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Editorial: Music at City Park will be sweet — but only if we do our part to make shows run smoothly

Music will ring in City Park throughout the rest of the summer.

In a special session Friday, the Park City Council approved the Park City Institute’s request to move the rest of this season’s St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights concert slate from Quinn’s Field to City Park. The idea for the venue change was sparked by the positive response when the series held what was supposed to be a one-off show there featuring Grace Potter on July 13.

Attendees raved about the experience of seeing a performance of that caliber in front of an Old Town backdrop. Soon enough, there was a groundswell of public support for moving the rest of the Institute’s 2018 summer shows to the park.



While Quinn’s Field was a workable temporary venue for the concerts, there’s something undeniably special about gathering, blankets and chairs in tow, for an evening of open-air entertainment in Old Town. Moving the shows to City Park is a splendid solution as the Park City Institute continues to search for a permanent spot for the popular concerts after losing access to the series’ longtime home at Deer Valley’s Snow Park Amphitheater. The Park City Council and City Hall staffers deserve credit for being flexible enough to make it possible in a short time frame.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a flawless fix. To go smoothly, the plan requires a significant amount of cooperation from concert-goers, particularly when it comes to getting to and from City Park. Old Town roads simply cannot easily handle the traffic that accompanies shows of this size, so it’s imperative that music lovers find alternate transportation.



The best solution for people coming from outside of Park City proper is heading to Park City High School, then taking a free shuttle to City Park. Attendees can also take advantage of the free bus system or bicycle or walk to the park.

If a large chunk of concert-goers instead attempt to circle Old Town in search of nearby parking, the experience will quickly go awry. That would be unfair to the other attendees doing their part to make the shows successful. And it certainly would be unfair to people who live near City Park.

To their credit, residents of Old Town seem to understand how important the concert series is to the success of the Park City Institute and how the nonprofit’s programming, in turn, benefits the community. Despite their ongoing concern about the impacts of the many special events in Old Town, many residents spoke out in favor of the venue change for the rest of this year’s shows.

As we enjoy the performances in the fresh air at City Park, let’s do everything we can to make sure they don’t regret lending their support. If we do, the soundtrack of this summer is sure to be a pleasant tune.

Editor’s note: The executive director of the Park City Institute, Teri Orr, is a former editor of The Park Record and writes a weekly column for the paper.


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