Deseret Digest November 2024

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Bronzed: The art and politics of statues

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NOVEMBER 2024 VOL. 2 / NO. 11

Founding BYU Medical School dean details his plans Dr. Mark Ott talks about how long it will take to open the new school, the ties that took him to Johns Hopkins and Harvard, why a University of Utah graduate is a fit for BYU and God’s role in his life.

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4 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

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Bronzed: The art and politics of statues Some statues may be coming down, but the art form is on the rise

By Bill Gifford Deseret Magazine

Matt Glenn’s sculpture studio is a lively place, jammed with works in progress. In one corner, a life-size clay figure of Johnny Cash, guitar over his shoulder, is serenading statues of Jackie Robinson, Elon Musk and Mr. Toad from “The Wind in the Willows.” A Vietnam War soldier stands guard over them all. It’s like the most interesting social event you’ve never been to, crowded into an unassuming building that once housed his father’s auto body shop. A genial older man in bronze sits on a park bench, smiling and taking it all in.

“His wife wanted to still be able to sit with him,” explains Glenn, a tall 53-year-old with a quarterback’s build and dark hair down past his ears. Glenn is a sculptor-for-hire, a 19th-century trade that is enjoying a 21st-century revival.

Every figure in his crowded, rather messy studio in Provo, Utah, tells a story. Johnny Cash was commissioned for a music museum in Nashville, but when the pandemic hit, the order was paused. So were several others.

A few months later, protesters began targeting statues around the world, vandalizing them with graffiti and demanding that certain monuments be torn down outright.

The casualties included not only Confederate leaders from the Civil War, but historical figures ranging from Christopher Columbus to Abraham Lincoln. Not even vaunted figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses S. Grant were immune from protesters’ wrath.

Maybe the age of statues was finally coming to an end, Glenn thought. He wondered if it was time to close up shop, abandoning his lifelong dream of making a living as a sculptor. In fact, the opposite happened. New orders began pouring in; suddenly, it seemed like everyone wanted a statue. “I think those old sculptures have sat in place for decades without people noticing them — it was just a man on a horse, not someone who’s a racist,” Glenn says. “But then it made people think, why not memorialize some other people who’ve done great things? They don’t even have to be famous.”

Glenn’s company, Big Statues, has never been busier.

The air in his shop smells sharply of solvents and plaster dust, and one must tread carefully or risk overturning one of many mysterious tubs of colored goo. When I visit, he’s juggling some 20-odd different projects at various stages of completion. It is an eclectic mix, ranging from a pair of Tuskegee Airmen to George W. Bush to Emmett Till to Chief Little Turtle, a Miami tribal leader who defeated a force of 1,400 federal troops in what is now Ohio. Coming soon: a figure of Charles C. Rich, an early apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and another of Rosie the Riveter.

The phenomenon of statues coming down is a culture-wide movement about which much has been written.

But less attention has been paid in recent years to the statues that are going up — from small-town parks to the highest reaches of the art world.

“The monument is alive and well, and it is a global phenomenon,” says the celebrated artist Kehinde Wiley. Best known as a painter who recreates classical styles and poses, Wiley has recently begun creating monumental bronze sculptures that depict ordinary people in heroic poses. His

Spenser Heaps for the Deseret News

Matt Glenn's statue of Rosie the Riveter started as a digital image and a 3D-printed model. Here it is welded together at Adonis Bronze in Alpine, Utah.

figures have been exhibited everywhere from the Venice Biennale in Italy to downtown Crenshaw, in Los Angeles.

Wiley’s interest in bronze sculpture was sparked in 2016 when he visited Richmond, Virginia, and saw the enormous statues of horse-mounted Confederate generals that still lined Monument Avenue. He’d grown up in South Central Los Angeles, which lacks that kind of post-Civil War street furniture, and the unfamiliar figures triggered a visceral reaction. Representing men who had fought to prolong slavery, they reminded him of the statues he’d seen on a childhood trip to the Soviet Union in 1989, when he was 12 years old, on a youth exchange program. Similarly, he says, they felt like “symbol(s) of dominance and terror.”

He responded by sculpting “Rumors of War,” a towering equestrian statue with a Black man in the saddle, wearing Nikes and sporting stylish dreads. After its 2019 debut in Times Square, that piece was moved to Richmond for permanent installation at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, not far from where the generals stood. At the unveiling, Wiley noticed how elderly Black men and women reacted. “They had tears in their eyes,” he remembers. “It wasn’t an intellectual exercise, it wasn’t a political exercise, it was literally the addressing and redressing of a past and present that was designed to menace, designed to rob them of human dignity, and to populate their psyche with a sense of brokenness.”

Richmond’s Confederate generals were eventually taken down, in 2020, one outcome of a broader national reckoning on race and racism in many areas of society. That was

not Wiley’s preference. He sees intrinsic value in statues, in the stories they tell and the beauty they often bring into our public spaces, even when they represent a person or idea we may oppose. “I hate the idea of melting them down and forgetting where we come from,” he says. “They should be part of our legacy, part of our archive, and our continued reserve of national memories that we can draw upon for inspiration.”

“I think that the best thing to do is to respond with more statues,” Wiley says. He believes today’s artists should be invited to create newer works that better reflect contemporary values — and the ideals of the people who will be viewing those works. With “Rumors of War,” Wiley started a series that will culminate with a figure of a Black woman astride a horse, riding off to battle, set to be unveiled on Los Angeles’ famous Crenshaw Boulevard this fall as part of “Destination Crenshaw,” described as the largest Black public art project in the United States.

About 15 years ago, Glenn found himself at a crossroads.

