Welcome to Forgotonia

Have you heard about the new play on Broadway that was written by the South Park dudes (and the writer of Avenue Q?)

If you haven’t, you should catch up here:

‘Book of Mormon’ opens on Broadway
(from CNN ‘Belief’ Blog)

That’s right; the South Park writers (who already took on Mormonism in an episode) have now written a Broadway musical about the religion. The article linked above summarizes the plot of the new production, as well as some of the thinking behind the writers’ motivations. And I have to say, I utterly and completely relate to this line of thinking:

Mormonism originated with Joseph Smith in upstate New York in the early 1800s. This not-so-distant past was attractive to the writers, [Avenue Q writer] Lopez told CNN, because they thought it added to the far-fetchedness of the religion’s claims that God had anointed Smith as an American prophet.

“A prophet who lived thousands and thousands of years ago in the Middle East is veiled in antiquity,” said Lopez. “But a prophet finding God’s word on golden plates just a few hours drive from New York City is ripe for satire.”

Also, if you’re curious about how the church feels about having its sacred beliefs turned into satirical song and dance, the article includes the LDS official statement—and I have to say, it sounds calm and rational.(However, one wonders if the church’s feathers will get increasingly ruffled as the play’s run continues, especially considering that one of the main characters, according to the article above, “succumbs to his doubts about faith and God after having the Book of Mormon stuck in a very uncomfortable part of his anatomy.” Ouch.)

But the real question, of course, is whether my beloved home stomping grounds—the tiny town with one blinking red light at the four-way stop—is mentioned anywhere in the script? For it was in Carthage, of course, that in 1844 a mob stormed the jail where Mormon leader Joseph Smith was incarcerated, and where he was shot and fell to his death.

With this high-profile production making headlines and perhaps becoming a legendary moment in the history of the Great White Way, stop to think about how funny and fascinating it is that the entire Mormon saga—the migration out west, the settling of Salt Lake City, in fact the very foundation of one of the world’s fastest-growing religions—wouldn’t exist as we know it without the chapter that took place in Carthage and Hancock County.

If I had been a co-writer with Matt Parker and Trey Stone, I would have tried to work in a line—or a whole song—about the holy site being located just catercorner from the DQ. (Feel free to help provide rhymes.)

Or who knows, maybe Carthage and Nauvoo are mentioned in the musical? I hope to find out five or six years from now, when an off-, off-, off-Broadway production plays in Peoria.

I used to go to rock shows. What does it say about me that I wish I could asking off work in order to attend THIS??????

Latter-day Saints to commemorate ‘Mormon Exodus’

(from the Deseret News)
NAUVOO, Ill. – The public is invited to a commemoration of the famous river crossing known as the “Mormon Exodus.”

On Feb. 4, 1846, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began crossing the icy waters of the Mississippi, eventually to complete their well-known trek to the Rocky Mountains.

In honor of those pioneers, modern Latter-day Saints, along with their friends, will re-enact the march down Parley Street* on Wednesday, Feb. 4. They will wear nametags for those who made the actual historic crossing. At the water’s edge, in a short ceremony, the marchers will pay tribute to those who were part of the exodus and to the thousands who died along the Mormon Trail.
.
Missionaries from the Illinois Nauvoo Mission will portray or relate the stories of some of those individuals who survived the river crossing and made the trek west.

Shirley Land, one of the organizers of the event, expressed her hope for the commemoration.

“Most years Feb. 4 turns out to be a really cold day, and to be honest, I hope it is this year, too,” she said. “I’m not sure we get the full sense of what those people suffered if we don’t feel a little uncomfortable ourselves.”

Lest we forget, that aforementioned exodus was started because of the kicking-out of the Mormons from Hancock County, which commenced with the murder of a certain leader in a certain person’s hometown.
Now, just for the record. I’m not saying I’m all in with Mormon goings-on (or that I’m the most open-minded person in the world when it comes to religion in general.)

BUT, I do find it absolutely fascinating that this major chapter in American history started right here in Forgotonia.

And it feels me with a sense of awe to stop and think about what it would have been like to live in those pre-Carhardt times and trek across the frozen Mississippi–and everything that journey entailed (and led to afterward).

And I guess getting interested in history when you get older is nothing to really feel bad about.

[But, you know. I still wanna rock!]

* I wonder if Parley Street in Nauvoo is named after the guy my dad was addressing when he got a one-line speaking part in the Mormon movie “Exodus.” The line, which I like to repeat at family gatherings as often as possible, was “Confound it, Parley!”

I want to know if this [story from CNN.com] has anything to do with Mormons??

Utah is fastest growing state, Census Bureau says

[well sort of]

As I told you earlier, my friend’s dad is potentially going to get some work on the set of the new Tim Burton remake of “Alice in Wonderland.

But we must discuss the fact that

1) Everywhere you turn, John Podesta is being mentioned in the news. The head of Obama’s transition team, who was Clinton’s chief of staff, also just happens to be a Knox College (in Galesburg, Ill.) graduate and a member of its Board of Trustees, and not the kind on paper only–the guy pops up on campus rather frequently, not only attending board meetings but commencements and convocations and that kind of stuff. Like, he’s probably a somewhat regular at the Landmark, yo.

When I was a reporter for the Register-Mail, I covered his keynote speech at the school’s opening commencement in the fall, and the cowboy-booted Podesta proved to be an excellent, sharpwitted speaker, one of those people who somehow kind of emits ‘cool.’

I have to admit that, in my stories and later my news releases for Knox, I would bandy about the phrase “former White House chief of staff for President Bill Clinton” without fully comprehending what that meant. As in, Monica Lewinsky scandal and all.

Also, according to this article,

“Obama is expected to name campaign adviser Gregory Craig, who was President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial lawyer, as White House counsel.

I also covered a Craig speech at Knox.

3) A kid named Tyler Hilton, who has a part on One Tree Hill [never seen it]; played Elvis in “Walk the Line” [barely remember that part], and performed in a free concert one night this week at Western [didn't go, because I had to do boring adult things like.... well, go to Aldi], apparently is the grandchild of former Macomb residents?? (according to the “McDonough County This Week”?)

…but the article provides no other deets. I wanna know more!! Deets, people, deets!!!

4) This scary terrorist story–the Al-Marri case– got its start in Peoria.

5) And speaking of terrorists? Obama’s “terrorist pal” speaks at my alma mater! Whoa!

7) And finally: yes, this headline is apparently real!
“Mormons: the Musical!”

And I can’t wait! (Wonder if the South Park guys will come to Carthage for some research?)

An item in the Family section of this week’s Hancock Journal-Pilot announces this upcoming event:

Smith Family Reunion in Nauvoo