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The Park Record editorial, January 16-19, 2010

Familiar spotlight shines on athletes, artists in Park City

The staging trucks have been swarming into Park City setting up stadiums, podiums and temporary movie screens as, once again, Park City preens to welcome the world’s attention.

This weekend, Deer Valley has been busy hosting the Visa Freestyle International World Cup featuring the top aerial and mogul skiers. Today’s mogul finals will no doubt bring back memories of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games which cemented Park City’s reputation as a world-class destination.

Midweek, Park City will help kick off the opening of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, which has enhanced the community’s reputation, not only as a sports mecca but as an incubator for the arts as well. The Sundance Film Festival started in Park City and like the town has grown in both size and stature. And this year’s 10-day event will not only draw world-renowned movie celebrities but is also attracting a full think tank of social activists and groundbreaking artists in a variety of media.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for a small city in the mountains, next weekend Park City Mountain Resort will reprise its role as the center of the snowboarding universe. The U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix begins with two days of training Wednesday and Thursday then invites the public to watch the action free of charge during the competitions on Friday and Saturday. The event culminates with the selection of the U.S. 2010 Olympic halfpipe team and one of PCMR’s trademark outdoor celebrations with an outdoor concert.

The events are sure to be well attended, but compared to Park City’s Olympic year and those immediately afterwards it is likely that all three events will be more accessible to local residents than ever before.

Unfortunately it is easy, for those who live in town, to take these events for granted. Some residents treat them as a necessary evil that comes with life in a tourist destination.

This year, though, we would suggest that you take a fresh look at Park City’s amazing slate of international-caliber events and find a way to participate. Grab a seat in the bleachers at Deer Valley, buy a ticket for a film you have never heard of, and check out the superpipe daredevils at PCMR.

This month Park City is center stage and you have a front-row seat.

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