He had been working in real estate development, and had just finished a big project, a hotel in Nauvoo, Illinois. Now he was wondering what to do next. He had always been interested in making art. He borrowed a sizable lump of clay from another sculptor, and one evening, he pulled it out of the cabinet and started playing around. By dawn, he had fashioned a bust of Porter Rockwell, bodyguard of early Latter-day Saint leaders Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

“Where’d you get that?” his wife asked in the morning.

“I made it,” he said.

DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024 He had found a new career. That clay model was just a first step toward the bronze that held a magic allure for him.

“When you first see a bronze sculpture, your first instinct is to reach out and touch it,” Glenn says. “It’s energizing. It’s grounding.” He hands me a bronze ingot, like a large, heavy coin. It’s solid, slightly rough and weighty; it feels electric in my hand.

It was a bold leap for Glenn to try and make a go at a craft whose heyday was a century or two in the rearview mirror.

Could he carve a niche for himself in an artform once practiced by such renowned artists as Auguste Rodin, Constantin Brancusi and Utah’s own Mahonri Young? Could he accomplish that in an age when all art — and especially public art, which is often the case for statuary — is often viewed with as much suspicion as it is respect? These were big questions for somebody else to answer. An artist makes art.

The process of creating a bronze sculpture is essentially the same as it has been for 3,000 years: The sculptor creates a clay model of the figure that is used to create a ceramic mold, into which liquid bronze is poured and then allowed to cool. Glenn loves the first stage, working by hand: “There’s something very therapeutic about it. I get into a rhythm, and if I don’t have any outside distractions like a clock or a phone I can go for hours, as long as I have a Dr. Pepper and an energy bar.” Unfortunately for him, the sculptor’s art has been transformed by technology.

I follow Glenn into an office, where his colleague Dana Hansen frowns into a computer monitor. On the screen is a man in a baseball cap — legendary catcher Johnny Bench.

With a few clicks, he can change the shape of Bench’s face, the texture of his skin, the length of his nose or any other characteristic, using a 3D modeling program called ZBrush.

“We’re able to go into the software and just like with clay, quite literally start sculpting him,” Hansen says, clicking back and forth between his model and old photographs of

Bench, who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983. “The nice thing is there’s an ‘undo’ button.”

Once the image is finished, the file is sent to a 3D printer to create a miniature model from plant-based resin. If that looks good, a life-size model is fashioned from Styrofoam blocks, using a CNC machine. The foam model is then covered in clay, and Glenn puts on the finishing touches — adding texture, adjusting facial expressions, making the subject look more lifelike. Only then does it go off to the foundry to be cast. “It makes everything a lot quicker,” Glenn says. But there is still a role for the artist’s hand. “I’ll always go back and put my hands on everything. If you let the software do it all, you end up with something that looks like a mannequin.”

Sculpting is a complex art with high consequence. If Glenn makes a mistake, that error could quite literally end up being cast in bronze. He studies diligently, going to seminars on technique and anatomy; he is obsessive about measurement and proportion. One wall is lined with a dozen spooky-looking plaster face masks. I have no idea who they are until Glenn points out that they represent David Letterman, Charlton Heston, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise, Kiefer Sutherland, Halle Berry and other famous actors. Just the faces, no hair. He uses them for reference — “when I’m doing a sculpture of someone who’s in the vicinity of that face, to get the zygomatic arch or the occipital arch right, the lips right.”

Two years ago, the hard work paid off when he landed a dream assignment: to create statues of Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb and former President George W. Bush for the Little League stadium and hall of fame in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Bush was present at the unveiling, and Glenn was nerCONTINUES ON PG. 6

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Spenser Heaps for the Deseret News

A detail of a welded portion of a likeness of Rosie the Riveter by sculptor Matt Glenn at Adonis Bronze in Alpine on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.

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6 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024 vous; he sat next to the former president, who is himself an artist, at the Little League Classic game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Bush thanked him, he says, “for not making me look like Alfred E. Neuman,” referring to the longtime face of Mad Magazine.

Bush may strike some as a controversial figure, although the darker aspects of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that started during his tenure in the White House may have lost some of their bite in light of political developments in recent years. But that makes him an interesting case study.

There seems to be a consensus that by memorializing a person in bronze, we elevate them in some fashion and integrate their lives into our collective memory. But who should we remember in this way? And how do we make sure that portrayal is honest and uplifting?

“We’re looking now at who should we commemorate, and how should we commemorate them,” says Alex von Tunzelmann, an independent historian and author of “Fallen Idols,” a history of statues that have been put up, and then taken down, at various times in history. It wasn’t that long ago that people were pulling down statues of Vladimir Lenin and Saddam Hussein. She is particularly intrigued by the new vogue for depicting ordinary people, or famous people brought down to the level of the spectator. “There’s all sorts of memorials going on that are brilliant.”

The latter happens to be Glenn’s forte. He’s even done a sculpture of a beloved neighborhood everyman in Manchester, New Hampshire. And he knows this medium has the power to illuminate the historical record, if not to right its wrongs. That’s why the Emmett Till project hit him differently. Photos of the slight, young teenager reminded Glenn of his own sons, one of whom was the same age at the time.

“He was only 14 years old,” Glenn says.

When Till’s family took him to visit Mississippi from their home in Chicago in 1955, he was profoundly unprepared to

Spenser Heaps for the Deseret News

Statues are still built the old-fashion way, with molten bronze poured into molds. Later, the bronze is treated to achieve a familiar patina.

navigate the South under Jim Crow. He was lynched after an makes a few clicks, and in an instant, we’re looking into the interaction with a store cashier. His death provoked widewide-eyed, half-smiling face of a young Emmett Till — soon spread outrage and helped to spark the Civil Rights Moveto be immortalized in bronze. ment, inspiring Rosa Parks and contributing to passage of This story appears in the October 2024 issue of Deseret MagSWA_2024_Print_Ads_DeseretNews_QuarterPage_Ad.pdf 1 to 11/1/24 the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Back at the computer, Hansen azine. Learn more about how subscribe.2:27 PM

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Spenser Heaps for the Deseret News

Glenn is the artist in the studio, but he is also supported by a team of specialists at the foundry.

