Deseret Digest February 21 2026

Preventing the Great Salt Lake from evaporating is no small task

Church News

25 years later, 130,000 students have benefited from the Church’s Perpetual Education Fund loans

Policy group awarding Utah’s K-12 school system an ‘A-’?

‘Thank

you, Park City’: Sundance Film Festival takes its final bow in Utah

Here’s what organizers, film directors and Utah locals had to say about Sundance’s last year in Park City — and how the festival’s departure will affect the area

By Doug Wilks Executive Editor

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‘Thank you, Park City’: Sundance Film Festival takes its final bow in Utah

Here’s what organizers, film directors and Utah locals had to say about Sundance’s last year in Park City — and how the festival’s departure will affect the area

By Ariel Harmer Deseret News

Sundance Film Festival attendees left their final film screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City Feb. 1, just as they have at the close of the festival for the past four decades.

But unlike past festivals, these last screenings had a sense of finality — they marked the end of Sundance’s time in Utah.

Next year, the festivalgoers, volunteers, organizers, actors, directors and thousands of others involved in the Sundance Film Festival will head to Boulder, Colorado, for a new chapter in the festival’s history.

Parts of Sundance will remain in Utah. The Sundance Institute Labs will still be held at the Sundance Mountain Resort, and the institute will keep its Utah office in Park City. But the festival’s upcoming move will still be a big change for both Sundance and Park City, and it has been at the forefront of this year’s festival.

It has certainly been a busy 11 days in Park City. While there are fewer skiers in the area this year thanks to a below-average snowpack, Sundance’s Park City swan song has drawn impressive crowds from around the world. Many restaurants have had lines out the door all week, and traffic was so packed on Main Street at one point Jan. 24 that passengers on one bus simply disembarked in the middle of the street because walking uphill was faster.

Will Park City be better off without the traffic? Or will it suffer without the festival’s revenue? Will Sundance be the same festival without the city it has called home since its inception?

Here’s what Sundance organizers, featured directors and locals had to say.

What is Sundance without Utah?

The Associated Press reported that many regular festivalgoers have declared this Sundance to be their last. It just won’t be the same outside of Park City, they say.

Amy Redford, member of the Sundance Institute board of trustees and daughter of Sundance founder Robert Redford, seems to disagree.

“Sometimes ... you have to change your landscape to find out what you are made of,” she said at an event Jan. 30 memorializing Sundance’s years in Park City. “I hope you will join us on this new adventure. It will be scrappy, and it will be imperfect. And it might just be a nod to our beginnings.”

Redford stressed that Sundance will still have an influence on Utah. She said it took a “Herculean effort” to keep the labs in the state, as it was a vision of her father’s.

As she looked to the future, Redford was profuse in her gratitude for Park City and Utah.

“This city and the state is the bedrock for what we’ve done,” she said. At the event’s close, she added, “Thank you, Utah. Thank you, Park City.”

Eugene Hernandez, the festival’s director, had a similar outlook. From local employees, staff and volunteers to Utah-made films, Sundance has been a part of Utah, and Utah has been a part of Sundance.

“The way the festival has been ingrained in Utah culture has fostered the growth and character of the Institute and the festival,” he said at the Jan. 30 event. “And the way the Utah community has been part of our fabric is fundamental.”

Brian Marquez, who oversees Sundance’s volunteers, said a little more than half of Sundance’s volunteers are from Utah. Their longest standing volunteer has been with the festival for four decades.

“Our volunteers are amazing. Truly a large part of how the festival has grown over the years is because of the volunteers,” he said.

Marquez isn’t sure how many volunteers are planning to follow Sundance to Colorado, but he said there has been an air of excitement this festival — both in looking toward the future and in coming together for their last hurrah in Utah.

“It’s such a rare and unique thing to just bring everybody together in the way that we do,” he said.

Sherry Young, a former Sundance volunteer, echoed Marquez’s excitement but said the move is bittersweet.

“It’s been wonderful,” she said of her time volunteering. “But we’re sad to see it go. ... Everything has its time, I suppose, and so maybe it’s just time to move on.”

Others say the move will fundamentally change the festival — not necessarily for the worse, but that it will be a different experience.

Meri Feldman, who has attended Sundance several times, used to live in Boulder. It’s a great town, she says, and Sundance’s relocation there could be good, but it will still be a change.

“Things are not always going to be the same when it moves,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it won’t be good, but I think it will be a different vibe.”

