We learned that during the rain storm that washed out our dress rehearsal on Monday, we received almost 4 inches of rain in 4 hours. You could tell who were the desert dwellers, because we just stood in awe of all the water. The Country Fair field that is part of the pageant was under water. Fortunately, after the floods last year, they dug a drainage system and by Tuesday (opening night) the field was ready for visitors.
Here are a couple pictures of the water. The top image shows part of the field. They said that in some places the water was more than 3 feet deep.
The pageant has received good media coverage locally. Here are some articles from local papers:
Here is an article from the Keokuk IA Newspaper (about 20 minutes Southwest of Nauvoo across the river.)
And one from Quincy IL about 45 minutes South of Nauvoo.
Another one from Burlington, IA about 30 minutes North of Nauvoo.
A message that the directors have helped us to understand as we prepared for the pageant is that we are not "pretending" to be saints in Nauvoo. We ARE saints in Nauvoo. Each of us has challenges, each of us made sacrifices to be here. Each of us is imperfect. We have plenty of opportunities to be offended, hot, sweaty, uncomfortable, grumpy, etc. But we are learning what it means to overlook offenses, endure discomfort without complaining, help each other and try to represent our ancestors and our own families with joy. And the results are amazing. In a short period of time we have come to love all the members of the cast and crew and to love the work we are doing. And I am sure that is the secret behind the power of the pageant.
Every night, we are overwhelmed by the experience and those who come to see the pageant are visibly moved as well. We hate to see it end.
1 comment:
It has been an incredibly wet spring/summer in the Midwest. We took a family trip to Nauvoo in early June this year and experienced rain like you have been describing, but now that we are "midwesterners" we are somewhat used to it. We have had similar rain in Omaha this year too, but of course we aren't as rural, so at least within the city there are only a few places where it actually floods. You wouldn't believe the size of the drains on the streets here, even in residential neighborhoods. They are literally big enough for children to be swept into. It scares me as a parent! Thanks for keeping us updated on your Nauvoo adventures. We love Nauvoo!!
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