A few reflections on the recent opening of the Utah Valley Symphony’s new concert season: The orchestra isn’t only good A it’s durable, this being its 29th season. A great deal of credit is due musicians and leadership – past and present v who have kept the symphony going through thick and thin and built the tradition of excellence it enjoys today. How exciting to see such a large crowd at the newly rededicated Provo Tabernacle for the opener! Even the choir seats hack of the podium were partly filled. Guest piano soloist Jeffrey Shumway was quoted as saying he had spent “night and day all summer” getting ready to play Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in B-Flat Nlinor with the symphony. His dazzling but poised and artistic performance certainly demonstrated his diligence in preparation. Obviously just memorizing the long. intricate composition called for a prodigious effort. Actually the dedication of the entire orchestra was something to admire. The music of Rossini. Schumann and Tchaikovsky chosen for the concert was difficult and demanding and required a great deal of practice and rehearsal time. Utah Valley Symphony members are not professionals, but they performed like pros on opening night. it seemed to me. These are tolks who play for the love of music. the satisfaction of serving others. and to preserve and further develop their talents. A “hravo” for all of them. including the director. support personnel and the symphony board itself headed by Dr. Willard Loveridge. president. The Provo City Council-initiated sidewalk extension project along the west side of Second West northward from about 1300 North is welcome news for the increasing number of pedestrians along the busy thoroughfare. The Just-completed stretch will be augmente with nearly two additional blocks of new sidewalk next spring. according to the engineering department. A recent Provo visit by Axel Nohr and his wife Kirstine of Medicine Hat. Alberta. Canada was a pleasant surprise for those of us who worked with Axel when he was Herald photographer back in the midfifties. The Nohrs visited with Businex Manager Bailey A. Lindstrom and Lois Brown at the Herald and had a quick look at our modern newspaper plant. the second new building we’ve had since Axel was here. Another surprise came the next day at our home when. at my wife Faye’s urging, Axel and Kirstine demonstrated their graceful ballroom dancing techniques to the stereo music of Lawrence Welk’s polkas and waltzes. What expertise! The couple have danced together for 50 years. Now in their seventies. they continue to entertain at parties and church events in the Medicine Hat area. Axel was a newspaper photographer at Casper. Wyo. for ll years after leaving the Herald. Later. he and Kirstine interspersed a period in their native Denmark with his second career 4 in the landscapirg business in Canada. My recent column on “tall tales” prompted a call from Stanley H. Roberts of Provo who related a “strange-but-true” story in which a female dog, deprived of her pups. fostered three orphan kittens. Roberts said that years ago his family’s mt. which had given birth to the kittens, was killed by an automobile. About that same time the mother dog showed up. apparently “droppcd off” in the vicinity. She needed a home and Stan let her stay. Roberts said he was surprised shortly afterward when he observed the three kittens suckling from the dog as she lay cooperatively in the yard. The foster parent continued to look out for her adopted kittens until they were “on their own.” The entire scenario took place without human encouragement or intervention. Stan added. l’ve heard of similar stories of foster parenting in the animal world but none just like this one.