35,000 visit temple, LDS official says
Billings MT Gazette 20Oct99 D1
By Susan Olp: Gazette Staff

LDS Church spokesman Dave Hein says that the turnout visiting the new Billings, Montana Temple has been very good, "We've had over 35,000 people who have attended so far. We're expecting another big day on Saturday." The two week open house began on October 8, with the temple open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Following its dedication, the temple will be closed to the public.

The tour of the temple is designed to handle up to 1,000 people per hour, and Hein says that this has been adequate except for this past Saturday, when demand peaked at 1,100 per hour, "We had a bit of a delay on Saturday, when we peaked at 1,100 people an hour," Hein said. The tour includes a video in addition to an actual tour of the building.

Following the open house, the temple will be dedicated on Saturday, November 20th and President Gordon B. Hinckley will participate in the cornerstone-laying ceremony in which a sealed box will be installed. A total of eight dedicatory sessions are planned on November 20th and 21st, but are restricted to LDS Church members in good standing age 8 and older. To accomodate Church members in town for the dedication, the temple, normally closed on Mondays, will be open for temple work on Monday, November 22nd.