The 17th Annual Malad Valley Welsh Festival will once again feature speakers who will educate and entertain attendees about Wales and Welsh pioneers. The Festival will be on Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1, with a special Fireside on Sunday, July 2. All presentations will be in the chapel of the 2nd Ward Building (the Church next to Malad City Park). Except for the Sunday Fireside, the presentations are partially funded by the Idaho Humanities Council.

DEAN HUGHES

Award winning author Dean Hughes will present on “What It Means to Me to Be Welsh” at 10:00 a.m. on both days of the Festival. Dean is the author of two very popular historic novel series: Children of the Promise, set during World War II, and the Hearts of the Children, set during the Vietnam War era.  His book Midway to Heaven was adapted into a feature-length film in 2011. His books almost always include Welsh names or references.

Dean has written 105 historic novels and children’s books as well as poems and short stories. His books for young readers include the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, Search and Destroy, and Four-Four-Two. His novel Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list.  He received a Whitney Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and an Outstanding Achievement AML Award in 2013.

Dean was born in Ogden, Utah. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Weber State University and a master’s degree in creative writing and a Ph.D. in literature from the University of Washington.  Before he became a full-time writer, he taught English at Central Missouri State University and creative writing at BYU. He and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and nine grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.

DULAIS RHYS

Welsh native Dulais Rhys will present on “The Welsh National Anthem: Its History and How to Sing It” at 11:00 on both days of the Festival. He is looking forward to sharing his love for his homeland (and his Welsh accent) at the Festival.

Dulais is currently a professional musician and music teacher in Billings, Montana. He was a faculty member at Amabile School of Music in San Francisco, teaching piano, composition, theory, and music technology.

He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Wales in Bangor. For his Ph.D. dissertation from the University of Wales, he wrote about the life and music of the great Welsh composer, Joseph Parry. He has written books and articles about Parry, music appreciation, and Welsh music in both English and Welsh. Dulais enjoys serving as the accompanist for musical theater and has performed for many productions, including “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” and “Godspell.”

LUCIE THOMAS WASHBURN

The Opening Ceremony at 9:15 a.m. on both days of the Festival will feature Lucie Washburn briefly speaking on the theme of this year’s Festival: “St. David and Kindness.” St. David is the patron saint of Wales and exemplified kindness throughout his life. The Youth and Adult Poetry Competitions used “kindness” as the theme for all entries.

ROBERT 

WASHBURN

This year’s Sunday program will focus on the history of the Logan Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 1884, when the Logan Temple was dedicated as the second temple completed in Utah, to 2012, when the Brigham City Temple was dedicated, the Malad Stake was in the Logan Temple District.  Therefore, the history of the Logan Temple mirrors the history of the Welsh pioneers who settled Malad Valley in the 1860s. Built over seven years by volunteer labor, the temple was dedicated by President John Taylor. Men from Samaria, Malad, and Portage (which was in the Malad Stake at the time) worked on the temple. The Logan Temple has gone through a lot of changes in its 140 years, especially in the early days.

Robert Washburn was born in Logan in the shadow of the Logan Temple and has always been fascinated by the history, architecture, and setting of the temple on the hill overlooking Cache Valley. After living in Arizona, Montana, California, New York, England, and Colorado while working in finance and accounting for IBM and Lockheed Martin, he and his wife Lucie are glad to be retired back in Cache Valley and to be able to attend and serve in the temple where they were married. 

A couple of years ago, Bob was asked to prepare a short history of the Logan Temple for a stake event.  Since then, he has been asked to make the presentation several times around Cache Valley. He will present his research and facts from The Logan Temple: The First 100 Years by Nolan P. Olsen at the Fireside at 5:00 p.m. The Malad Stake High Council will provide refreshments, and the Malad Valley Men’s Welsh Chorus will welcome everyone to the program.