Nov. 1, 2024 Jan. 12, 2025 Scan to learn more.

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Founding BYU Medical School dean details his plans Dr. Mark Ott talks about how long it will take to open the new school, the ties that took him to Johns Hopkins and Harvard, why a University of Utah graduate is a fit for BYU and God’s role in his life. can offer,” he said. “I have no doubt that we will have incredibly talented future doctors that will come. They’ll learn, they’ll succeed and they’ll go off to wonderful residencies, and then they’ll spend their lives contributing to people’s lives and blessing those lives throughout the world.”

BYU President Shane Reese said last month that the new building for the medical school will be built on campus. Ott said he couldn’t add any more specifics.

“It’ll be a wonderful place,” he said. “And it’ll be every bit in keeping with all the great things that are happening down there at the Provo campus.”

Did Dr. Mark Ott ever think BYU would have a medical school and that he would run it?

Courtesy Intermountain Health

Dr. Mark J. Ott has been appointed the inaugural dean of the BYU medical school, according to a BYU announcement on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.

By Tad Walch Deseret News

Mark Ott performed cancer surgery in Salt Lake City on Oct. 7. On Oct. 10, an announcement declared that the two-time University of Utah graduate will build the new BYU Medical School from scratch.

Ott, 62, spoke to the Deseret News about when the school might open, its potential location, how he will balance leaving one job and starting another and how surprised he is to be the medical school’s inaugural dean. He also talked about sports analytics and how he has balanced faith and career.

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which sponsors BYU, announced plans for the medical school in July.

“This is a gigantic undertaking that will require the efforts of hundreds and hundreds of people,” he said. “BYU is really well resourced for this kind of thing. It’s a great university and I’m positive that this will be a big success.”

When will the BYU Medical School open and where will it be built?

The school is a one-man operation right now, and Ott

doesn’t officially begin until Nov. 1, but when and where questions remain slightly premature. Still, they are what everyone wants to know.

“Of course there’s a timeline, but that timeline’s got hundreds of points that have to be met on it,” Ott said. “We are going to meet those. ... It’ll be two to three years before we have the first class here. There’s no way you can do it under that amount of time.”

He listed the major jobs to be done.

“We have to get accredited by what’s known as the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and that’s a lengthy process that is necessarily very rigorous.

• “We have to come up with a faculty over time.

• “We have to have hospitals and clinics and all those kind of places where we can teach these medical students how to deliver clinical care, so there’s important relationships to be forged in that area.

• “There will be the building of an actual physical structure that’ll be the medical school.”

• He predicted that excellent students will be attracted to the new school.

“There’s always going to be outstanding students who want to go into medicine, who want the kind of education that BYU

Because of BYU’s stature, the university could have had a medical school in recent decades. “It’s an outstanding educational entity,” Ott said. “But medical schools are very complicated, and I can see why it didn’t, for a long time, fit with the mission of BYU. “At this point, there’s no question that it does, because of the church’s humanitarian interests throughout the world and its desire to bless the lives of people, both physically and spiritually. Delivering health care to people, both here and throughout the world, is a ministry.”

Ott said he’s always seen his medical work that way.

“I get to see miracles daily, and I get to be involved with people who are really good people going through difficult things,” he said.

Ott said he is now looking forward to the chance to extend that to other people, to be part of “training a new generation of physicians to bless people’s lives with the skills they acquire, married with what BYU alone brings — this understanding of how we relate to God and and our responsibility towards our brothers and sisters here on Earth.”

He never aspired to be a medical school dean, though he has the experience.

“The honest answer is, no,” he said. “I love teaching. I’ve been involved in education since I first went into medicine. ... I love leadership. I love building programs, and I’ve done a lot of that with Intermountain and back at Mass General, but I never thought this would be me.”

Who is Dr. Mark Ott?

Ott was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Sandy when it was mostly farmland and undeveloped.

“I grew up at about 80th South and 20th East,” he said.

Ott says his family bled BYU blue through and through. So how did he end up earning both his degrees at the University of Utah — a bachelor’s in Chemistry and his medical degree?

“I planned on going to BYU my whole life, but I got a much better scholarship to the U,” he said. “So I went to the University of Utah and that was a gigantic blessing in my life. I met my wife there, between college and medical school. We got married and then went to medical school there, and every bit of my education, both undergraduate and medical school at the U, was just a great experience. I loved it, and was very happy with it.”

DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024 The ties to BYU remained. Two of his sisters were cheerleaders, one at BYU and one at Utah. Four of his children attended BYU, and one went to Utah.

“We’ve got all kinds of crossover connections in my family,” he said.

Ott married Emily Johnson, who died suddenly five years ago.

He married Stefanie Condie two years ago. Condie is the sister of Brigitte Madrian, the dean of BYU’s School of Business.

of trustees, and his two counselors, who are vice chairs of the board.

Ott spoke with the First Presidency and was thrilled to be given the job. “But it’s much more than that, obviously,” he said.

Faith has been the guiding force in Ott’s career, he said.

“I love to plan things out, and I love to have goals,” he said. However, over the years he has seen that as he does his “best to do what I think is the right thing,” and is willing to walk through unanticipated doors, “that path always turns out better than what I had planned.”

“I have absolute faith that God knows what he’s doing and that he can use the talents that he’s given me to help me do more than I would ever believe I could have done. I’ve been just in awe of what he can accomplish if I’ll just be willing to walk through into the unknown.”

The ties that drew Ott from Utah to Johns Hopkins, Harvard and back

After conducting cancer research in medical school, Ott decided to pursue surgical oncology.

