Women from the age of 16 years and up attended an all day conference organized by the Relief Society of the Mesquite Nevada Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 7. 2015 Classes were offered that ranged from improving scripture study, keeping fit, working on genealogy, and keeping kids safe on the Internet to ideas for dating or enhancing grand parenting skills. Presenters offered the classes multiple times throughout the day to enable attendees to choose their own schedules which included a wonderful catered lunch. This annual event is a popular occasion that all valley women are invited to.

Silver Beaver recipients, Craig B. Haderlie, Bevan Reber, and Duane Thurston, from Virgin River Valley District of the BSA were honored at the Annual Silver Beaver Dinner for the Las Vegas Area Council BSA in Las Vegas on March 7, 2015. They are scout leaders in units in Mesquite and Bunkerville sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Silver Beaver Award is a national Scouting award presented by a local Scout council. The award is presented for noteworthy service of exceptional character to youth by registered scouters within the council. The Las Vegas Council has 19,750 registered scouts and 7,000 adult leaders and covers the greater Las Vegas area, the Colorado River Basin of Arizona and California. There were 22 recipients of the Silver Beaver for 2014 and three of them are from Virgin River Valley District. Leaders are nominated by a committee in each of the 10 districts in the LVAC and then the final selections are made by the Silver Beaver committee at the council level. Craig Haderlie currently serves as Chartered Organization Representative for Unit 41. His previous positions in scouting include District Commissioner, Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster and Venture Leaders. He has earned the District Award of Merit, Duty to God Award, Commissioner's Key and Arrowhead Award. Craig is an Eagle Scout with two palms. As District Commissioner, Craig helped organize the formation of a new commissioner crew. He coordinated training and encouraged the volunteers to move forward in their new assignments. Thanks to his dedication and support in training leaders, the Virgin River Valley District achieved the top award of Gold for the 3rd year in a row in the Journey to Excellence program. Craig is an active leader in his community. Bevan M. Reber is Scoutmaster for Troop 40 and also serves as a Unit Commissioner and Committee member for Crew 40. Bevan has previously served as Assistant Scoutmaster, District Commissioner, Varsity Coach, Merit Badge Counselor, Chartered Organization Representative and Bishop of the Mesquite 1st Ward of the LDS church. He has earned the District Award of Merit. Focused on training, Bevan has worked hard to be prepared in all of his Scouting responsibilities. He is strongly committed and determined to provide a quality program for his young men. He provides leadership and works tirelessly to plan and supervise all aspects of the Scouting program. Bevan has been active in his community and helped plan and organize Mesquite Days Celebrations for several years. Duane L. Thurston, an Order of the Arrow member, is Scoutmaster for Troop 596 and Committee Member for Crew 596. Duane's previous scouting positions include Assistant Scoutmaster, Unit Commissioner, District Summer Camp Support Staff, Merit Badge Counselor, Chartered Organization Representative and Merit Badge POW WOW chairman. The local POW WOW is the most significant merit badge event for the scouts in the Virgin River Valley and without it; many boys would miss out on advancement opportunities. Duane has earned the District Award of Merit and his Wood Badge Beads. His enthusiasm for Scouting has influenced his family as both sons have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He has also served the youth of his community for many years as coordinator and instructor for radKIDS, a program committed to providing education that enhances the ability for children and parents to protect them themselves from harm. He is an active leader in his community. These three men are representative of the stalwart leaders we have in the scouting program in the Virgin River Valley, thanks to all those that volunteer in helping the youth in our communities.

