For those who remember the row of megawatt Osmond family smiles seen on TV years ago, it's a pleasure to know all that energy is still flowing - just through different channels.
Alan Osmond, the oldest of the Osmond Brothers group, has found himself a new niche in cyberspace with the creation of Osmond.Net, a family site on the Internet. He also continues to share his talents on the stage in Branson, Mo., where he headlines with the Osmond Brothers at the Osmond Family Theater. All this despite recently being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis."I have MS, but MS does not have me," he said.
In the past, Osmond helped organize the Children's Miracle Network, the development of Osmond Communications, and has had success with Alan Osmond Productions Inc., putting on the Stadium of Fire and productions around the country.
Friday, he was awarded a freedom award at the Freedom Festival Gala for his part in making the Stadium of Fire one of the biggest Fourth of July shows in the country. Osmond said he is honored by the award but cannot take all the credit for the show's success.
"They're trying to hand me the glory, and it was a team effort," he said.
The community makes the show a success, he said.
"You have a God-fearing, America-loving, flag-waving people, and the media aren't afraid to promote it," he said of Utah.
Osmond will attend the Stadium of Fire as a spectator for the second time this year. He turned over the production of the show to KSL two years ago. He loved working on the Stadium of Fire because of the chaos of fireworks, he said.
"I love fire. I'm not a pyromaniac, but I love fire. I love the excitement and light and noise," he said.
Ronald Clark, vice president of the Freedom Festival and former Osmond spokesman, said that the committee wholeheartedly approved of giving Osmond the freedom award.
"This is a small way to acknowledge the mammoth things he's done quietly," he said.
Clark said Osmond planned the Stadium of Fire with a "nothing-is- impossible" attitude.
"He's Mr. Firecracker. I think he's always had a fetish for fireworks," Clark said.
In fact, a firework has been named after Osmond. The "Alan" is a 14-inch ball that paints the sky, Clark said.
Like his namesake firework, Osmond spreads himself over his projects, interests and causes. He may soon begin a book on the power of personal philosophy in coping with life's trials. He believes that music can have a great impact on the healing process. He credits the support of his family and others for his physical improvement.
"With everybody's faith and prayers on my behalf, I feel I've actually improved," he said.
Osmond said that having multiple sclerosis has taught him empathy and patience. Though it is difficult, he said, he feels he has gained inner character.
"I didn't want anyone to know I had multiple sclerosis. Once I announced I had it something changed and I felt better," he said.
So, with a little change in diet and health care, Osmond has continued to expand his business pursuits. He wants to be on the forefront of the communications boom. His latest project is to make a place for families on the Internet.
"I think the family is in critical trouble," he said.
The family site he is creating will be a place for parents, children, grandparents and all family members to get information applicable to their lives.
He said he is also developing a search engine for the family site that will retrieve family oriented material.
"It's so parents can feel safe letting their children on the Internet," he said.
Osmond and his family live close to their work in Missouri. But when he's not performing or working, he often comes back to Utah with his family to spend time relaxing at a family home near Fairview.