Whatever the new experience is, Sundance leadership has reaffirmed their dedication to the festival’s mission. That mission statement,

after all, doesn’t mention Park City; it focuses on elevating independent artists and giving audiences the chance to hear important stories.

One Sundance attendee, Mary Ann Hanley, said what she really loves about the festival is not its location but its content. Hanley said she never even sees movies unless she’s attending Sundance.

“Every movie (at Sundance) is so unique and different and like nothing you’ll ever see,” she said. “And it’s great that there’s always commentary and discussion, and they tell you a little more history about it.”

What is Utah without Sundance?

The Sundance Film Festival has brought billions to Utah’s economy over the years. The 2024 festival contributed $132 million to Utah’s GDP and provided 1,730 jobs for residents and $69.7 million in wages.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in September 2024 that Utah’s tourism helped keep the state’s taxes relatively low. “We pay less in taxes as a state because we have so much tourism in the state, because other people come here and spend their dollars,” Cox said. “They spend nights in hotel rooms, they rent cars, they buy food.”

However, with Utah’s 2024 GDP at $235.7 billion and total tourism-generated tax revenue at $1.2 billion, some Utahns feel confident that Sundance’s departure won’t negatively affect the state’s economy.

“We had two years of COVID without Sundance, so we got to get a good gauge on what happens when Sundance isn’t here,” Park City Mayor Ryan Dickey told KSL. “We didn’t really see an economic impact.”

Park City is also home to several ski resorts, which contribute to the local and state economy — although resorts have suffered this year with the West’s snowpack at a record low.

Although many locals are sad to see the festival go, they also have hope for Park City’s future. A number, including Gov. Cox and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, have suggested that a new festival or event will take Sundance’s place.

“I’m sure Park City and Utah will somehow replace it with something else amazing,” Sherry Young said.

When the Sundance Film Festival leaves Park City, it will leave a bit of itself behind. Sundance will always be present: in the locals who volunteered to run theaters and shovel snow, in the novice director who first received a standing ovation at Eccles Theater, in the memories of anyone who has ever waited in the freezing cold of a Sundance premiere line. And when Sundance begins again in Boulder, it will always carry some of Park City with it. The ski town will forever be ingrained in the festival’s DNA — as its birthplace and as the forge that fostered its growth into the success it is today.

Preventing the Great Salt Lake from evaporating is no small task

By Eva Terry Deseret News

Iconic Utah lake needs at least 261 billion gallons of water

As 2025 came to a close, the surface of Great Salt Lake’s south arm sat at 4,191.1 feet — the third-lowest recorded elevation in more than 120 years.

Last month, the Kem Gardner Policy Institute invited state and local leaders to discuss why the lake’s slow shrinkage is concerning and offer solutions.

The conversation circled largely around dust. The Great Salt Lake’s low water-levels expose potentially harmful materials to the wind, which sucks them up in the form of dust and carries them along the Wasatch Front.

To pull the lake out of its currently-labeled “serious adverse effects” status, simulations show that about 800,000 acre-feet should be added, Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed said Wednesday.

For context, 800,000 acre-feet of water is equivalent to about 261 billion gallons of water. That’s enough to fill nearly 400,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools or irrigate 300 square miles of alfalfa fields for one year.

“The take-home message that we can all take to heart is that humans do have an impact on this lake, and our choices do matter,” Steed said.

How do you get 261 billion gallons of water into Great Salt Lake?

For a long time, agriculture was the largest water consumer in Utah, but now, state researchers are finding that municipal and industrial water consumption are on the rise.

This is expected, “just based on the loss of agriculture in those areas for municipal and industrial to continue to increase,” Steed said.

During a panel discussion with Steed and Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry, Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, said the question of how to “incentivize the actual action of improving the system” will be a large focus of the upcoming Utah legislative session.

Although water is increasingly consumed domestically and by businesses, the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s office is proposing a chance for farmers to sell their water to the lake at around $300 per acre.

“We’re helping our producers realize that water can be a commodity that is part of their crop rotation,” Hannah Freeze, the deputy Great Salt Lake commissioner, said.

She added, “But it’s not black and white. We don’t want our producers to stop farming and send all of their water to the lake.” As crops fluctuate year to year in profit margins, farmers could opt to sell their water when it would be a more lucrative alternative.

Beth Neilson, a Utah State professor and director of the Utah Water Research Laboratory, added that the state is looking at transporting water from the Newfoundland Water Basin into Great Salt Lake.