Jeremy Vogel, son of Chris and Stephanie Vogel, received his Eagle Scout Award on Sat. Feb. 28, 2015 at a ceremony in the Art Museum Pavilion. He is a member of Venture Crew 488 sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His Eagle Project was refurbishing the Old Firehouse next to the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum. There is now a display area for wild life, farming and ranching equipment and tools of the settlers and a military collection of ammunition, and gear used by servicemen. Jeremy made a catalog of artifacts and built shelves to hold the displayed items. He is a senior at Virgin Valley High school and a member of the band. Jeremy earned 36 merit badges; 21 are required for his Eagle Scout. He will be eligible to receive 3 palms for the other merit badges he earned. Erika Maler, museum coordinator, thanked him for his hard work in redoing the firehouse so these artifacts can have a permanent display area. She presented Jeremy with a plaque to thank him on behalf of the City of Mesquite. Terry Anderson, advancement chairman for Troop 488, gave him the Eagle Charge. She charged him to use this project as an example for the rest of his life. "Organizing and staying with a task can accomplish great things. I charge you to have faith and courage to go forth and serve, to do your civic and religious duties. Work hard and persevere and this will lead you throughout your life to great satisfaction. I charge you to stand for all that is right and good and go forth to find ways to serve in your community and church, "Mrs. Anderson said. Jeremy repeated the scout oath and his mother pinned the Eagle Badge on and Jeremy presented pins to his parents for their help and support. Jeremy presented the mentor pin to Mrs. Anderson in gratitude for her help in reaching his goal. Jeremy was presented with an engraved pocket knife by Mark Tichenor, Virgin River Valley District Chairman.

The Bunkerville 1st Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new Bishopric. On February 22, 2015 in Bunkerville, Nevada, Vernon Pollock was called to serve as the Bishop with Duane Magoon as first counselor and Craig Haderlie, his second counselor.

Nearly three hundred young people and leaders recently met for a Standards Night presented by the Youth Council of the Mesquite Nevada Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The youth were divided into three groups according to their age and met in three different church buildings in the valley. The 12 and 13 years old were taught by Ryan and Kenna Toone about Social Communication, the 14 and 15 years old were instructed by Jeff and Jodi Hughes on how to detect "Counterfeit" truths, and the 16 and 17 yes old were challenged by Travis and Richelle Wakefield to do temple work. At the end of the evening a dinner was served to each group giving them the opportunity to practice their communication skills. Thirteen year old attendee, Jaylee Whipple said "It was an excellent experience to remind the youth that having good standards will influence those around us and help shape the next generation." Seventeen year old Josie Garlick said "I was able to see other kids like me are trying to learn the best thing for us to do at this time of our lives." Some of the 12 & 13 years old: Stetson Ludvigson, Aden Woods, Braden Bingham, Nikita Eskelsen, Jeremy Perkins, Trey Houston, Koden Tietjen, Ethan Leavitt, Stevie Fuqua, Bella Sonneberg, Meb Hollingshead

The cub scouts in Pack 640 sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mesquite 6th Ward held their Pine Wood Derby race and Blue and Gold Banquet on Feb 7, 2015 . Congratulations to Decker Lee, son of Blue and Julie Lee, who took 1st place, Brynton Stokes, son of Amy Johnson, who took 2nd place and Hyrum Baker, son of Aaron and Deborah Baker, who received 3rd place. The siblings and parents then raced their derby cars. Following the races they had a tail gate party for their Blue and Gold Banquet. Decker Lee, Brynton Stokes, Hyrum Baker The Pack 640 of Mesquite’s 6th Ward.

Jaron Hafen, son of Merlin and Victoria Hafen, received his Arrow of Light Award on Feb. 7th, 2015. Jaron belongs to Pack 640 of the Mesquite 6th Ward which is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kelton Chamberlain, the Valley’s traditional presenter of the award, explained to Jaron the importance of the Arrow of Light and presented him with the symbolic arrow. The Arrow of Light is the highest rank for a Webelo and the only Cub Scout Award that can be worn on their Boy Scout Uniform. Congratulations!

