November 14, 2004

Michele Thompson knelt in the flower beds at the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mesa and, using twist-ties, secured strings of red Christmas lights to flower arrangements.

For 37 nights, the Arizona Mormon Temple Gardens of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be ablaze in dazzling Christmas lights for one of the East Valley’s Christmas traditions.

The Arizona Mormon Temple grounds in Mesa will burst into a dazzling blaze of colorful lights Friday night when the “Temple Garden Christmas: A Celebration of Lights and Music” kicks off for its 24th holiday season.

They no longer estimate how many lights actually glow in the massive display, but come Friday, tens of thousands of colored lights will begin to blaze in the night at the Mesa Arizona Temple Gardens of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Back in the early ‘90s when grunge was all the rage, Stone Temple Pilots, with their crunching guitar riffs and aggressive vocals, were lumped in with such Seattle bands as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

SALT LAKE CITY - Mormon church president Thomas S. Monson said Saturday the church has plans to build five new temples worldwide, three abroad and two in the United States.

TOKYO - The Kamiyacho Open Terrace cafe in central Tokyo has all the trappings of a trendy establishment — good coffee, homemade dessert, an airy terrace. But what makes the cafe truly interesting is its setting: inside the Buddhist Komyoji temple, one of many across Japan offering new services — concerts, discos, yoga classes — in a struggle to stay relevant in an increasingly secular society.

Continuing the tradition that has lasted more than three decades, the Mesa Arizona Temple Gardens will again host the spectacular Christmas lights display that is recognized as one of the most beautiful in the state.

The Gilbert Town Council approved the East Valley's second Mormon temple this week in front of a crowd that surprised even church leaders with the amount of support offered by the public.

A young woman already used to the bright lights flipped the switch Friday night, Nov. 28 night and turned the Mesa Arizona Temple Grounds into a dazzling world of colorful holiday splendor.

 It came as dramatic news last spring for Arizona Mormons. Leaders in Salt Lake City announced in late April that new temples would be built in Gilbert and in the Gila Valley cities of either Safford or Thatcher in eastern Arizona to accommodate the church’s growth.

Retail may be in a drought, but for many garden supply stores, it's been a green season in more ways than one. We're paying a lot more attention to beautifying our own backyards, perhaps because we're traveling less.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's internationally-acclaimed ski resorts are the main reason people visit Salt Lake City in the winter, but there are plenty of fun, free and interesting things to do in Salt Lake City while in the area and other times of year. Here's a sampling: