You may or may not remember that I mentioned here last week that there were lots of “goings on” in Sanpete. I was thinking (yes, I know – scary) that it really is true.  I was reminded of something that occasionally happens to me.

   What happens is that once in a while a recent “move-in” to Sanpete will ask me a question.  The question that the “NewPeter Sanpeter” asks is, “What is there to do around here?”

First off, I let them know that I am a “move-in” too.  I’ve only been in Sanpete since 1984, and I’m gradually gaining a little more acceptance year by year.  As the older generations have been expiring,  I’ve been here longer than many of the natives.

Speaking of that, on a somber note, to the best of my knowledge,  Sanpete lost its last remaining World War II veteran recently on July 20th. Rey Sorensen, of Manti,  was 100 years old.  He got his wish of passing away at home, in the same room in which he was born.

And joking aside, I have truly felt accepted by him and his family and that generation over all my Sanpete years.  And if you’ve recently moved into Sanpete, I believe you can count on being accepted as well.  We’re a pretty tolerant slice of humanity here.

But let’s get back to the question, “What is there to do around here?”  I usually answer that question with a series of questions.  Here’s some of them.

I’ll start by asking, “What did you do in Salt Lake (or Timbuktu, or wherever)?  Did you go up in the mountains or canyons and have a cook-out or go camping? We do that around here.”

“Did you go fishing or hiking or hang out at a lake?  Did you go to the movies?

We do some of those kinds of things around here.”

“We even have one of the last remaining drive-in movie theaters right here in Sanpete.”  (We were at the Basin Drive-In last month and, yes, I indulged in the Basin Double Cheeseburger) (As far as I know, there are only two other drive-in movie theaters in Utah – The Echo in Roosevelt and The Erda near Tooele.)

“Did you go bowling where you lived before?  Did you go to stage plays?”

“We have a bowling alley.  And we also have Snow College Theatre and community theater groups.”

“Oh, and if you like sporting events, the college and high schools here always have games scheduled.  It’s not the Jazz or the Mammoth, but it’s still fun.”

I will acknowledge and concede an obvious point.  Sanpete does not have a mall.  I don’t foresee a mall in Sanpete in the near future.  Actually, malls are rarely being built anywhere these days.  (Of course, years ago, I was one of the ones who adamantly told people that the talk of a Wal-Mart coming to Sanpete was hogwash.)

So, for those Sanpete grumblers who equate having “something to do” with having a mall, I have no cure for you.  I know that there may be some who have a “mall/large shopping complex dependency” which could be as strong as a heroin addiction.

Even though I do have a little educational background in psychology from my college years long ago, I am not equipped to deal with the complexity of that type of deep-seated problem.

I can only advise that whenever you get the “mall urge” please keep yourself away from firearms and sharp objects.  Just get yourself to Utah County as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if you don’t know what to do with your free time in Sanpete, here are a few strategies you can use.

1.  Use Google and AI.

Last Saturday, I “asked my phone” what was going on in Sanpete County?  As a result, we ended up at the Spring City Bluegrass and Folk Music Festival.  It was a free event.  I had heard of the band “Molly in the Mineshaft” and I totally enjoyed their set.  They had a modern’ish twist to some traditional songs and tunes of their own as well.

Paige and The Overtones, out of Las Vegas, played mostly vintage Western music which was very well done.  Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Slim Whitman, and lots of others were on the playlist along with some of their own creations.

2.  Read the paper and listen to the radio

These are the basic sources for keeping track of Sanpete Happenings.  Sometimes we forget the basics.

3.  Get involved with your church.

I don’t know of any Sanpete church which wouldn’t  welcome more volunteerism.  (Be careful here.  You may get more to do than you bargained for.)

4.  Get involved with your community, a service organization or a school.

All of our towns need citizen support on committees, etc.  EMTs, volunteer firefighters and service clubs are always looking for willing hands.

5.  Get out into the great outdoors of Sanpete.  (no explanation needed)

I assure newcomers to Sanpete that it won’t be long before they are facing conflicts in making decisions on how to spend their time.  Once you allow yourself to be involved with the busy’ness of life here, you might soon be looking for ways to just stay home, sit on the porch, and watch the deer eat your lilac bushes.

–Merrill