UPHA was Clive Romney’s brainchild – the result of a wake-up call he received from his ancestors (yup, the ones who had passed on) while he was writing songs for a family reunion. And every one of those songs centered around a story. You can ask him the details next time you see him but, meanwhile, we’ll jump right to the results that came from that experience back in 2008.

After Clive wrote songs for his family reunion, he realized that the stories of other families would be equally valuable. And, as he began to do some digging, it was easy to see that those stories brought the heritage of Utah back to life. They were stories about pioneering. And not just the covered-wagon and handcart pioneers, but people whose efforts were aimed at helping future generations. Those stories were part of the heritage we all share and needed to be gathered and presented in engaging ways.

So, Clive began exploring how best to use his own talents and musical gifts to present those stories using the entertainment arts. Soon it was obvious that this new venture should be called Utah • Pioneer • Heritage • Arts.

History is a hard subject for kids. Most of them think it is irrelevant or at least boring. So, Clive and some of his musician/singer friends began putting on school assemblies with a series of entertaining programs we have since categorized as “History Made Delicious.” UPHA has consistently reached between 20 and 40,000 kids every year until the pandemic.

UPHA’s collection of stories began to fill up the Utah map until it became obvious that, if you put a pin on the map for each story and song, it would make a terrific TOUR. So, together with the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area, the Utah Office of Tourism and some of Utah’s finest musicians and storytellers, we put together a Familiarization Tour. We put the musicians, storytellers, and a sound engineer in the back of a tour bus and traveled through southern and central Utah while they sang the songs and told the stories that tied to the places along the way.

UPHA has been contracted to perform stories and songs at hundreds of festivals and events across the state to celebrate our heritage and to promote family and community connection.

UPHA has found its greatest strength in collaborating with other organizations and individuals whose missions intersect with our own: Historical Associations & Interpreters, Historic Sites, Tourism Entities, Museums, Ethnic Groups, Community Organizations, Government, Education, Nonprofits, Affinity Groups, Religious Groups, Media, Artists & Artisans. At this writing we have worked with over 160 collaborators.

As more and more stories became songs and we saw the possibility of using those stories to give Utah residents a stronger sense of their heritage – a real feeling of belonging – we began approaching county tourism officials to create the “Top 15” stories that would best represent the heritage of that county. We meet with their most knowledgeable historians and story-keepers and typically end up with many times more stories than we need. We refine that list down to stories with a strong emotional tug and those with a specific destination. Our goal is to entice travelers to come see where each story took place.

Initially we packaged those stories in a CD-sized book packed with photographs and artwork for each story and song.

The launch of our second Artbook/CD in Sevier County was done with a concert at the Monroe City Park. Afterwards, people came up to us with tears in their eyes exclaiming, “These are our stories! We never knew!” It was ample validation for our work in bringing communities together and giving people a much-needed feeling of belonging.

The third Artbook/CD was for Kane County and to include their community orchestra, the launch included a full-blown concert, videotaped and turned it into a DVD. “A Canyon Peoples’ Portrait” stands as a real work of art honoring the pioneers and native tribes of that county.

Our short-lived podcast (there’s just not enough time in the week for a weekly podcast with all we are doing!) was part of our collaboration with the Friends of the Territorial Statehouse State Park and Museum (in Fillmore).

One afternoon when we were at a trade show in Salt Lake City, we happened by a booth that was promoting a virtual tour of the Mormon Battalion that included aerial views with exploreable maps. We were fascinated and began a conversation that led to our partnership with Map-N-Tour. Together we developed a travel app that can feature story destinations on your mobile device. You can be notified when you are traveling near one of those map pin story destinations, click to hear/explore the story, and be directed there via GPS. You can download the app at your Apple App Store or your Google Play Store.

One of our earliest business sponsors for Story Road Utah was the Thunderbird Lodge & Resort in Mount Carmel. They had such a fascinating story that we just had to tell it in a video format. Visit our Story Road Utah YouTube Channel to see other video stories

Several years ago, Clive Romney met with Abe Johnson, former County Commissioner for Millard County, and director of the long-standing “Old Capitol Arts & Living History Festival”. That festival is held annually on the State Park grounds of the original Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. UPHA helped provide storytellers and entertainment and has continued every year since.

In 2016, UPHA joined with the Friends of the Territorial Statehouse to create the Old Capitol Storytelling Festival. This annual event happens during the school year and brings some of Utah’s best storytellers to schools throughout Central Utah to teach kids how to tell engaging stories.

When the Spike 150 Committee came to us and wanted to know what UPHA might do to help tell the story of the Transcontinental Railroad – to celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the driving of the Golden Spike – we were a bit overwhelmed. The vision we had for that project was to create a 9” x 12” coffee-table style book and music album, but the cost was prohibitive. However, when Joan Hammer, the Tourism Director for Box Elder County, expressed her interest and committed a large amount of money, we gave the project a green light.

As Echoes began to take shape and other sponsors stepped forward, it evolved into the entire story from the invention of the steam engine, through the troubled times of finding solutions to seemingly impossible obstacles of such a monumental project. The book cried out to include all the consequences – intended and unintended – that sprang from building a rail line all the way across a previously unmapped continent. There were so many educational aspects that could be explored that we developed supplemental material for teachers and homeschool parents.

Echoes has been the genesis of a collaboration with Gibbs-Smith Publishing, one of the largest educational publishers in the U.S. Their interest in the educational aspects of our book/album have lead to discussions about future projects using this same entertainment formula.

The Mormon Miracle Pageant had been a summer staple for Sanpete County – an annual event that drew thousands of visitors (and much-needed tourism revenue). When they announced their final season in 2019, UPHA was approached by both Snow College and the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (for whom UPHA serves as Official Interpretive Affiliate) to help fill that void.

In the resulting meetings, it was decided that UPHA would contribute its many stories from within the heritage area and enlist student performers from Snow College’s Performing Arts Department to put together a complete festival experience to run annually throughout the tourist season.

In the process of auditioning, casting, and training those student storyteller/musician/ singers, Snow College saw the added value in giving their students an unmatched professional education. They have since mounted a class for students interested in the UPHA style of story entertainment which is being taught by Clive Romney, UPHA’s Artistic Director, and Dr. Michael Huff, Associate Professor and Dean of Fine Arts, Communication, and New Media for Snow College.

Click on the video links below to find out the details on this annual festival as well as the genesis of UPHA’s decision to move in this direction.

Mormon Pioneer Heritage Festival

Meet Clive Romney / Artistic Director for UPHA

Meet Bob Morphis / Executive Director for UPHA

UPHA identifies little-known stories and marginalized communities so our audiences get a more accurate understanding of Utah’s heritage. This dedication to inclusiveness shapes the content we develop. Some of our most powerful stories are about lesser-known characters and disregarded groups in the history of the Utah Territory. Our Native American population has lacked platforms to tell their own stories in their own voice, and though we’ve had some success in that work, we continue to work to establish the connections and build the trust to make that possible.

We invite you to explore the Story Road Utah YouTube Channel for more videos. And please Like and Subscribe and turn on the Notification Bell so that you can keep up with all that’s going on here at Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts.

Thank you!

[That here is a LINK to the STORE page donation area.]

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[NOTE: The STORE page needs to include a way for visitors to DONATE and information on how to schedule ASSEMBLIES, PRIVATE CONCERTS, and how to have UPHA help write stories and songs for others.]