The Stansbury Mountains are reflected in a patch of water along the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.

In the 1980s, Salt Lake experienced massive rainfall and snow that prompted the state to pump water from the Great Salt Lake into the West Desert. Although it’s not consistent, the area still accumulates 20,000 to 50,000 acre feet “pretty regularly,” Neilson said.

If we can’t fill it up, how do we mitigate dust?

As Great Salt Lake’s water line has receded in Farmington Bay, more than 120 square miles in the area became exposed, creating dust “hotspots.”

Neilson pointed to research that found temporarily flooding this area in the state’s cooler months is looking “quite promising” to mitigate dust.

But to go full throttle with dust mitigation, Kevin Perry, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah, said the state needs more data.

Perry has been studying Great Salt Lake dust for more than a decade, and in early 2025, he said he realized that the state “didn’t have enough air quality monitors in northern Utah” to provide the kind of data needed for policymakers to figure out how to

mitigate dust and what actions would be appropriate.

When Perry compared the number of dust monitors around Great Salt Lake to others smaller saline lakes in California, he saw that Utah was “severely lacking.”

In response, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox submitted a budget request for $650,000 of ongoing money for dust monitoring, and the legislature passed $150,000 of ongoing funding for a dust monitoring network.

“Those instruments are being installed as we speak,” Perry said.

As Utah’s legislative session approaches, Snider and former Rep. Joel Ferry, R-Brigham City, expressed optimism for how the state is handling the issue.

“I don’t much buy into protests and signs and the dancing spiraling birds at the capitol. I don’t think it solves the problem,” Snider said. “There are actual things we can do outside of the protesting and politics.”

Ferry added, “Utah will be that beacon to the rest of the world. You can be prosperous, and you can protect your environment. You can strike that balance that we all want.”

Healthy Volunteers Needed for a Vaccine Research Study

J. Lewis Research, Inc. is now enrolling participants in a research study for an investigational pneumococcal vaccine.

This study involves 9 clinic visits over approximately 15-18 months. Participants who enroll in the study will receive 2 vaccines either 2 or 6 months apart. Compensation for time and travel is available for qualified participants.

Who are we looking for?

- Adults 65-84 years of age

- Those who have either never received a pneumococcal vaccine before OR have received Pneumovax 23 at least 5 years ago

- No unstable health conditions requiring change in medication or hospitalization within the last 12 weeks

THE DESERET DIGEST 2026

Private & Charter Schools Section

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GETTING AHEAD

Itineris is designed to maximize a student’s time and resources, offering over 20 onsite CE or AP classes. - everything needed for the Certificate of Completion.

25 years later, 130,000 students have benefited from the Church’s Perpetual Education Fund loans

By Aimee Cobabe Church News

President Hinckley’s ‘bold initiative’ has expanded to 76 countries, tens of thousands of students

When President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Perpetual Education Fund during the April 2001 general conference, he said the plan was “inspired by the Lord.”

He also called it a “bold initiative.”

“But we believe in the need for it and in the success that it will enjoy,” he said. “Where there is widespread poverty among our people, we must do all we can to help them to lift themselves, to establish their lives upon a foundation of self-reliance that can come of training. Education is the key to opportunity.”

Now 25 years later, the Perpetual Education Fund has helped 130,000 Latter-day Saint students outside the United States and Canada with financial aid for education.

Perpetual Education Fund loans and scholarships have been used in more than 80 countries, with 88% of graduates reporting they found better work after completing their education, according to a news release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Once loans are paid off — with little interest — the money is used as a revolving resource for other students. A similar concept was used to lend money to early Church members for their emigration to the Salt Lake Valley — the Perpetual Emigration Fund.

Success stories

Nahun Antonio García Pérez of Honduras has benefited from the Perpetual Education Fund. He was able to complete his education, become an industrial engineer and improve his family’s economic stability.

Pérez said the Perpetual Education Fund is “inspired by God and can be of great benefit in our temporal and spiritual life.”

Pérez credits the funding for helping him gain professional recognition, secure better career opportunities and improve his family’s quality of life.

“Undertaking higher education has not been

easy at all, but I feel the satisfaction of having achieved something I set out to do,” Pérez said.

Another former beneficiary, Selemani Furaya of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, became a laboratory technician after completing her university studies.

She works at Kinsuka Hospital and credits the Perpetual Education Fund for the opportunity to get an education, along with the skills and confidence to build a better future for herself.

