In between a chocolate marshmallow shake at Larry's Drive-In, a tour of his ancestors' graves at the Fillmore City Cemetery and a stint as waiter - again at Larry's Drive-In - the governor brought state government back to its beginnings with his first State of the State address, delivered at the historic Territorial Statehouse.

Borrowing a theme from LDS Church President and Territorial Governor Brigham Young's first speech in the sandstone building, Huntsman said he will focus his efforts on economic development and education. One will feed the other, he said.

But first, lawmakers must reform Utah's tax structure to lure businesses - and high-paying jobs - into the state. Along with tax reform, Huntsman asked lawmakers to block hotter nuclear waste at the state's borders, repeated his support for "school choice" and committed to restore dental and vision care for the poorest Utahns on Medicaid. And he pledged to push term limits and ethics reform for state executives.

Striking a conciliatory tone, he urged legislators and Utahns to come along with him.

"I propose a new partnership," Huntsman said. "We must begin to pay less attention to party affiliation or which branch of government we come from and focus more on using our differences to strengthen our communities, our cities and our state."

Tuesday's State of the State in Fillmore was a test of the nonpartisan collaboration Huntsman advocates.

Lawmakers' grousing about the two-hour bus ride and questions about the constitutionality of delivering the speech away from the Capitol in Salt Lake City faded away Tuesday. Huntsman gave legislative leaders a copy of his speech early in the day and made some changes at their suggestion. About half of the 104-member Legislature trekked the 300-mile round trip to attend. And after a dutch-oven dinner and a relatively short 25-minute speech, the governor serving them a second dinner of burgers and fries in an apron was a bonus.

"This is historic. This is an adventure," said Provo Republican Sen. Curtis Bramble. "This is a great opportunity for Fillmore. And it's a great opportunity for the legislative branch and the executive branch to get out."

Fillmore welcomed Huntsman like a "favorite son," with a banner strung across Main Street, flags surrounding the statehouse block and baskets of cheese and mushrooms - both produced in the central Utah town.

Utah lawmakers and the governor met in Fillmore until 1858, when the seat of government was changed to Salt Lake City. The legislature had not met in the historic statehouse for nearly 150 years.

Mayor Sam Starley thanked Huntsman for "considering your heritage and the history of the state."

The place is close to Huntsman's heart; it's where he spent summers with his grandmother and learned to drive and hunt and fish. Before his televised speech, he visited the graves of his "Granny" Nellie and Uncle Clayton, who was killed in World War II.

"This is where my heart brings me. This is where my roots are," he said. "My ancestors tilled the soil. I can't drive through the cemetery without getting a little bit choked up."

While lawmakers applauded Huntsman's choice of a venue for his speech and his cooperation with the legislative branch of state government, the substance of his speech might deflate Tuesday's euphoria.

The governor said he will ask lawmakers to begin phasing out corporate income taxes this year, balanced with a streamlined sales tax to fill in revenue holes.

"We need a tax policy that is not only friendly to our citizens, but also creates a competitive environment for business," he said. "Business as usual will leave us behind our neighboring states."

Along with tax and ethics reform, Huntsman said he will commit more money for teacher salaries, classroom supplies and new math and reading comprehension programs. His budget proposes $15 million for beginning teachers, $71 million to cover a 4.5 percent increase in the Weighted Pupil Unit and $5.5 million for supplies, which equals about $300 per classroom. His math initiative will cost $14 million. He urged Utahns to volunteer in classrooms, changing the teacher-student ratio to an "adult to student" ratio.

And he raised the specter of tuition tax credits, reiterating his support for "Utah's public schools, public charter schools and school choice."

In their taped response, Democratic lawmakers argued tuition tax credits will not solve Utah's education funding problem.

"Vouchers or tuition tax credits are not the answer. They use taxpayer money to subsidize private education, leaving us to make up the difference or allowing our public education system to degrade," said Holladay Democratic Rep. Pat Jones.

Some Republican lawmakers balked Tuesday night at Huntsman's plans for executive branch ethics reform; they want to see the details before they sign off on the idea.

And House Speaker Greg Curtis found one part of the governor's speech lacking: details about transportation funding, an issue pressing on lawmakers' minds. Curtis said Huntsman's education proposals might have to be trimmed to balance with other needs.

"We may not be able to fund everything at the levels he mentioned," Curtis said.

Huntsman Chief of Staff Jason Chaffetz said the governor's office will work with lawmakers to balance the budget.

"That's something we're going to have to talk about," Chaffetz said.