"Are Mormons American citizens?" one inquiring mind wanted to know.
Maybe not a good question but good enough to top the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau 5th annual list of "Top 10 Strange Visitor Questions.""Most of our strange questions over the years have had to do with the Mormons, Temple Square and our liquor laws," said Jeri Cartwright, bureau communications director.
Cartwright, who gleaned the 1995 list from talking to visitor center volunteers during their Christmas party last week, said strange questions are not unique to Utah.
In Alaska, a visitors bureau officials was asked, "When do they turn on the northern lights." In Arizona, a tourist inquired, "When does the Grand Canyon open?"
Over the years, the people staffing Utah's visitors centers have been asked if the "white stuff" on the mountains was salt; if Bryce Canyon was carved by hand; where to go to hear the Jazz play; and where to find some Mormon food.
This year's list includes:
"We need to catch a plane. Where is the Delta Center?"
"Why do you have a trophy on top of the Temple?"
An out-of-state caller inquired, "How much beer can I bring into Utah?" To which the volunteer replied, "How much can you carry?"
A young visitor to the State Supreme Court in the Capitol asked, "Where's O.J.?"
Another young visitor to the Capitol: "I know who lives here: the President of the United States."
Another visitor to the Capitol: "Do these steps go up or down?"
After listening to a bureau volunteer describe the features of the Great Salt Lake, a visitor asked, "How do the blind shrimp find their way into the Great Salt Lake?"
Asked if they wanted a smoking or nonsmoking room at a hotel, a little girl tugged at her father's sleeve and said, "But daddy, I don't want to smoke."
After listening to dozens of Methodist visitors asking about special activities during the United Youth Methodist Conference, a couple not affiliated with the group asked, "What do we get for being Lutherans?"
Cartwright said the annual list of strange questions isn't intended as a put-down of visitors. "We love it when people ask questions."
The bureau's 68 volunteers also enjoy helping the out-of-towners, she added. During the past year, they have glued a visitor's worn shoe back together; located a lost Cadillac; repaired a broken camera; and even served as baby sitters for two pet hermit crabs while their owners toured the city.