One Heart in the Heartland, a cultural festival of Midwestern music and dance, will precede the dedication of the new Kansas City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) this weekend. The festival will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium, and the actual dedication of the temple will follow on Sunday.
Because of the demand, few tickets for the festival still remain. However, the event is being filmed for Internet, DVD and the church television system, and will be broadcast live to all Latter-day Saint Churches in Kansas and Missouri where satellite projectors have been installed. The program can be seen at the church at 5851 Eisenhower, Great Bend, starting at 6 p.m., Saturday. Everyone who wishes to attend is welcome, said William Adams with the church. No tickets are necessary.
The dancing part of Saturday’s program will be provided by youth volunteers 12 to 18 years old from eastern and central Kansas and western Missouri, the area to be served by the temple. Organizers were hoping for 1,500 volunteers; they got just over 3,000, Adams said.
Sixteen youths from the Great Bend Unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plan to take part in program. They are: Cameryn Bates; Bradley Blue; Aaron, Deiah, Jake, Jared, Katie and Micaila Curtis; Brandon, Jessica and Logan Enfield; Raymundo Guzman; Janessa and Jennifer MacArthur; Destiny Trevino; and Travis Youngers.
The youths have been learning the dances at weekly rehearsals in their own churches. Then there was a full Stake rehearsal in Salina followed by a Kansas rehearsal in Topeka. But the first time all 3,000 will be together is at a full-day rehearsal in Kansas City today, followed by a dress rehearsal on Saturday morning and the actual performance that evening.
Thomas S. Monson, president of the church, and Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Council of 12 Apostles, will be in attendance. All of the young men and women were scheduled to arrive in Kansas City on Thursday so they could attend a program given by President Monson and Elder Holland that evening.
Approximately 12 members from Great Bend have volunteered to act as hosts for the open house, where over 100,000 visitors are expected.