The celebration officially began Thursday evening with the Ribbon Ceremony. I wasn't planning on attending such an event until I was at work earlier in the day and heard Heidi ask Morgan and myself if we were sticking around to see it. We bothered her further and found out that at 7 pm in the lobby there would be a ceremony and it would be something to see. The bakery was also providing free cupcakes and cake as part of the celebration. I am a sucker for the bakery's cupcakes and if you have ever devoured their deliciousness, my guess is that you are too.
Mom was thinking of coming in when I mentioned the displays and the cupcakes because she is big on history, especially history of such places that are a big deal to the Hortins. After my shift, I walked into the lobby and saw just what the building had in store. Completely intrigued, I walked into the informational office to double check on just what was going on and was informed that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would be practicing at 6 pm, the program started at 6:30 pm, and President Thomas S. Monson would be cutting the ribbon at 7 pm. Well, that was all I needed to know. I gave my mother a call and we made it possible for the whole family minus Maggie to get downtown for the program.
We drove into the building and parked for free, thanks to my employee badge that waves the parking charge. Then, we walked into the lobby as it was beginning to fill up. Through some maneuvering, we were positioned in the north west corner, about 15 to 20 feet from the pulpit where the prophet would speak. The choir was just finishing up a run-through of "Happy Birthday Joseph Smith Building" and we had the pleasure of hearing the following run-through of "Praise to the Man."
When the choir finished their practice, there was still a half hour before the program would actually begin. Big-shot Brent Shingleton, CEO of Temple Square Hospitality, (in other words : my boss's boss's boss) stood and announced that there would be a few minutes before the actual program and to hold tight. Afraid that we would lose our space, we hung around, taking everything in. The hosts and hostesses of the building had dressed up in costumes accustomed to the early 1900s. The girls kept pointing out impressive costumes to each other while Dad struck up a conversation about the building and its history with complete strangers.
Finally, the prophet arrived and the Ribbon Ceremony began. Standing in our corner, we were less than ten feet away from him when he walked past the elevators to the front and within twenty feet while he stood at the pulpit. Dear President Monson- when he walked up to place where the statue of Joseph Smith was located, he patted Brother Joseph on the shoulder and waved to the crowd. After Spencer Herzog, another member of the Head Cheese that likes to make life difficult for the Banquet sector, gave the opening prayer, the Choir began with a lovely oldie but a goodie, "It's a Grand Night for Singing." Dad was in heaven and mentioned that few people could experience the Tab Choir in surround sound the same way we were at that time. It was completely delightful. The choir continued to sing "Happy Birthday" and "Praise to the Man," each of which was wonderful. I love choirs. I love both singing and listening and I loved every minute of it.
The actual cutting of the ribbon was fun to watch because of the prophet. Wonderful man that he is, when they handed him the ceremonial scissors, his jaw dropped at their massive size. Sharing three free red velvet and chocolate cupcakes and a slice of cake later, the ceremony was officially over. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad that I could share it with most my family.
You should go sometime this summer and check out the displays in the lobby. Completely worth it. Did you know that Bing Crosby stayed in the Hotel Utah? Or that when it opened there were less than twenty people on staff???
No comments:
Post a Comment