Virgin River Valley District of the Boy Scouts of America held their annual Leader Recognition Banquet on Thursday, Jan. 29. Scout Leaders from the 11 units sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders from Pack 8 sponsored by the Elk's and leaders from Troop 60 sponsored by the Mesquite Resort Association attended. Mark Tichenor, District Chairman, gave special recognition to the District Award of Merit recipients Chris Allen, scoutmaster of Troop 41 Bunkerville First Ward and Ryan Toone, Scoutmaster of Troop 998 Mesquite7th Ward. Chris has been active in the scouting program helping with the pinewood derby races and the merit badge pow wow. In the 4 1/2 years he has served as scoutmaster he has helped a lot of boys progress in scouting. Ryan Toone has been a merit badge counselor at summer camp and the merit badge Pow Wow, a Varsity Scout Leader, and round table commissioner. They were presented with an engraved plaque, a certificate and a knot to wear on their uniform. The District also thanked eight leaders with a second miler award in appreciation for their great service this year in the scouting program in Virgin Valley. John Meierhoff, leader of the 11 years old of Troop 488, a round table commissioner, who is always enthusiastic and loves to build things with his scouts. Jarred Johnson, a merit badge counselor, was awarded the 2nd miler for his service in providing physicals for scouts going to summer camp. Brain Havilland has been involved in the Venture and Varsity programs and is certified to do rappelling with the scouts. Art Shaner has been a leader in scouting for 25+years as a scoutmaster, program director for summer camp at Kolob, on the Eagle Scout Board of Review, a Unit Commissioner, and has helped many of his scouts reach the rank of Eagle Scout. Kendall Anderson attended the National Scout Jamboree and is an Eagle Scout and he has been assistant scoutmaster and Venture Crew Leader. He is very passionate about scouting but in a way that lets the boys lead. LDS Stake President Kraig Hafen and President Theron Jensen were presented with 2nd miler awards for their support of scouting in our valley. The LDS church has funded the merit badge pow wow, day camp for cub scouts including pack 8, the Eagle Scout knives and has provided physical facilities for many scout activities. Many thanks to John Felix for handcrafting the 2nd miler wood plaques. Kyle Memmott received the Scout Trainer Award, the Unit Leader Award of Merit and the Scoutmaster Key. Craig Haderlie, District Commissioner, received the Arrowhead Honor and the Commissioner's Key Award. Ryan Moon, Field Service Representative of the Las Vegas Area Council of BSA presented Mark Tichenor and Craig Haderlie with the Gold Award in Journey to Excellence for the district. He said there are 20,000 scouts in the Las Vegas Area Council and 425 of those live in Virgin Valley. For the 3rd year in a row the Virgin River Valley District has received the Gold Award in Journey to Excellence. This is the highest rank ever in the history of the LVAC. There are 17 criteria that give the basis for the score. Virgin River Valley District received 2,575 points out of a possible 3,100. Ryan Moon was the keynote speaker for the evening spoke about heroes. He said, "We honor you the leaders and parents for all your service and sacrifice in helping these boys grow in to great young men. “Scouting reaches deeply into the community in service projects and Eagle Scout projects." He asked, "What is a hero? Is it a quarterback, a sport's car driver, a leading soccer g scorer?" He answered the question by stating, " A hero is a person to be admired, is outstanding and of notable qualifications." He quoted President Spencer W. Kimball who said, "Boys need heroes. It is good to have heroes like Washington and Lincoln but boys also need heroes nearby to hike and camp with and talk man to man with." Ryan continued, "There are a lot of heroes in this district like Keith Belnap who has worked in scouting for 65 years and continues to keep records of the leaders and re-charter the units. Kelton Chamberlain who has served in scouting for 56 years and still goes to pack meeting to represent Akela and give an inspiring Arrowhead of Light Ceremony. Another hero is Roger Gessell who volunteers his time to keep the scout store open and stocked and help with Troop 60; Petra Jones of Troop 60 who has kept those young men advancing through the ranks. It is volunteers like you that make a difference in the lives of boys in helping them learn in the scouting program. Thank you for your service and commitment to the scouting movement. " Three scout leaders from our district will receive the Silver Beaver Award, the highest leadership recognition presented by a Council, at the Las Vegas Area Council Silver Beaver Banquet in March. The recipients from our district are Duane Thurston, Bevan Reber, and Craig Haderlie. There are 21 Silver Beaver Awards this year in the LVAC and three of them are from Virgin River Valley District. The Virgin River Valley District has transferred into the Utah Parks Council and the Snow Canyon District. Paul Tikalsy Jr. will be the council's field service representative for Virgin Valley area.

