181st Annual LDS General Conference To Begin April 2nd, 2011, Preceded By General Young Women Meeting On March 26th

NOTE: All posts about the 181st Annual General Conference, to include session reports, can be simultaneously displayed HERE, with the most recent post displayed first.

It's that time of the year again. Get your wisdom-hunting licenses out, because it's Conference season. I can already feel the spiritual adrenaline beginning to flow. The 181st Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at hand.

Preceded by the General Young Women Meeting on March 26th, 2010, the Conference itself will take place on April 2-3. LDS Church Broadcast Schedule for the Young Women Meeting available HERE, and for the General Conference available HERE. The official LDS.org General Conference Page is available HERE. KSL Channel 5 has put up a Conference Page, and has separately posted information on public transit along the Wasatch Front HERE.

-- Primary Location: All sessions originate from the Conference Center Auditorium on North Temple in Salt Lake City unless otherwise specified. Additional nearby locations for overflow viewing include the Conference Center Theater, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, the Legacy Theater, and the Bountiful Regional Center. Map of area available HERE.

-- Dates:
---- Saturday March 26th, General Young Women Meeting at 6:00 P.M. Attendance limited to young women 12-18, their mothers, and Young Women leaders. The theme this year will be the 13th Article of Faith. Specific broadcast schedule for this meeting available HERE, and Church meetinghouse satellite broadcast schedule HERE. You can now read the account of this meeting HERE.
---- Saturday April 2nd, general sessions at 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. General priesthood meeting at 6:00 P.M.
------ Summary of Saturday morning session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Saturday afternoon session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Saturday evening priesthood session now available HERE.
---- Sunday April 3rd, general sessions at 9:30 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. Audio and video options for Conference outlined HERE.
------ Summary of Sunday morning general session now available HERE.
------ Summary of Sunday afternoon general session HERE

-- Cable and Satellite Broadcasting: Current information available via Bonneville Communications. Click HERE, then select either Cable/Broadcast or Dish/DirectTV/Satellite TV, depending upon which applies. Follow subsequent instructions to find out the information for your area. Most LDS wards also receive Conference proceedings via the Church Broadcast System.

-- Special Considerations (also includes information from HERE):
---- Admission to the Conference Center is limited to those ages 8 and older for general sessions and 12 years and older for the priesthood session.
---- Those attending are encouraged to park in designated parking areas only, as shown HERE. Better yet, consider leaving your vehicle where you are staying and take public transportation to Temple Square.
---- Sunday dress is encouraged.
---- Cameras, audio and video recorders are NOT allowed. Photographs are not permitted during the event.
---- You will be expected to turn off all pagers, cell phones, and similar electronic devices while in the Conference Center. "Off" doesn't mean switch from "ring" to "vibrate"; it means COMPLETELY Off.
---- You will not be permitted to bring packages, backpacks, food, or beverages into the Conference Center.

The April conference includes annual statistical and financial reports not included in the October meeting. Both conferences are identified by the number of years since the church was founded in April 1830; thus, the April 2008 meeting was the 178th Annual General Conference, and the October 2007 meeting was the 177th Semiannual General Conference. The conferences have been held in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1848; in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square before 2000 and in the Conference Center after that. The women's meeting during the October Conferences is different; it's called the General Relief Society Meeting, and is for females of any age.

For those looking for some activities for kids while watching Conference, here are some sources:

-- Activities for Children from the LDS General Conference Page

-- Becoming LDS has published a number of links to children's activities.