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Public can get silly with the annual Holiday Bazaar

This year’s Park Silly Holiday Bazaar will feature 90 vendors who will offer everything from jewelry and clothing to gourmet chocolate and art. The event will run from Dec. 7-9 at the Park City Marriott Hotel.
Courtesy of Kate McChesney

What: Park Silly Holiday Bazaar

When: 5-9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 7; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 9

Where: Park City Marriott, 1895 Sidewinder Drive

Cost: Free

Web: parksillysundaymarket.com

Selecting the 90 vendors who will participate in the annual Park Silly Holiday Bazaar, which will run from Dec. 7-9 at the Park City Marriott, is much easier than choosing from the more than 800 vendors that apply for the weekly Park Silly Sunday Market on Main Street during the summer, according to Michelle McDonald.

It’s still a big task, especially because more than 200 vendors submitted applications this year, said McDonald, the director of operations for both events.

“We opened up applications in August and kept it open until the end of October,” she said. “Then we had five days to come up with the final list.”



The bazaar vendors were selected through a blind-jury process, led by McDonald and Executive Director Kate McChesney.

The vendors always come through and ultimately pull their spaces together in a way that is seemingly full of holiday magic…” Kate McChesney,Park Silly Holiday Bazaar executive director

“We gather people who like to regularly give us feedback when they see some of what are offered at the Silly Sunday Market,” McDonald said. “We sit in a roo and show them images of various products and take notes.”



To ensure unbiased decisions, McDonald and McChesney do not reveal the names of the applicants to the jury.

“We keep our mouths shut during the process, and let the notes we take do the talking,” McChesney said. “Then we’ll make our decisions.”

Most of the selected vendors are from Park City and Summit County, and half of them are making their Park Silly debut this year, McDonald said.

Some of the new vendors include Tandem Chocolates, The Masked Owl, and the Ioulia Greek Olive Oil Company.

Other new vendors include Timeless Pieces by Traci, jewelry created by Traci Pelton, and Mountain Bear Ink, founded by printer Fred Montague.

While Montague has participated in the Park City Kimball Arts Festival, this is his first foray into the Park Silly Bazaar, McDonald said.

“We also wanted to feature more unique artists and crafters who offered things that were more Christmas and holiday oriented,” she said.

So they asked Park City Nursery, owned by Sophy Kohler, to participate this year.

“Sophy will bring some fresh pine wreaths and other items,” McDonald said. “She will also take orders that can be picked up at a later time.”

In addition to the confirmed vendors, the Silly Holiday Bazaar has a waiting list.

“We always do that just in case one or more of the vendors run into issues,” McChesney said.

The bazaar will take up the Marriott’s second floor ballrooms.

Since the space is not square, McChesney and McDonald will walk through the area and measure 90 spaces that measure five-feet by eight-feet before the vendors arrive.

“We want to accommodate everyone, so we tell them to be open-minded and visualize how they want to set up their areas,” McChesney said. “The vendors always come through and ultimately pull their spaces together in a way that is seemingly full of holiday magic.”

In addition to the vendors Michael MacNamara will play cello and violin arrangements live.

“Michael is a cool deal,” McChesney said. “He’s played Park Silly Market for the past two summers, and played the bazaar last year. That’s when he was noticed by (Leslie Harlow of the) Beethoven Festival.”

While Park Silly Sunday Market and Silly Holiday Bazaar prides itself in introducing new artists and businesses to the public, it is an added bonus to have a musician get some exposure, McChesney said.

“We’re so used to the vendors establishing themselves and setting up a brick-and-mortar location that it’s easy to overlook these awesome musicians who play at the market,” she said.

The Park Silly Holiday Bazaar will also let people to bring their own cameras and phones to take their own photos with Santa.

The jolly elf’s schedule for photos will be from 5-9 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

“He is in demand this year, and we’re super excited that he will be with us,” McChesney said.

This will be the third year the Park Silly Holiday Bazaar will be held at the Park City Marriott.

The bazaar spent two years at Park City High School and then set up at the Yarrow and the Chateaux at Deer Valley before moving to the Marriott.

“The hotel is already decorated, so our little elves who greet everyone will fit right in,” McChesney said. “Plus, there’a a bar and restaurant on site for people who want to take a break from shopping.”

While there is free parking under the Park City Marriott and in the surrounding lots, McChesney also encourages patrons to ride the bus, which has a stop in front of the hotel.

She’s looking forward to bringing a little of summer Park City to ski season.

“The vendors and patrons become like family during the summer Park Silly Sunday Market, so it’s nice nice to see some of these people a few months later,” she said.

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