Does anyone have reliable attendance figures for the first few nights performances? I have watched these figures over the past few years, and interest seems to be waning. I grew up in Sanpete county, and still have an interest in attendance. The numbers must not be very good or they would be trumpeted from every tree, and tall building.

I live in the shadow of the Manti temple and I have noticed that the attendance seems to be much lower than previous years. This is just based from standing on top of the hill and looking out over the crowd.

At the peak, in the 1990's, the pageant drew nightly crowds in excess of 20,000. Now the numbers are somewhere near half that. The locals always claimed divine intervention as no performances had been rained out until a few were doused by thunderstorms. Then the whole event was moved from July (a monsoon month) to June, a much drier month.

That's what I love most about God and his stupid ignorant followers. Lets people in Spain burn to death trying to escape a forest fire (and other catastrophes around the world). So he's got time to make sure it doesn't rain on the pageant in Utah.

I know a youth group that attended recently. The numbers of attendees consist of mainly other youth groups from the surrounding valleys.

Last time I attended the protestors made a good showing and intimidated a few of the attendees. This year, the local police created a buffer between attendees and protestors.

I attended 4 or 5 years ago and it was about half full.

The 'protestors/anti Mormon information providers' were there in full force and looked like they had quite a few people attending asking questions. I think they had a parade showing all of JS wives before the pageant.

I went out and talked with a number of them as I was 'out' at that time just, to observe how they interacted with the TBMS they attracted with 'new' information.

I thought most did a pretty good job. That was certainly a good place to introduce the 'truth' about JS and BY.

There are Evangelical Christians who have "ministries to Mormons" who go to the Manti Pageant each year to attempt to evangelize Mormons attending the pageant. They film some of their interactions with Mormons, and I've enjoyed watching these on YouTube. And there is even an interesting video of an Evangelical Christian named Aaron talking with a young man at the pageant named Jared who is a Fundamentalist Mormon and a member of "The Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." I got the impression that Jared was probably at the pageant hoping to convert attendees to the fundamentalist version of Mormonism.

The pro-truth protesters and Evangelical Christians have been kept in check since the city fathers caved in and sold a city street to the Mormon Church. The Street passes in front of the entrance gates to the seating area. IMO, just more Mormon theocracy in live living color. Of course the city claimed the funds are earmarked for recreational facilities.