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Park City gusher: ‘Blood & Oil’ creates a scene on Main Street

Jay Hamburger THE PARK RECORD

The No Name Saloon was given a name on Tuesday, at least a fictional one: Jules’ Tack Room.

The Main Street establishment was the setting for a scene in a network television show that is being filmed at Park City Film Studios. The "Blood & Oil" shooting on Main Street brought a touch of Hollywood glitz to what was otherwise a soggy day of persistent rain in Park City.

By that evening, the "Blood & Oil" crews were centered on the No Name Saloon. The Alamo-like front of the building was lit up with spotlights and the crew was outside with cameras and other equipment. Plastic covered the equipment to protect it from the rain. It was difficult to observe the goings-on inside the building from the street.

"I think what they’re looking for is a historic building that has maintained its grass roots as an old establishment," said Jesse Shetler, the owner of the No Name Saloon.

Shetler said the "Blood & Oil" location scouts contacted him in the summer about shooting part of the television show after they had been inside the No Name Saloon. The Tuesday filming was the second time it had been a setting. The No Name Saloon closed temporarily both times.

The setup for the Tuesday shoot started at 1 a.m., Shetler said. The "Blood & Oil" crews took down much of the décor and replaced it with pieces meant to be in the Jules’ Tack Room from the show. Shetler said the shooting started at 3 p.m. or so on Tuesday and lasted until approximately 8 p.m. He said people familiar with the No Name Saloon will recognize the establishment in the television show. There is a possibility the crews will return for additional filming on the exterior of the No Name Saloon, he said.

"It takes half a day to get everything ready for filming," Shetler said.

The "Blood & Oil" shoot involved a large setup along Main Street and nearby. Tommy Youngblood, a City Hall special events project manager who was involved with the permitting, said 46 parking spots were barricaded on Main Street in three different locations – outside the No Name Saloon, outside the Main Street post office and along the stretch of Main Street between the Heber Avenue intersection and a walkway known as the location of a bronze bear. The crews also set up in the flagpole parking lot on lower Swede Alley, the surface parking spots on Swede Alley and a section of the Brew Pub lot.

Youngblood said filming occurred on the Main Street sidewalk across the street from Centennial Park in addition to the No Name Saloon.

Youngblood said the Police Department and the Special Events Department monitored the scene. Main Street was not closed to traffic at any point, but flaggers were positioned on the street to direct drivers. Traffic moved slowly as it passed the site.

"I think it went as well as to be expected," he said.

Youngblood said upward of 80 percent of the operations surrounding the filming went as planned. Unplanned issues included adding lighting, the need for more parking spaces than anticipated and changing schedules, he said.

Youngblood said "Blood & Oil" wants to shoot on Main Street again.

A group that represents businesses on Main Street or on nearby streets said afterward there are concerns about the filming. The Historic Park City Alliance is worried about the potential frequency of shooting and the impacts, Alison Butz, the executive director, said. She said the organization wants to ensure there is parking available for Main Street customers during filming.

Butz said much of the parking north of 5th Street was not available to customers. The loss of parking on Tuesday did not have major impacts since the rainy weather kept crowds from heading to Main Street, she said.

Butz said City Hall provided the Historic Park City Alliance preliminary information about the filming the week before and then forwarded details on Monday. Businesses on Main Street did not immediately contact her with complaints. She anticipates complaints if "Blood & Oil" filming increases in frequency on Main Street.

"What happens when it’s next Tuesday or the Tuesday after," Butz said.

Park City


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