Hill Cumorah Pageant

One of the greatest experiences of my childhood is my participation in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. My dad was the photographer for many years and as staff, that allowed my family to be a part of the Pageant many times. It is a huge outdoor show held in Palmyra, New York, every July that tells the story of the Book of Mormon. It starts with Lehi having a vision to leave Jerusalem and goes on to Nephi's vision of the Savior and building the boat to come to the Americas. Then one of the more visually stunning scenes is wicked King Noah's court when Abinadi comes to call the people to repentance and is burned to death for it. The pinnacle is when Christ appears to the people and teaches them, then it ends with Moroni burying the plates in the Hill Cumorah, where Joseph Smith later was directed to find them. It is dramatic and spiritual and has technically challenging special effects. The cast is made up of 600 volunteers who show up on a Saturday to be cast into their roles and then opening night is Friday. It is pretty miraculous how it all comes together, often in soaring temperatures and humidity and sometimes even rain.

The first year I was in the pageant I was nine years old. At that age, kids are cast into the same scenes as their parents so they'll have the same rehearsal schedule. My mom and dad were cast as Lehi and Sariah so I got to be Nephi's daughter and had the one kid's line in the whole Pageant. I loved being in the boat scene and pretending to stumble around like we were in a storm. The year following that they added rain to the scene and everyone got wet so I was glad I had the experience before the rain.

One year I was cast as a dancer in wicked King Noah's court, nicknamed the concubines. We wore huge wigs and leotards with a flowing skirt. It was a fun costume and scene to be in. That was better than the year I was a battle banner carrier. During the battle scene between the Lamanites and the Nephites I had to carry this very tall, very heavy banner and then shake it up and down during the actual fighting. It was cumbersome and heavy but I certainly got stronger that year. I was also in a lot of crowd scenes, like the scene where Samuel the Lamanite preaches and then it leads into the destruction scene (since the people did not repent) where a huge volcano comes out of nowhere and explodes potato flakes and fire. 

The best part though is right after the destruction scene when Jesus Christ appears out of the night time sky, floating high up in the air. The feeling of sitting there and watching him descend out of the sky then teach simple gospel truths always filled my heart with love. I would try to imagine what it felt like to really have seen the Savior and to have heard him teach. I would think of what it will be like when he comes again and someday I will look up and actually see him. I tried to think of how I would feel in those moments. It was a sacred experience every time.

I made wonderful friends, pulled off the best prank of my life, learned lots of fun games, met Donny Osmond and President Gordon B. Hinckley, and had many sacred and special experiences too. My testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God were solidified during this time.  It was a wonderful and life-changing way to spend two weeks of my summer and I'm grateful I was able to be a part of it.