The real "story" about this year's Independence Pageant was never seen by the audience. But to those who labored behind the scenes, the message of love, sacrifice and devotion was perfectly clear.
Twice in the final weeks of preparation for the annual production - "A Frontier Story 1833" - thunderstorms, accompanied by heavy winds and rain, swept through the area. Each time, the storms caused extensive damage to the elaborate scenery used to re-create Independence in 1833, when it was just a frontier town.
The second storm, the worst of the two, struck during the final Saturday night rehearsal before the performance week, June 21-24. As the storm struck, with only a second or two of warning, light and sound towers twisted and bent while the two-story facade of the hotel came crashing down, suffering severe damage. Other parts of the set were also damaged.
Cast members were quickly moved to safety. "It's really amazing that no one was seriously hurt," said Gerald Harris, the pageant's executive producer. "People reacted quickly and really looked out for each other."
Once the storm passed, the damage was assessed: the hotel would have to be completely rebuilt. The challenge was to make all the required repairs to the set with only three days remaining until opening night. It had taken volunteers from the four stakes in the greater Kansas City area five Saturdays to erect the original set.
"On Sunday my phone began to ring. People just started calling. They offered to work. People said they would work night and day to repair the set. On Monday and Tuesday we had some of our largest work crews," Harris said. "Thanks to a great spirit of love and cooperation, we were ready for opening night."
"A Frontier Story 1833" focuses on the early arrival of Church members in Independence and the hardships they faced in what was then a rugged western outpost. It is the story of the love and friendship between an LDS widow and the nonmember family that befriends and defends her and her two children.
A cast of more than 300 performed the pageant on an entire hillside behind the LDS Visitors Center in Independence. The production features an elaborate, choreographed "Harvest Ball," mob scenes and an actual horse race during a scene that depicts a Fourth of July celebration.
Prior to the start of each night's performance, a Frontier Fair was held on the grounds surrounding the Visitors Center. The fair featured crafts, food and music from Missouri's frontier days and utilized the talents of many from the area who were not Church members.
