarely have seen one strapped to someones’s side. In St. George, everyone has a cell phone and you can’t go into any store or mall without seeing at least one person talking away. People aren’t in a hurry all of the time. The highways are all one lane here and we’re usually driving around looking at the sites. I didn’t have one person pass me on any of the drives we’ve taken. Try driving slowly around Salt Lake City or St. George. You’ll get run off the road.



  



Stephanie and Rich had their first sound check and rehearsal in the afternoon. Monday evenings show went well. There were just a few people who showed up but we’re confident that as the week progresses the audience will grow. Rich and Stephanie are going downtown to perform on the street and see if they can generate some interest in their concerts.

We had a great day Sunday. Started the day by going to The Nauvoo Visitors’ Center. It’s interesting that all of the church historical locations are open on Sunday. The Visitors’ Center is owned and operated by the church and staffed with Senior missionaries.







We saw an original Nauvoo Temple Sunstone on loan from the State of Illinois. We also were able to see some brick and nails from the original temple. There was a nice 20 minute movie that gave a brief history of the Saints in Nauvoo.



Next stop was the Nauvoo Groves. This was where Joseph Smith held many of his meetings with the Saints in Nauvoo. It’s a beautiful, peaceful grove of trees with benches scattered throughout to allow visitors to meditate and feel the spirit of Joseph Smith and the early saints. The grove has about a dozen different stands throughout that have inspiring journal accounts from the 1840’s. The spirit was very strong. In the center of the grove there is a mock podium with seating for about 50 people. As I was studying the podium and seating I could see in my minds eye, Joseph Smith standing at the podium with a large crowd huddled around together listening intently to a Prophet of God.



  



Our next stop was the Temple. The grounds were closed but we walked around and pondered the beauty and significance of this temple. I couldn’t help thinking about the tremendous sacrifice the early saints that built the original temple made. What great faith they must of had and what sorrow they must of felt as they were forced to leave their homes and the temple they worked so hard to have.



Rich Bischoff and Stephanie Smith arrived later in the afternoon. It was great to finally meet them in person. In case you haven’t heard, Stephanie won a Pearl Award for Best New Recording Artist at Friday nights Pearl Awards. Sunday was also Stephanie’s birthday so we were invited to celebrate her birthday with a little cake and ice cream.



Unfortunately the room we are in does not get reliable cell phone service so my getting on the Internet is very hit and miss. It’s now 11:30 AM CT and we are getting ready to take off and find a Walmart. It’s only been two days in Nauvoo and we are already needing to find a bigger city.

The 2003 Pearl Awards were awesome. We arrived a little late so time leading up to the actual show was rushed. We got a late start out of St. George and by the time we drove into Salt Lake City, checked into our hotel room, and ran to the mall for some last minute jewelry purchases for my wife, it was time to get dressed and get going. We arrived a few minutes before the show started and had a chance to chat with a few friends.



Unfortunately KZION did not win the Best Radio Show award. The award went to Joan Peterson of KOSY FM in Salt Lake City. That really took the pressure off of me and allowed me to enjoy the rest of the show. There were some great performances by Kenneth Cope, Eclipse, Hilary Weeks, Ray Smith, Michael Hicks, and Jericho Road. The big winners were Cherie Call, Michael Dowdle, Tyler Castleton, and Kenneth Cope. I’ll post a more detailed list of winners as soon as I get some sleep.



The awards show went so much smoother than last year. A big congratulations goes out to the FCMA for putting on a great event. We got out of there at about 11:00 PM and got back to the room at midnight. Our flight to Nauvoo was scheduled to depart at 8:45 am this morning so we only got a few hours sleep.



We arrived in St. Louis at about 4:00 PM this afternoon. Picked up the rental car and took off for Nauvoo. I learned quite a few things during the drive to Nauvoo.

Read the rest of this entry »