Pres. Hinckley rites to draw thousands

The venue for the two-day viewing of President Gordon B. Hinckley has been changed to the Conference Center downtown.

And officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday that tickets for his funeral will be available beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the north gate of Temple Square.

Officials expect "hundreds of thousands" of people to attend the viewing, which begins at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Conference Center's third floor "Hall of the Prophets," according to church spokesman Scott Trotter.

The change of venue from the Administration Building was made "so people can stand inside and wait rather than stand outside," Trotter said.

Originally, a large tent was to be set up between the Administration Building and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to shelter those hoping to pass President Hinckley's casket inside. But with snow and freezing temperatures in the forecast through Friday, plans changed to help patrons stay warm during the viewing, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Those who plan to attend should be aware there is extremely limited parking downtown — especially during weekday hours — with the recent demolition of both the ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza parking structures.

Parking for the viewing and funeral will be available at:

• Triad Center Garage, 50 N. 400 West.

• Eagle Gate Terrace, 145 E. Social Hall Ave.

• Regent Street, 65 E. 200 South.

• EnergySolutions Arena, 70 N. 300 West.

Trotter said senior missionaries who normally staff the Conference Center during public events will be called on to help route and move crowds through the building.

"It's kind of an 'all hands on deck' thing," he said.

Tickets for the funeral will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to those in line at the north gate of Temple Square on Saturday morning, Trotter said. Tickets to the Conference Center will be distributed first. Once those are gone, tickets will be distributed for the overflow venues, including the Conference Center Theater, the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and Joseph Smith Memorial Building.