As a medical student, Ott worked under a junior member of the cardiology faculty at Utah, Dr. Dale G. Renlund, now a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ. Dr. Renlund suggested Ott apply where he did his own residency and a fellowship, the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Ott did both his general surgery and surgical oncology fellowship there in Baltimore. Afterward, he took a job at Massachusetts General Hospital, the largest teaching hospital for Harvard.

He thought he’d never leave, but Intermountain Healthcare recruited him to return to Utah to replace Dr. Don Doty as chief of surgery. Doty was a legend recruited to Utah by President Russell M. Nelson, a pioneer in cardiothoracic surgery who convinced Doty to join his practice.

Ott treated Doty, who later died of cancer in 2019. Doty had operated on many Latter-day Saint leaders with President Nelson watching over his shoulder.

When will Ott start at BYU and how will God help him juggle two jobs?

When Ott will start at BYU may sound complicated, but not to him. He said he’s been working with Reese and others for weeks, and starts now. But his official start day is Nov. 1 and he needs time to wind down his medical practice.

“I’m very used to working multiple full-time jobs,” he said.

“I’ve done that most of my life. I did that for Intermountain for 20 years, but I need to finish taking care of the people that I’m taking care of. I have this trust relationship with these patients ... .”

He planned to finish operating by the end of the month, but will continue some clinical responsibilities for a while.

“Start dates and all that stuff are less important than that the job gets done,” he said. “I have to finish the job that I’m currently doing, and I have to start the job and the opportunity that I’ve been given, and both will get done.”

He trusts God to help him manage both.

A call from President Russell M. Nelson

About a month ago, Ott was asked to come with his wife to meet with President Nelson, the chair of the BYU board

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Reese taught Ott’s son, who earned a master’s in statistics at BYU. Reese once worked for the Philadelphia Eagles when Andy Reid was the coach.

“This son of mine, like President Reese, has a real passion for sports analytics,” Ott said. “It was fun for this to come along, because my son actually works for the Cleveland Guardians on their baseball analytics team. So I have that other cross connection to President Reese, as well.”

“BYU set him up perfectly for this job,” Ott said, “and that’s one thing that I’ve noticed over the years, is BYU is very good at setting people up for a good career but also contributing to the world.”

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Many are excited to learn how BYU’s new medical school will focus on international health.

“That’s to be determined, but it’s very clear that this is part of the mission of this medical school,” Ott said. “That’s part of what the leadership is going to have to develop in connection with the board of trustees at BYU.” International students will come to BYU and people trained at the new medical school will likely do some of their practice outside the United States, he said.

This is a medical school that will be “a phenomenal place and unique in all the world,” Ott said.

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“I learned this in Boston,” Ott said. “I was a very busy surgeon, and I was a bishop in a ward back there, and the Lord knew exactly how hard I could work. If my ward needed my attention, then work would slow down. If my work needed more attention, then my ward would slow down. God could turn one faucet on and another one off, and he just let me run as fast as I could, but he never asked more than that.”

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CHURCH NEWS

What Church leaders taught about optimism and joy in general conference ‘The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again!’ President Nelson says

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Audience members stand for a rest hymn during the Sunday morning session of the 194th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.

By Aimee Cobabe Church News

A life of joy is possible by coming unto Christ, taught President Russell M. Nelson in October 2024 general conference on Sunday, Oct. 6.

His message was one of hope in the future — especially looking forward to when Jesus Christ will come again.

“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again!” he said.

President Nelson joyfully testified: “The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”

President Nelson said the decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision he ever made. That decision has helped him “weather the storms of life.” And he promised this same divine help to all who follow Jesus Christ — especially through regular worship in the temple.

“Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple,” President Nelson said. “You will feel His mercy.

You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.”

President Nelson was one of several Church leaders whose messages shared themes of optimism and joy during the October 2024 general conference.

Each messenger testified of the Savior as the greatest source and reason for optimism and joy.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of events to look forward to in the next

decade that will “result in extraordinary opportunities to serve, to unite with members and friends, and to introduce The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to more people than ever before.”

These events include the 100th birthday of President Nelson, the building and dedication of temples around the world, the bicentennial of the organization of the Church in 2030 and the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2034.

Elder Stevenson explained the meaning of the words “glad tidings.”

He shared that President Nelson taught him that this phrase comes from the original Greek word “euangelion,” which literally means “good news” or “gospel.”

“Happiness and joy in this life and the next are always linked with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Elder Stevenson said.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that “the gift of hope is a priceless endowment from God.” “Hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ,” Elder Andersen said.

He shared a story of his grand-nephew, Trey Andersen, to show how hope grows from faith. During a heart transplant surgery for Trey, there were devastating complications, and he never regained consciousness.

Even though the pain of losing Trey was great, his parents were both comforted after his death with feelings of absolute joy.

Elder Andersen shared a note in Trey’s journal, taken

from President Nelson’s general conference talk, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” given in October 2016: “It doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers.

His joy is constant, assuring us that our ‘afflictions shall be but a small moment’ and be consecrated to our gain.”

Elder Andersen concluded his talk with a promise: “The peace you seek may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, His peace will come.”

Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles titled his talk Saturday afternoon: “Welcome to the Church of Joy.” He taught, “Because of the loving plan of our Heavenly Father for each of His children and because of the redeeming life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can — and should — be the most joyful people on earth.”

He described how joy can be felt, expressed and shared during sacrament meetings.

Elder Kearon suggested turning on its head the practice of “thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before.”

Instead, he urged: “In the stillness, we can ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with His wonderful love that week. We can reflect on what it means to discover the joy of daily repentance. We can give thanks for the times the Savior entered into our struggles and our triumphs and the occasions where we felt His grace, forgiveness and power giving us strength to overcome our hardships and bear our burdens with patience and even good cheer.”