Margaret Sylvester Hardy was 103 years old on her birthday last January 28th, 2015. She still resides in Mesquite at Highland Manor where friends and family helped her celebrate with a lovely birthday cake. Margaret’s family moved to the valley in 1905 and purchased the rock house that still stands at the corner of Willow Street and 1st North. Her mother, Clara Woodbury Barlow was a widow with 5 small children and after marrying her father Joshua William Sylvester had three more children including Margaret. Her father also bought land 3 miles east of Mesquite in Arizona Territory and traveled from Mesquite each day to work there. Eventually the family moved to the farm to make it easier to tend to the work but it made it difficult for the children to get to school and Clara to have help with her difficult births. Margaret was born in 1911 at the home of the Mesquite midwife, Mary Jane Abbott where her mother had gone to await the birth. Her father was then 67 years old and the farm work was very hard on him. Some winters the family went to relatives in St. George to stay during the school year. Margaret remembers the difficulty of everyday life in the valley, especially the water that was obtained from the river by way of ditches for washing, cleaning and even drinking. It was often muddy and never really tasted good. Everyone worked hard and even the smallest children had chores of their own. The girls learned to cook and take care of a home early in their lives and the boys helped with the animals and crops. But Margaret has sweet memories and great love for her parents and siblings. Margaret married Heber Hardy when she was 16 years old and they had 6 children. One son died as a young man and another son passed away in 2001. She is a life long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has held many positions in the auxiliaries and even served a mission in her later years. She still attends her church meetings held at Highland Manor. During the 1950s Margaret was the local president of the LDS women’s auxiliary, The Relief Society, during the building of the new chapel on the boulevard and held many fundraising dinners and dances to support its construction. Before this time meetings were held in the Relief Society building on North Willow Street. The women learned homemaking and parenting skills, studied the scriptures, made quilts and other needlework, supported each other, and planned community improvements. They donated many hours of work during the construction of their new chapel and even signed over their old building for sale to go toward the cause. Margaret spent all day every Saturday with her responsibility of evaluating welfare needs, collecting goods, and distributing them to families in town. She also directed the care of widows and the sick. Margaret had to have the support of her husband Heber Hardy and her children to be able to give so much service to others. After her youngest child started school she worked as a lunchroom cook for many years. Margaret loves Mesquite and has many fond memories even of the difficult times and the hard work that was required to live and raise a family here in the early years. Though her sight is failing she is happy and enjoys being visited by her many descendants and friends. She is dearly loved by everyone who has known her.

Elder Johnson, Craig Anderson, Theron Jensen, Kraig Hafen and Elder Terry

After nearly ten years serving as president of the Mesquite Nevada Stake Theron Nephi Jensen was released January 25, 2015 at a conference held for all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Virgin Valley. His counselors, Kraig Hafen and Craig Anderson were also released with a vote of thanks and gratitude from the huge congregation that nearly filled both church buildings on North Arrowhead. Sustained by the members to now fill those positions are David Jay Anderson as president, Danny D Allen as first counselor, and Laren Boyd Abbott as second counselor. Presiding at the meeting were authorities from church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Elder Paul V. Johnson and Elder Craig B. Terry. Elder Johnson, Danny Allen, David J. Anderson, Laren Abbott and Elder Terry

Jefferson C. Thornley has been called to serve a 24 month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Thornley will report to the Missionary Training Center in Peru on January 27, 2015. After a few weeks, he'll serve in the Cochabamba, Bolivia Spanish Speaking Mission. Jefferson is the son of Cody and Jodi Thornley of Mesquite. Elder Thornley will speak in the Whipple Chapel on January 18th at 1pm.