Archive: Around Town

Palmyra, NY -- Most families choose to go places like Disneyland for vacation, but the members of the Bennett family have other plans. Justin Bennett, of Lansing, and his family are part of the 750-member cast of the Hill Cumorah Pageant- one of the world's largest outdoor theatrical productions.

“I want to take the time and create memories with my family,” Justin Bennett said. “I don’t have much time with my kids because of work, and they’re getting older. Instead of going to Disneyland on vacation, we decided that this was a better way to build relationships in our family. I know being a part of the Hill Cumorah Pageant will be a high-impact experience that will create memories to last a lifetime.”

As president of local company Ongweoweh Corp, Bennett knows how hard it is to balance work, family and faith.


“It’s important to find a balance of living your faith and being heavily involved in a business- taking some time out of work to live and focus on my faith helps keep things in perspective,” he said. “This is an opportunity to keep in balance the things of the world and the spiritual aspect of my life.”

LeAnn Bennett said though she and Justin were excited by this opportunity, their children Kade, 15, Lila, 13 and Maylin, 5, were a little skeptical of spending two weeks outside in Palmyra.

“Sometimes as a parent, we have to force our kids to have experiences they may not like at the get-go but that they will enjoy in the longer run,” LeAnn said.

She didn’t have to wait long.  Four days on the pageant’s rigorous schedule, the kids are exhausted, but they want to come back next year.

The Bennetts and the rest of the cast of the Hill Cumorah Pageant will take to the stage on Friday, July 8th for opening night. Each performance begins at 9 p.m. with free admission and seating provided for 9,000. The Hill Cumorah Pageant is a large outdoor production held on a multilevel stage. The cast and staff consist of volunteers from all over the world, who work together to depict the stories of the Book of Mormon and Bible through acting, dancing, and special effects.  The pageant is in its 79th year of production.

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