Back in 1941, Park City decided to merge Miners Day with Labor Day into a nice little package.
Before that, Miners Day was held in June, said Steve Joyce, a member of the Rotary Club of Park City, which is presenting the 116th Miners Day festivities on Monday, Sept. 2.
“Park City’s been at this for a long time,” Joyce said during an interview with The Park Record. “This is the first year I’ve been able to help put it on.”
In the past, Joyce attended the events as a spectator.
“There is a set of quirky events that make Park City unique,” he said. “One is the Fourth of July parade and another is the Howl-O-Ween Dog Parade.
“Miners Day is also one of those events,” Joyce said. “The two biggest things that I’ve never seen any place else is the Running of the Balls and the mucking and drilling Contest.”
The Running of the Balls, which lets loose 7,000 golf balls down a wooden track on Main Street, used to be done with tennis balls,” Joyce said.
“We used to bring our dog down to see them and every once in a while he would go grab one,” he said. “The balls are released from a huge tower and when they all start rolling down the street it’s just an amazing sight.”
The Running of the Balls, which is a take on the Running of the Bulls event in Pamplona, Spain, is the Rotary Club of Park City’s biggest fundraiser.
“We sell numbers that correspond with the different balls, so in a way, the people who buy a number are, in a sense, adopting a ball,” Joyce said. “We will be selling these at the Park Silly Market on Sunday, Sept. 1, and in the morning of Monday, Sept. 2.
“However, keep in mind that Monday tends to be kind of a hectic time to buy a ball because there are thousands of people who show up to see the event,” he said.
The heart of Miners Day is the mucking and drilling contest where a group of men demonstrate how to use the hydraulic drills and other hardware to sort ore from rock.
“When you see these guys working the big hydraulic drills and the mucking machines, you get an understanding of how they did things back then, even though they are doing this outside in the open,” Joyce said. “Just think, the miners did this underground, sometimes miles underground, so it is mind-blowing when you see rock chips flying off the stones and how fast these guys can drill into the stones.
“I can’t even imagine what it was like when Park City was in its mining days and people were moving here for work in the mines,” he said. “The muscles on those guys are amazing. They are ripped.”
The whole Miners Day celebration will begin with a pancake breakfast in City Park presented by St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
The cost is $5 per person, although children ages four and younger can eat for free.
“They’ve been doing that for years,” Joyce said. “There’s nothing like starting your day with a mouthful of pancakes.”
At the same time, Arts-Kids, a nonprofit youth development program based in Summit County, will start their Funky 5K run.
“I ran in that last year and it was a lot of fun,” Joyce said. “In fact, Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong, who is part of the U.S. Ski Team, and a couple of his friends showed up to run. So you never know who will show up.”
The Running of the Balls and the Miners Day parade take place on Main Street.
The parade entrants vary from decorated bicycles, cars and floats, Joyce said.
“After that, we return to City Park for an afternoon of events including live music, children’s games — including sack races and wheelbarrow races — and a softball tournament,” he said.
During that time, the Rotary Club of Park City will serve a barbecue lunch.
“We will be selling burgers, pizza and hot dogs, soft drinks, water and beer,” Joyce said. “The music will be provided by The Americans and Afro Omega.”
Capping off the celebration after the mucking and drilling in the afternoon, there will be a new event — the Skateboard Pro Bowl Jam at the skateboard park.
“The PC MARC is presenting this nice little competition,” Joyce said. “The boarders will be doing a bunch of jaw-dropping tricks, and it will be great.”
Joyce said Miners Day not only celebrates Park City’s heritage, but also helps give back to the community.
“Sponsorships are key to us and allows us to take the pool of money raised during these events and dole them out to various nonprofits in Summit County,” he said. “Whether you adopt a ball, enter a float in the parade or buy a burger or beer, all of the money is collected by the Rotary Club of Park City and given to the nonprofits in the community.”
Still, observing the Miners Day activities is free, he said.
“The money is only required for food, the Funky 5K and the Running of the Balls,” Joyce said. “This is a great way to celebrate Park City.”
For more information about Miners Day, visit www.parkcityrotary.com or www.visitparkcity.com.