“This program helped me achieve my goals, and I’m incredibly grateful,” Furaya said. “It has made me self-reliant and allows me to serve my fellow beings. I’m so grateful to my Heavenly Father for inspiring our Prophet to implement this program to help members of the Church.”

Looking back at 25 years

The Perpetual Education Fund first launched in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Peru. It is currently available to students in 76 countries.

The Church updated the program in November 2024 with enhancements, including a broader choice of schools and programs, more options for reducing loan balances and support for education-related expenses.

Elder John K. Carmack, now a 94-year-old emeritus General Authority Seventy who was called by the Prophet to lead the program for its first 11 years, said President Hinckley would call him in the beginning stages and tell him, “You’ve got to get this going.”

“He was a pusher,” Elder Carmack recalled. “He was pushing me.”

Elder Carmack called President Hinckley’s idea for the Perpetual Education Fund “amazing and beautiful.”

“He wanted the young people, especially out in the world who didn’t have opportunities, to get education,” Elder Carmack said. “And he wanted the education to be practical. He wanted it to be the type of thing that would lead to jobs.”

Elder Carmack said the fruits of the funds are a miracle.

“Many who received education from the fund and the push that it gave them in life became our leaders — ward and stake leaders,

stake presidents and others,” he said. “They were trained with the help of the Perpetual Education Fund. It was quite amazing.”

Elder Carmack recalled one of the last meetings President Hinckley attended, in January 2008. He still remembers the Prophet’s words, spoken with deep emotion: “This program has been a miracle. It has really done what I hoped it would do.”

Elder Carmack said he never questioned the inspired nature of the Perpetual Education Fund.

Trent Jacobson, manager of the Perpetual Education Fund, said self-reliance will remain the focus into the future.

Self-reliance resources

The Perpetual Education Fund is available to Church members ages 18 and older in approved countries. Those who are interested in learning more can speak with their ward or stake welfare and self-reliance specialist and visit PEF.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The Church also provides free self-reliance classes such as Find a Better Job and Education for Better Work that give resources and teach skills in a group setting with a gospel perspective. In addition, the Church has free Employment Services resources for anyone, regardless of Church membership, found online at employment.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

High marks: Why is a conservative policy group awarding Utah’s K-12 school system an ‘A-’?

Report salutes Beehive State for its friendly homeschooling and open enrollment policies — but a ‘C’ grade for student-centered funding programs

By Jason Swensen Deseret News

A conservative policy group promoting “limited government, free markets and federalism” is awarding Utah an “A-” for its policies regarding “parental choice ” and “universal education freedom.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council’s 2026 Index of State Education Freedom also ranked the Beehive State in the country’s “top-7” for its homeschooling policies — and a No. 6 national ranking for Utah’s open enrollment practices, highlighting the state’s “commitment to providing families with flexible, high-quality learning options.”

“Utah serves as a strong example of balanced education freedom,” said Andrew Handel, director of the council’s education and development task force, in a news release. “With excellent

homeschooling and open enrollment policies, the state demonstrates that offering multiple pathways is essential to helping every student thrive.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a nonprofit conservative policy group that connects state lawmakers across the country to examine legislation. Its reported membership includes more than 2,000 state legislators.

The group’s recent K-12 education index — which was released in conjunction with last months’s National School Choice Week — evaluates how well each U.S. state offers families broad educational options across five categories: student-centered funding, charter schools, homeschooling, virtual schools and open enrollment.

“Our goal is not only to make parents and policymakers aware of the education freedom environment in their state, but to also highlight what changes they can implement to make more learning options available to families,” the report noted in the index introduction.

For the third consecutive year, Florida earned the top spot in the council’s education freedom overall rankings. Utah’s overall No. 7 ranking is a notch higher than its 2025 rank. The eight other states in the top-10 included — in descending order — Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, West Virginia, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Idaho.

Five states received “Fs” in the report: Connecticut, Maryland, Kentucky, New York and Nebraska.

Utah’s ALEC report card: ‘A’s,’ ‘B’s’ and a ‘C’

While receiving an overall “A-” grade in the ALEC report, Utah’s specific grades are fairly wide-ranging.

• In the “Student-Centered Funding Programs” category, Utah was given its lowest mark on the “report card” — a “C.”

The Utah Fits All Scholarship Program is a universal Education Savings Account that any student in the state can apply to use, the report noted.

