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World visitors view Church sites aboard pioneer trolley

Visitors from around the world have been getting an overview of the Church's sites in downtown Salt Lake City by riding the Church-sponsored Pioneer Trolley.

"We feel this is a wonderful service for out-of-town visitors and local members to get a more complete appreciation for all the Church attractions," said Boyd Christensen, chairman of visitors activities for the Church.Brother Christensen said the Church started the free-service in 1994 to help tourists get around and enjoy Church points of interest.

More than 40 volunteers serve as tour guides on the trolley, narrating details about the major Church sites in the downtown area.

While on the two-block, 15-minute tour, riders learn about the Family History Library, the Church Office Building, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the Beehive House, the Lion House and the Eagle Gate. They see the pioneer log cabin and the Museum of Church History and Art.

"People enjoy it," said Cleone Whitman, Pioneer Trolley director. "It is always nice to sit down some place and let the world move by you while you relax."

As of the first week of July, more than 8,000 visitors had ridden the trolley since it opened June 10.

Sister Whitman estimates many of the trolley passengers are from outside of Utah. The tour guides, she said, "are meeting interesting and exciting people from all over the world."

Running Mondays through Saturdays from 10:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., the trolley stops at the following locations: Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Temple Square south gate, the Museum of Church History and Art, Temple Square north gate, the Relief Society Building and the Beehive House.

The trolley also makes a brief stop on State Street, so visitors can take pictures of the Church gardens and the Salt Lake Temple.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, the trolley runs until 7:15 p.m., which allows visitors to ride to the Brigham Young Historic Park, on the southeast corner of State Street and Second Avenue, where live concerts are performed as part of the Church's "Concerts in the Park" series. The free concerts last approximately one hour.

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