Memorial Day kicks off Nauvoo summer performances

NAUVOO, Ill — The Hughes Brothers of Branson, Mo., will kick off the 2010 summer season in Historic Nauvoo, a town steeped in Mormon history, with performances Memorial Day weekend.

The Brothers, with their "World's Largest Performing Family," will appear on Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 29, and again Monday, May 31. Both nights' performances start at 8:30 p.m. and are free.

More than 40 people, including spouses and children, are involved in the Hughes Brothers' performances.

"Sunset by the Mississippi," a high-spirited variety show, will be presented at 7 p.m. each of those evenings on the Historic Nauvoo Outdoor Stage. The Hughes Family performance will follow immediately on the same stage.

On Saturday, May 29, Nauvoo is sponsoring the "Great River Grillin', Nauvoo Throw Down" Barbeque Cook-Off, with tasting 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.

At 4 p.m., "Common Bond," a "southern rockin' country" band, will perform. From noon until 4 p.m., the "Art-Sippi Art Crawl" will feature eight local artists showcasing their work. The art walk continues across the River in Fort Madison, where eight additional artists will be featured. For more information, see beautifulnauvoo.com.

On Monday, May 31, a Memorial Day service of remembrance will feature speaker Mary Logan, lifetime resident of Nauvoo. A short parade at 11:30 a.m., led by the Nauvoo Brass Band, will include members of local veterans' organizations. The parade will end at the city park, north of City Hall, and the service will begin at noon.

Memorial Day weekend also marks the opening of a summer schedule of almost constant entertainment in Nauvoo.

"Sunset by the Mississippi" will be performed every night starting May 29 except Sunday, until Aug. 14. "High Hopes and River Boats," a musical play, will be staged in the Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center every afternoon, Monday through Saturday, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. And "Just Plain Anna-Amanda," a fun children's play, will be performed in the Cultural Hall on Main Street at 10:45 a.m. and 12:45 pm.

"Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" will continue each night except Sunday in the Cultural Hall at 7 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.

The Nauvoo Pageant will be performed again this summer, from July 6 to 31, running Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 p.m.. Each night, before the pageant, a Frontier Country Fair will feature games for children, square dance lessons and a host of other  activities.

In addition, BYU performers entertain in Nauvoo each summer. The Young Ambassadors will appear from June 8 to19, and Vocal Point, an capella group, will perform from June 22 to July 3. The BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble will perform August 3 to 14.

The BYU performing groups, during their stay, will also appear in many communities in the area, including an evening show by each group in Carthage, Ill.  As part of their stay, the groups will be presenting firesides and sing on Sunday evenings as part of the "Sunday Sociable" tradition.

In Old Nauvoo, the Saints called their social gathering "sociables." Now, these Sunday evening firesides are scheduled a couple times a month on the Historic Nauvoo Outdoor Stage or the Historic Nauvoo Visitors Center.

On May 2, President Wayne S. Peterson, of the Nauvoo Temple, along with his wife, Joan, spoke and showed pictures from their experiences in Russia and Eastern Europe, where President Peterson served in the Europe East Area Presidency. The stake center was packed to the back of the cultural hall to hear the stories of commitment and sacrifice by the Eastern European Saints.

On May 23, Susan Easton Black, Normal.dotm 0 0 1 6 36 DN 1 1 44 12.0 an expert on the 1840s history of the city, is scheduled to speak.

Others sociables include the young sister missionaries on June 20, the young performing missionaries — both the stage performers and the Nauvoo Brass Band — on July 18 and then at the end of the summer season on Monday, Aug. 16.

For details about all these shows and firesides, visit historicnauvoo.net.

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Dean Hughes is a public affairs missionary in Nauvoo, Ill.