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HOLIDAY GIF T GUIDE

THE DESERET NEWS 2024

GIFT GUIDE

We find interesting items to spark your shopping creativity during this most hectic of seasons.

By Lois M. Collins Deseret News

The holidays are racing into sight and it seems this ultra-busy season leaves little time to decide on gifts or even gather your breath. And time always speeds up as the holidays come closer.

Santa Claus said he’s tired just thinking about it — but, oh, how he loves this time of year!

No worries for you or the Jolly Old Elf. At Deseret News, we’ve been gathering ideas to help you make everyone’s wishes come true! Whether you’re shopping for gamers, little guys or hard-working and exhausted parents, we’ve got ideas. We’ve been combing the shelves online and in person. Here are some suggestions for holiday gifting that will make your task easier and the recipient happier.

We’ve looked at ages, price ranges and other factors to curate a list that’s bound to delight someone on your list. The prices listed were true when we found them. You may be able to snag a deal with holiday sales. Happy holidays!

Nex Playground Interactive Game System

Smartivity DIY Pinball Machine

$199

For kids 8-14. Toy of the Year finalist in 2022. It’s a wooden engineering game that promises to last 1,000 hours, free replacement parts if needed. Build, then have a ball.

With motion tracking, full of family fun and physical play. Includes 5 games, more available with subscription.

$34.39

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

13

Peekaboo Pillow newborn lounger

Kizik shoes

Glo Pals Pick-Up Pals

The four-in-one design makes it perfect for playing, tummy time, elevated feeding and reflux relief. Washable, removable covers sold separately.

The “no tying, no pulling, no hands” shoes of your dreams.

Slide them on and go. Many styles and colors.

Toddler sensory tools play pack supports sensory development and motor skills. For 18 months and older. Play with your surroundings. You can add the light-up cubes and fun fillers, sold separately.

Peekaboo Pillow

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$149

Prices vary

$17

Spirit of Christmas gift set

Gorjana Newport Birthstone Bracelet

HyperTiles

A Deseret Book favorite, the book is $18.99, matching resin Nativity lantern is $49.99. Bring home the season’s meaning.

This solid 14k gold, delicate bracelet features six of a loved one’s birthstones. January garnet is pictured.

By Fun in Motion Toys, Kids — and adults — build super-cool things based on a mathematical shape called a hyperbolic paraboloid. STEM creativity in action.

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Hess 2024 Holiday Truck

1984

GuruNanda’s Advanced Dental Water Flosser 2.0 with UV Light

This one is extra special, marking Hess’ 60th anniversary with a firetruck, motorcycle and car. So many cute features, including lights, sound and pull-back motor, not to mention free shipping and batteries.

Revisit BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship win with a commemorative magazine. Order at deseret.com/1984.

$29.99

Hess

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$45.99.

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Has 3 flossing modes: soft, normal, and strong, with an added UV mode for sanitizing. Compact for oral care on-the-go, it’s safe for kids and adults.

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14 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

Ooly’s Shrink-its! DIY Shrink Art Bracelet Kit - BFF

ArmorSiren portable alarm security system

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Color, bake and string it on the bracelet.

Millie+Roo Pajamas Starts at $22

Decks the family out in style with playful designs.

Provides security and theft protection you need at the beach, while traveling or playing sports. Compact, but armed with a loud siren when device movement is detected.

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

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Large as Life King Penguin trivia penguin

FanRoll Dungeons & Dragons Then and Now

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(Or koala or red panda.) Fifty pieces, each with a trivia question. Astra Star Play Award 2024 finalist.

Set marks the 50th anniversary with both a retro and modern inspired set of dice. Replica dice and new hand-polished sharp edge set made with cutting-edge technology.

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Has no beads, which can be tricky with little kids. These help children reduce stress and promote sleep.

By Giardini di Toscana, hints of caramel, vanilla and honey with musk make this luxury aroma unforgettable.

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18 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

Garbage Play Dough Kit

Cotopaxi Allpa 35 backpack

Gecko Run: Marble Run Starter Set

(Rootbeer scent.) Features everything a child (ages 3+) needs to play for hours, including a garbage truck and surprises you can dig for in the dump. Soft pliable dough that’s great for building.

Opens like a suitcase, with mesh sections to organize items.

Lightweight, durable and easy to carry.

By Thames & Kosmos uses next-level classic marble runs and lets you build it mostly the way you want it. Great fun! Ages 8+.

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20 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

Chill Pill Pave stud earrings $68

Trot elevated dog bowl set

Pudgy Penguins

With puzzle slow feeder, water bowl, mat, stand and noleak lids.

Started as NFTs and have morphed into physical huggables! You can pick a favorite stuffed penguin. Scan the code and get traits (some rare), have a unique Pudgy registered to your name in Penguin World, trade traits and play minigames. So many critters.

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

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22 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

TickTalk5

Acacia Wood serving spoons

Snap Grip

“Safe kids” cellular smartwatch for children 3-12. No internet connection, games or social media. Secure voice and video calls, chat, talk-to-text, location tracking, 911 calls, activity trackers, streaming music, more. Secure 4G nationwide network.

Ame Atendre are understated, elegant and durable. Perfect for small servings of spreads, olives and nuts.

Fits any smartphone and is a grip, a stand and more. MagSafe® compatible with wireless charge-through. Since it’s thinner than your camera bumps, you won’t snag it on your pockets. Plus, it’s magnetic so you can mount it anywhere. So many colors.

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

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24 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

Dime Travel Bag

Paper Dragon Airplane

Botanical Bath & Body Gift Set

Will hold all your makeup, shaving gear or other accessories in its tidy, capacious compartments. There’s a lot of room in this little bag.

By Powerup Toys. Specially created LED lights means you can fly at night and landing gear makes take off and landing smoother. 8+. Build it and fly it, controlling it with your phone.