“However, the program is subject to legislative appropriations which limits how many students can actually use the program. Policymakers can improve the Utah Fits All Scholarship by tying funding directly to the state education formula and ensuring that every student wishing to participate is able to.”

• Utah received a “B” in the “Charter Schools” category.

According to the council’s report, the state can improve by ensuring that charter schools are exempt “from all laws and regulations” that apply to traditional public schools, excluding reasonable exceptions like those related to health and safety.

“Under current law, charter applicants must negotiate these exemptions with the state. This limits their autonomy and ability to innovate,” the report said.

• In the “Homeschooling” category, the group awarded Utah an “A.”

“States earn an ‘A’ when parents are not required to notify their school district that they are homeschooling,” the report noted. “In addition, regulations that can impede the homeschooling experience — like testing and academic requirements — are not present.”

The report noted in its “Homeschooling” scoring summary that Utah does not require annual notification, minimum qualifications or credentials for homeschool teachers, state-mandated subjects for homeschooled students —or that

homeschooled students be subject to state-mandated standardized assessments.

• For “Virtual Schools,” the Beehive State earned a “B.”

The ALEC report suggested Utah create a central repository of virtual courses that school districts can elect to offer their students.

• Finally, Utah earned an “A” for “Open Enrollment.”

The report measured “Open Enrollment” by examining whether a state’s policies allow students to attend a traditional public school outside of their designated attendance zone — both inside and outside districts.

“The best open enrollment policies permit both inter- and intradistrict open enrollment while mandating that school districts participate in these programs — subject only to reasonable limitations like classroom space,” according to the report.

In court: The future of Utah’s school voucher program

Several of the categories measured in the report continue to prompt local debate. Utahns, for example, have expressed mixed responses to almost any issue regarding school choice.

The Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, which received middling approval from the council, has been ruled unconstitutional by a Utah judge.

In 2023, the state was sued by the Utah Education Association and several individual plaintiffs after the school voucher program was enacted.

Last year, 3rd District Judge Laura Scott said that because the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program is created by the Legislature and a publicly funded educational program, it must satisfy the constitutional requirements applicable to the “public education system” set forth in the Utah Constitution.

H A W T H O R N A C A D E M Y Every Student Gets Challenged, Every Student Gets Support

Now enrolling for the 2026-2027 school year.

Earlier this month, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown announced his office had filed a brief with the Utah State Supreme Court arguing that the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program is constitutional.

Brown argues that the Utah Constitution permits the Legislature to both maintain a system of public education — and to create additional educational options through statute.

“States earn an ‘A’ when parents are not required to notify their school district that they are homeschooling.”

Hawthorn Academy: Where K-9 STEM Learning Thrives

Hawthorn Academy opened in 2009 its first campus in West Jordan. As enrollment grew, Hawthorn expanded in 2015 adding a campus in South Jordan. Together, the campuses serve up to 1,600 students in kindergarten through ninth grade.

Hawthorn Academy is a place where high expectations, individual growth, and academic achievement happen. As a tuition-free public charter school, Hawthorn welcomes students from diverse backgrounds while maintaining strong standards for success. Dedicated to providing a safe and engaging environment, Hawthorn helps every student thrive.

STUDENT SUCCESS

Students at Hawthorn Academy work hard to achieve academic excellence, build confidence, and pursue their aspirations. Because every child learns differently, Hawthorn provides support tailored to individual needs.

Programs such as WIN Time (What I Need) and SOAR offer targeted instruction, allowing teachers to personalize learning and help students succeed. Enrichment opportunities support the whole child and encourage curiosity, creativity, and growth.

Hawthorn also emphasizes problem-solving and critical-thinking skills through STEM education, preparing students for future success.

INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Equity is central to the Hawthorn experience. The school is committed to ensuring all students feel included, supported, and challenged to learn at high levels.

Community is strengthened through the RCA House System, where students from different grade levels come together to build mentorship, collaboration, and belonging. This system has helped improve academic performance, social skills, and engagement while creating a more dynamic school culture.

LOOKING AHEAD

High-quality instruction remains at the core of Hawthorn’s mission. Teachers follow a curriculum aligned with Utah’s core standards, ensuring rigorous learning opportunities for all students.

Hawthorn Academy places a strong focus on a STEM-rich curriculum, integrating science, technology, engineering and math into daily instruction to build communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. With dedicated educators and a continued commitment to safety, growth and achievement, Hawthorn prepares students for lifelong success.

