The Park Silly Sunday Market’s slogan should be “Unique Every week,” says the event’s community relations officer Ryan Cray.
“You can come each Sunday and experience something new, whether it’s the kids’ activities or different nonprofit organizations that offer information or the new featured artists that perform,” Cray said during an interview with The Park Record. “Even the vendors will change, so you will never experience the same market twice.”
The open-air event will kick off its annual run on Main Street beginning Sunday, June 12, at 10 a.m.
Among the major changes this year is the relocation of the children’s activities, Cray said.
“We moved them from the Town Lift Plaza to a designated place near 9th Street and Main Street,” she said. “I think people will be more inclined to see the new location, which is near the Swilly Garden, so parents can enjoy a drink and still keep an eye on their kids.”
Another new element is the Park Silly Featured Chefs.
“We’ll have four chefs who will work together to create their dishes,” Cray said. “They won’t be competing against each other, because everyone is a winner in our book.”
Regardless of the new additions, there are things that will never change with the Market, which was formed by Kimberly Kuehn, Jewels Harrison and Julie Doerr-Arenson five years ago, Cray said.
First and foremost is the goal.
“When the market opened, the main goal was to give something back to the community,” she said. “It was a way to give people a day to relax and enjoy different things that the community had to offer, and it still does.”
Cray suggests those who visit the Park Silly Sunday Market should start at the top of Main Street and work their way down.
“That way they can check out the other Main Street businesses and support them as well,” she said. “It’s also easier on the legs to come down Main Street, rather than going up it. It’s kind of a big incline, you know?”
Along with giving people a chance to get outdoors and enjoy the summer, the market always strives to be eco-friendly, Cray said.
“We have ‘zero-waste stations’ located throughout the market, which emphasize on recycling and reusing,” she said. “Last year, we only took two bags of trash to the landfill, which was a huge accomplishment when you think of the tens of thousands of people we see throughout the summer.
“We also encourage people to bike, walk or carpool, so we can reduce that big carbon footprint,” she said.
The market is expected to feature 130 vendors on opening day.
“We try to support those non-corporate, grass-roots organizations as much as we can,” Cray explained. “We want to support the returning vendors, the ones who have been with us for awhile, and we like to feature some new and interesting ones as well.
“While we are getting close to filling vendor spaces in the upcoming weeks, we still have some openings,” she said. “If anyone is interested they can go on line and apply at our website, www.parksillysundaymarket.com.”
In addition to the local and regional arts and crafts, antiques, food and farmer’s market-produce, the Park Silly Sunday Market has always included music and performance art in the mix.
With the help of Mountain Town Music, each week will feature an array of artists.
“This year, we’ll have three buskers located throughout the market,” Cray said. “We’ll also have two performances on the main stage each day on in the morning and one in the afternoon and we’ll also feature two performances at Miner’s Park in the afternoons.”
This Sunday will feature troubadour Paul Boruff and the roots-music group Sideshow Ramblers on the main stage and the a cappella group Plumbers of Rome and acoustic singer/songwriter Arienette at Miner’s Park.
As someone who attended Park Silly Sunday Market as a patron and now is working for the event, Cray said she is amazed at how the community works together to make the market work.
“We work with Park City Municipal, the Historic Park City Alliance and the ski resorts and everyone is so willing and accommodating,” she said.
Even with the board of directors shake-up that saw co-founder Harrison released as executive director last year and the staff reorganization during the past few months, the market came together, Cray said.
“Logistically, it takes a lot of teamwork to do this,” she explained. “We have a really strong team right now. We do have a few returning people and have some new people, and we have nine interns this year from the University of Utah and from Westminster College who have been a great help. We’re working together really well. It’s been a lot of fun and going pretty smoothly.”
The Park Silly Sunday Market will open June 12 and run every Sunday through Sept. 25, with the exception of Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.parksillysundaymarket.com .