Sea Salt & Lavender. Set by Formulary 55 includes shea butter bath bar, shea butter hand & body creme and sparkling bath tablet. Other fragrances available.

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Lovesac Footsac

Enso Rings

Skullcandy PUSH ANC Active

50" x 70" blanket has a built-in foot pocket is heavy, soft and uses synthetic fake fur. Machine washable, hang dry.

Made of high-quality silicone. Buy them separately or in a set.

Love Star Wars? Lord of the Rings? Disney? DC? There’s a ring for that. This one’s the Fellowship from Lord of the Rings.

Wireless earbuds with noise canceling. Designed for active folks, it’s sweat and waterproof, 58 hours total battery and rapid charge. Over the ears.

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

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26 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

The CAEP

Paw Patrol My First Instant Camera

Foxgloves

A hands-free stylish accessory that keeps your phone safe with interchangeable straps, handmade wristlets, chains and wallet attachments. No fear you’ll drop or lose your phone. Multiple styles.

By Canal Toys. Photo, selfie and video camera. Ink-free printing. Amazon exclusive. Add-ons.

A gardener’s dream: durable, lightweight and flexible so you can do all those tasks as if your hands were bare.

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The Smurfs Dreams video game Prices vary with platform

Available on multiple platforms.Family friendly with great art.

Momcozy Sunrise Sound Machine $49.99

Prices vary

Dreamighty wearable throw blankets $39.99

Rouses you with mellow yellow light, soothing melodies for gentle wake-up call.

Has pocket sleeves so you can wear it or use it as a throw blanket.

Momcozy

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

27

28 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

World’s Smallest Toys

Komarc’s StickiKubes

Klee Twinkle Forest Holiday Deluxe Makeup Kit

By Super Impulse USA features an iconic line that keeps growing with classic toys and games generations have loved. So many choices. Ages 6+.

Customized polymer without adhesive sticks to anything but cloth. Kids make custom 2D and 3D designs with 125 cubes.

$32.49

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$5.99-$7.99

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Ages 6+, uses natural minerals, beeswax, shea butter and mango seed butter. Non-toxic.

Klee Naturals

Casabella Power Spin Scrubber

Franz Easy Blemish Care

GoodCook PRO Soak & Strainer Colander

Cordless and rechargeable. Spin brush for cleaning has four attachments: two flat brushes, an angled brush and a dome brush. Extendable to nearly 4 feet.

Has three phases: Early Blemish Naked Spot Patch, Blemish Care Naked Spot Patch and Blemish Recovery Naked Spot.

Dozens of spots in each pack, which are priced separately. Great stocking stuffer for teens.

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Casabella

Franz Skincare

MSRP $49.99

$10 each

Features 2-in-1 design so you can soak your food with water, then attach the strainer to quickly drain the water. The 3-quart bowl can be used without the strainer as well. Flip the strainer into the bowl for small compact storage.

GoodCooks

DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

A Gift That’s Worth Applauding – Live Theatre!

Cyber Monday Sale — December 2 Save $10 per ticket The 2025 Season MACBETH • AS YOU LIKE IT • ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA STEEL MAGNOLIAS • THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER 800-PLAYTIX | bard.org | #utahshakes

A scene from The Winter’s Tale, 2024.

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30 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

DESERET NEWS

The art of the deal: As holiday shopping ramps up, try these tips

By Lois M. Collins Deseret News

Halloween’s barely passed, Thanksgiving is a few weeks away and already the kaching-ching-jingle of holiday shopping is getting underway. Consumer confidence may have taken a hit recently, but as Deseret News projects and business reporter Art Raymond reported not long ago, retailers and those who track sales say the 2024 holiday shopping season’s apt to delight both shoppers and sellers.

It’s supposed to be a banner holiday season in terms of spending.

Raymond cited a new forecast from Adobe Analytics that says U.S. shoppers will spend around $240.8 billion online from now until Dec. 31. That’s a pretty decent 8% growth, if it holds true. And brick-and-mortar businesses are hoping for equally cheery spending news.

But take a deep breath before you hit the malls or settle in to shop online, experts say. Because besides being a banner year for legitimate businesses, it could also be a banner year for wily crooks who keep finding new and old ways to grab your cash.

There are big advantages to both online shopping — like being in your jammies at 3 a.m. Ditto for going to the physical retailer, such as touching the product and getting it right now.

As you gear up to find the perfect something for the people on your naughty and nice list, here are some tips from experts on how to make sure that the holidays stay jolly, rather than full of folly. Here’s some of the best shopping advice out there, courtesy of experts who year in and year out track the joys and jarring moments of this gift-giving season. Hopefully, their sage advice will help keep everyone safe and the holidays happy.

Getting the most for your money

Most of us are pretty good at searching reviews on items we want to buy. But are you good at searching reviews on sellers? That’s job one when it comes to making sure that transactions are smooth and no one’s taking advantage of your urge to splurge on those you love.

Here are a few money-saving tips: • Set a budget and stick with it. The website BravoDeal.com said tools like Mint, You Need a Budget or PocketGuard track spending as you go, so you will know when you’re approaching the limit you set.

• Learn what the things you’re interested in normally sell for. If you know regular prices, you’ll be able to tell when you’ve found a deal. Don’t stop there, though. To get the best deal, look to see if other reputable retailers can beat the price you found. There are also apps that track price history. Marco Farnararo, CEO and co-founder of BravoDeals, noted that “When purchasing items during a busy sale, it’s important to be strategic to ensure you’re getting the best deal and value for your money. Therefore, it’s important to be prepared, monitor any items you are interested in buying and compare prices to external websites to ensure you are getting a deal.”