COMMUNITY & MARKETS

CRYSTAL FESTIVAL - A ROCK, MINERAL & GEM SHOW

DATE: Feb. 22, 2026

TIME: 10am-8pm

LOCATION: 1651 N 700 W - Layton

The Crystal Festival gathers vendors, collectors, jewelers, and geology lovers for an unforgettable hands-on experience.

TUESDAY TRUCKS AND TRIVIA NIGHT

DATE: Feb. 24, 2025

TIME: 6pm–8pm

LOCATION: 273 S 2000 W - Pleasant Grove

Come early and grab some dinner from the delicious food trucks!

2026 WINTER MARKET

DATE: Feb. 28, 2026

TIME: 10am-2pm

LOCATION: 2501 Wall Avenue - Ogden

Local farmers, food producers, and artisans to create a warm and cozy shopping experience throughout the Union station.

CONCERTS & LIVE MUSIC

YO-YO MA

DATE: Feb. 25, 2026

TIME: 7:30pm

LOCATION: 800 W University Pkwy - Orem

Yo-Yo Ma's music ranges renditions of Western classical to recordings that defy categorization, playing on four different cellos

BYU WINTER VIOLIN SHOWCASE

DATE: Feb. 25, 2026

TIME: 7:30pm

LOCATION: 1 University Hill - Provo

Featuring prizewinning student violinists in a dynamic program of solo and collaborative works

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: SPRING GALA CONCERT

DATE: Feb. 27, 2026

TIME: 7:30pm

LOCATION: 1901 University Cir - Ogden

Join us for a symphonic concert dedicated to choral repertoire, featuring Fauré’s Requiem and a selection of choir pieces.

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL IN CONCERT

DATE: Feb. 22-28, 2025

TIME: 4pm-6:30pm

LOCATION: 2415 Washington Boulevard - Ogden

Watch a swashbuckling musical, based on Baroness Orczy’s famous 20th-century novel about the French Revolution.

UTAH CHINESE FOLK ORCHESTRA CONCERT

DATE: March 2, 2026

TIME: 7pm-8pm

LOCATION: 550 N University Ave. - Provo Celebrate Chinese New Year by listening to traditional instruments like the erhu and pipa, along with western instruments!

EVENTS

THEATER & COMEDY

STAND-UP COMEDY NIGHT

DATE: Feb. 26, 2026

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: 5 East 400 - South Salt Lake

Come enjoy six local Salt Lake comics as they perform stand up at Quarters

EMMA PRESENTED BY WEST VALLEY ARTS

DATE: Feb. 27-28, 2026

TIME: 7:30pm

LOCATION:3333 Decker Lake Drive - West Valley City

In this bold adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, playwright Kate Hamill reimagines Emma with a vibrant comedic twist.

PETER PAN GOES WRONG

DATE: Feb. 27, 2026

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: 9900 S Monroe St - Sandy

Hilarious mayhem as the cast battles against technical hitches, flying mishaps and cast disputes on their way to Neverland.

UTAH OPERA PRESENTS

DONIZETTI'S THE ELIXIR OF LOVE

DATE: March 7, 2026

TIME: 7:30pm-9:30pm

LOCATION: 50 West 200 South - SLC Watch as Nemorino, a lovesick soldier, tries to win the heart of the beautiful Adina—who gently rejects his advances.

SPORTS

BYU COUGARS MENS BASKETBALL VS.

UCF KNIGHTS MENS BASKETBALL

DATE: Feb. 24, 2026

TIME: 9pm

LOCATION: 1497 N 450 E - Provo

The Cougars take on the Knights in an exciting Big 12 matchup at home in Provo.

IOWA STATE CYCLONES AT UTAH UTES MENS BASKETBALL

DATE: Feb. 24, 2026

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: 1825 S Campus Dr - SLC

The Cyclones take on the Utah Utes with both teams looking to make an impact late in the regular season.

UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL VS TARLETON STATE

DATE: Feb. 26, 2026

TIME: 6pm-8pm

LOCATION: 800 W. University Pkwy - Orem

Utah Valley hosts Tarleton State on Feb. 26 in an exciting home matchup as the Wolverines look to defend their court in Orem.

UTAH UTES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL VS. ARIZONA WILDCATS

DATE: Feb. 28, 2026

TIME: 5pm

LOCATION: 1825 S Campus Dr - SLC

The Utah Utes face the Arizona Wildcats in a competitive conference showdown at home in Salt Lake City.