Hill Cumorah Pageant

We spent a wonderful weekend up in Palymra, New York, for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. We arrived late Friday afternoon and after checking into our hotel and having some dinner, we headed to the Sacred Grove. This was definitely the best time to be there. The evening was beautiful and the hordes of people were gone. The tours were done for the day but that was okay with us because this is the third time we've come up here and we've already done all of that. But it's always wonderful to just take a quiet walk through this sacred grove of trees and think about the marvelous event that took place here.


The kids were so reverent as we strolled along and talked about Joseph Smith and the First Vision. What an amazing experience for us all to be in the place where Joseph actually saw the Father and the Son.


The Palmyra Temple in the background.

After spending time at the Grove and Joseph's family home, we headed over to the pageant. One of our favorite things to do at the pageant is to walk among the crowds before the pageant even starts and meet the men and women who sacrificed 3 weeks of their summer to come to Palmyra and put on this wonderful production. There are youth and families from all over the country and they do such a great job in the show. David and I have often talked about participating in this pageant when the kids are a little older.


Icky King Noah...always a favorite with the kids.

Xander loved this guy because he let Xander hold his sword.

We found Nephi and Savannah told me that she couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

These young men came up to us as we were sitting in our chairs, getting situated for the show. They were "Nephites" and great fun to talk to. Talking to these young men renewed my faith in our youth, that they ARE great and faithful and have such wonderful spirits. These young men were from Utah, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire and were so excited to be here doing this show.

Some of my favorite moments of the pageant are when we see the prophet Moroni burying the plates on the Hill Cumorah, knowing that this IS the actual hill; seeing Joseph kneeling on the hill, digging up the plates while the angel Moroni stands nearby; when the Savior appears; and at the end of the pageant, when the prophets are named one by one and they stand...it is such a spiritual event!

Saturday morning we drove to the top of the Hill Cumorah so we could see the staute of Moroni up there and take some pictures.


The rest of our Saturday was spent at Niagara Falls. I had been there about 15 years ago but this was the first time for David and the kids. It truly is an awesome sight to see 60-75,000 gallons of water flowing over the falls every second! The sounds, the power, the spray of the water...we loved it all!



Our kids are really good about us dragging them around to so many different spots but even they need a rest every once in awhile. (The promise of ice cream got them moving again.)


Getting our feet wet in the Niagara River.


Savannah loved this...a butterfly thought the flower on her shoe was the real thing and took a little rest there.

Ahhh!!!!! Ice cream on a hot day...what could be better?