• Don’t spend a lot of money on an item without checking out its reviews. And again, look at the reviews of the stores, both online and brick-and-mortar, to be sure you’re dealing with reputable folks. That becomes important if there’s

Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

An employee gives change to a customer at Thread at City Creek Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.

something wrong with an item and you need to return it, for instance. Only deal with reputable sellers.

• BravoDeal says if you are going to be looking for specific items on Amazon, add them to your wish list early, which will help you spot deals if they go live.

• Check a seller’s return policies. Some items and retailers have shorter return windows. And some sellers have very short windows and strict policies you ought to know in advance. Don’t assume that general practice of a 30-day window is actually true. Be certain.

• Coupons and promotional codes are a great help for saving money. Look for them before you go to a physical store or online before you check out. A number of sites and browser extensions help with that. But be picky there, too. Some “helper” apps may not be legit or can expose you to security concerns. Again, the rule is reviews, reviews, reviews.

• Don’t be impulsive. Stick to needs. And as Fidelity counsels, “HALT. Don’t buy something if you’re hungry, angry, lonely or tired.” Just wait.

• Act like your credit card is cash. It’s just as real and so is what you spend with it.

• Don’t be lured by discounts to buy something you don’t really need or want.

• Avoid buy now, pay later. Fidelity notes that interest rates may run as high as 36.99% and you may have fees up to a quarter of the purchase price if you miss a payment. If you miscalculate, the price could be high indeed.

Well-known holiday scams

Black Friday brings out scams that consumers should be on guard against. High traffic days like Black Friday or Cyber Monday prove irresistible to those who create counterfeit products, which often look a lot like authentic items. Warning signs can include extremely low prices or unknown brands, though some unknown brands are just new and everyone has to start somewhere. Paying attention to factors like seller ratings and verified reviews can help sort that out.

Being told you “won” could be nothing more than a way to get your personal information. Be skeptical and don’t part with things like bank account number unless you’ve been able to verify that something is legit.

Lately, we’ve been hit with a lot of “delivery problem” notices that ask us to verify address and other information.

Check directly with the seller (don’t click links) if there’s any chance it’s legitimate.

If it doesn’t come from the retailer’s official email or app, steer clear. Watch for misspelled words and generic greetings. If you ordered something, they know you name and ought to use it. Look closely at the sender address. If it’s walmmart.com or Deserett.com, for example, it’s bogus.

Online’s a good place to test your spelling skills.

Speaking of scams, consumer protection experts say to CONTINUES ON PG. 32

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32 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024 avoid saying “yes” on the phone when you receive an unexpected solicitation of any sort. Don’t even answer the question “Can you hear me?” that way. Instead, say “I can.”

Scammers sometimes record and then use the “yes” in ways that make it sound like you agreed to whatever they’re trying to get out of you.

Don’t be fooled or scammed

• Watch for fake reviews. Signs that something smells off include super-positive reviews that lack detail and reviews that all sound alike in terms of wording. ReviewMeta and Fakespot both claim to help spot questionable online reviews. according to Bravodeal.com.

• Logins should use a strong, unique password that isn’t used on other sites or tied to information people would know about you, like your birthday.

• Keep the software on your device, browser and app up to date.

• Fake websites take your money and give you nothing but heartburn. Don’t just click links. Type in the retailer’s address. Watch URLs carefully for little deviations. And make sure there’s a padlock symbol indicating a site’s secure. The URL itself on a secure site starts with https. Look for that s.

• Watch terms and conditions on gift cards, especially if you are actually giving it as a gift. No one wants to give someone a card to a store that isn’t real or that makes them work hard to use the gift.

• Webroot.com warns about e-stores that ask for more information than is needed. Buy something and you’ll need to provide payment method, shipping address, phone number and email. But they don’t need your bank account number, social security, or driver license number. Walk away. Also, if you decide to take the little survey about your interests, etc., which is supposed to help enhance your customer experience, take a minute and read the

privacy policy to see if they are going to sell or share you information and if so, who will receive it.

• Use different, hard to guess passwords on each retail site.

• Check the shipping terms, because some retailers make up for a sweet deal with a very sour add-on for shipping. Find that out before you provide payment information. Also, you’ll want to know when your items will ship and whether they’re coming by a reputable carrier quickly or will take a long time to arrive.

• PC Magazine’s online shopping tips start with a warning about a “card declined scam.” You’re asked to enter another payment method. Lucky you. You just paid twice and may not even get the merchandise you thought you purchased once.

• That article also suggests you pay with your phone in stores. “Using a mobile payment app like Apple Pay or Google Pay means you’ve authenticated your identity using your device, so no one else can claim to be you and steal your data or money.

Plus, you avoid card skimmers.”

• The Better Business Bureau has a scam tracker.

Review what’s going around before you start your holiday shopping and check back, too.

Finally, if you get scammed online, get revenge. File a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Megan Nielsen, Deseret News

Shoppers set their bags down on Black Friday at City Creek Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.

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DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

this is the place for Holiday Memories CHRISTKINDLMARKT

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS

DEC 4TH – 7TH FREE EVENT FOR ALL

DEC 10TH – 23RD

Inspired by the world famous German Christmas markets, Christkindlmarkt SLC offers a unique holiday shopping and cultural experience this season.

Tantalizing food and festive holiday entertainment await you as you stroll through wooden vendor booths nestled amid the magical backdrop of This Is The Place Heritage Park.

(MON-SAT)

It’s hard to describe the magic of Candlelight Christmas. We’d like you to experience it! The Village is decorated like a Currier & Ives card, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a step back in time when you join us for this enchanting event.

BRING YOUR FAMILY TODAY! 2601 E Sunnyside Ave, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108 ThisIsThePlace.org • 801.582.1847

33

34 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

Make as many words as you can using the letters in © 2024

40, No. 50

“READ NEWSPAPERS EVERY DAY”

Valuable Headlines

The number code below assigns a value to every letter of the alphabet.

