Go right ahead — make a left turn off of Kearns Boulevard during the morning commute, pull into a parking spot right in front of your favorite restaurant on Main Street or dare to go to the market at 5:30 p.m.! Park City’s ever-shorter off season has begun. The town’s well-attended summer events have tapered off, leaving Autumn Aloft and the last Park Silly Sunday Market to bookend the season this weekend.
As much as we love the festive atmosphere and the fact that some of the world’s brightest stars are drawn to stages in our backyard, we will enjoy the respite, especially knowing that it is temporary. Our visitors have returned home to put their kids in school and get back to their day jobs, but they will soon return with skis, snowboards, boots and parkas.
The coming leisurely afternoons and quiet evenings are a reminder of the small-town atmosphere that citizens and city leaders are currently trying to preserve, while also nurturing a sustainable economic base. The slower pace offers a perfect opportunity to stroll through our neighborhoods and commercial districts with a special eye toward what is new, what needs to be protected and what could use a little fixing up.
It is especially fitting that this reflective period coincides with election season. Without the distractions of special events and crowd management, there is more time to reconnect with neighbors, to discuss local issues and share mutual concerns about the community’s future.
This summer’s long spate of balmy weather won’t last. So, for a few weeks we urge residents to treat themselves to the amenities they have worked so hard to create for our visitors: the open spaces and fresh air, the restaurants and galleries, and the overall mountain vitality.
Sometimes Parkites get so busy setting up, running and taking down special events they neglect to enjoy the sound of rustling aspen leaves and the call of the sandhill cranes preparing to migrate. Throw in a few heartfelt conversations with our current crop of city council candidates, and we’d consider the off season to be well spent.