SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A holiday tradition that was threatened with a cancellation has found a new stage.
The production of Handel’s Messiah lost its venue, and ABC 4 News took action to help find a new place for the classical chorale.
Letters from a Washington, D.C. advocacy group complained about Handel’s Messiah being held at the Olympus High School auditorium, calling it a violation of the First Amendment clause that has been interpreted as requirement of the separation between church and state.
The City of Holladay pulled support, and the Granite School District canceled the reservation.
After ABC 4 ran the story, a general authority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made a phone call authorizing local leaders to donate the use of a large chapel and activity center.
This year's Messiah will be performed November 29th at the Salt Lake Holladay Stake Center at 4500 South 2100 East.
As for future years, ABC 4 News has learned the Utah Masons are offering their auditorium as permanent home.