Figure out the “value” of a headline in the newspaper. Then see if you can find another headline with a higher value.

Reading is powerful! If you read 20 minutes a day just for the fun of it, you would read about 1.8 million words in year! That amount of reading gives kids an edge in school.

A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 E =5 F =6

The newspaper offers great ways to play games that help you read more. A subscription to a newspaper brings reading opportunities to your doorstep every day!

G=7 H= 8 I =9 J = 10 K = 11 L = 12

M= 13 N = 14 O = 15 P = 16 Q = 17 R = 18

S = 19 T = 20 U = 21 V = 22

W = 23 X 24 Y = 25 Z 26 =

Draw a line connecting each gift with its exact twin. Circle the gift that is one-of-a-kind.

Word Game

Can you find the letters that spell the Su word SUBSCRIPTION on one page agr bscr pub ee ipt lica men ion: of the newspaper? Circle each letter then connect the letters per tion f t to bu An iod or a y a in the order that spells of t cer S-U-B-S-C-R-I-P-T-I-O-N. ime tain .

Color in the design made by the lines.

Just for Laughs

Save a few days’ worth of your favorite comic strip. At your holiday gathering, have family members help you put on a show by acting out the comic strips for family and friends.

Find Happy

Look through the newspaper for words and pictures that show what is, in your opinion, an example of: • a happy word • a happy picture • a happy person • a happy group • a happy occasion Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.

1-5 WORDS: GOOD START 5-15 WORDS: WORDFUL WONDER 16 WORDS OR MORE: HEADLINE HERO Standards Link: Spelling: Spell grade-level appropriate words correctly.

the words by looking up, NEWSPAPER Find down, backwards, forwards, ALPHABET sideways and diagonally.

READING A L U F R E W O P R POWERFUL N L D O I R E P O E ASSIGN G R P W S U E W D P PERIOD SQUARE A R E H L R O O A A WORDS M A O A A R C S G P VALUE E E V U D B S U I S GROUP Y Q S P I E S F W B GAME CODE C S R I G P N T T E EDGE T I O N N E D G E N GIFT Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical YEAR words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.

Good Advice

Write a piece of good advice for people to remember.

DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024

35

EVENTS Aquarium Lantern Festival

Nov. 11 Time: 5:30pm-10pm Location: 12033 South Lone Peak Parkway - Draper https://livingplanetaquarium.org/events-and-camps/ lantern-festival/

AVATAR: The Last Airbender In Concert Nov. 12 - 1 7pm Location: 131 Main Street - SLC | (801) 355-2787 https://www.saltlakecountyarts.org/events/avatar-thelast-airbender-in-concert/

Acorn Antiques and Vintage Market

Nov. 15 - 17 Time: 5pm-9pm Location: 1000 North 1200 West - Ogden https://www.facebook.com/events/1046557240413756

Salt Lake Home Expo

Nov. 15 - 17 Time: 12pm-8pm Location: 9575 S. State Street - Sandy https://festivalnet.com/97306/Sandy-Utah/Trade-Shows/ Salt-Lake-Home-Expo,-November

Wild Kratts Live 2.0 - Activate Creature Power

Nov. 15 3:30pm Location: 131 Main St - SLC https://live-at-the-eccles.com/events/wild-kratts-live

Lehi Arts in the Park 2024

Nov. 17 - 8 Time: 7pm-9pm Location: 500 North Center Street - Lehi https://www.lehi-ut.gov/event/51332/2024-11-17/

A Merry Little Christmas Show

Nov. 21 - 22 Time: 7pm-9pm Location: 425 West Center Street - Provo https://coveycenter.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=2307

100 Year Celebration

Nov. 22 - 23 Time: 4pm-8pm Location: 2501 Wall Avenue - Ogden https://www.ogdencity.com/2707/Centennial-CelebrationEvents

1st Annual Tree Lighting

Kamas WinterFest 2024

Nov. 30 Time: 2pm-5pm Location: 50 E 400 S - Kamas https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/kamaswinterfest-2024/

Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz

Dec. 1 6pm Location: 301 W South Temple - SLC https://seatgeek.com/utah-jazz-tickets/12-1-2024-salt-lakecity-utah-delta-center-1/nba/6480797?aid=605

Nov. 22 Time: 4pm-6:30pm Location: 6699 N Landmark Dr - Park City https://junctioncommons.com/events/junction-commonstree-lighting

Traveling Treasures 2024

Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks

2nd Annual Carol of Drums Festival

Nov. 23 3pm Location: 301 W South Temple - SLC

32nd Annual Spanish Fork Festival of Lights Nov. 28 - 11 Time: 6pm-10pm Location: 3300 E. Powerhouse Rd - Spanish Fork https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/32nd-annualspanish-fork-festival-of-lights/

2024 Spanish Fork Christmas Gift and Craft Show

Nov. 29 - 30 Time: 9am-7pm Location: 475 South Main Street - Spanish Fork https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/2024-spanishfork-christmas-gift-and-craft-show/

Dec. 2 Location: 440 West Parrish Lane - Centerville https://nhmu.utah.edu/events/traveling-treasures-2024centerville Dec. 3 7:30pm Location: Browning Center for the Performing Arts Val A. Browning Center , Room 105 - Ogden https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/2nd-annualcarol-of-drums-festival/

2024 Holiday Festival

Dec. 7 6pm Location: 5662 South Cougar Lane - Kearns https://www.facebook.com/events/7787503461377092/

Herriman Chorale Christmas Concert Dec. 9 Time: 7pm-9pm Location: 11917 Mustang Trail Way - Herriman https://www.nowplayingutah.com/event/herrimanchorale-christmas-concert/

*Events and details are subject to change. Please visit the event websites for the most up to date and correct information.

36 DESERET NEWS | NOVEMBER 2024