Over fifteen years ago, I began a ROMEO group (retired old men eating out) here in Park City. We call our group, La Societe Deux Magots (LSDM) named after a Paris cafe where notable intellectuals met in the 1930’s. Our ROMEO group began with a few locals who liked to get up early and who enjoyed the camaraderie of discussing current events.
ROMEO groups are not unique as I have seen similar groups at many of my stopping places around the country and around the world. We are mostly men (some not even retired!), but we welcome women and have some women regulars. Pre Covid, we would find notable speakers who had messages they would like to share to our group. Typically, we would draw average three speakers per month at our regular meeting place, Wasatch Bagel, in Park City, UT. Covid changed things for us here in Park City. When the Summit County stay-at-home order was implemented, we began to use first telephone conference calls and then Zoom for our regular meetings. The Zoom connection broadened our reach both for participants as well as for speakers. Not limiting participation to those who could attend a 7 a.m. meeting in Park City was a game changer. Participants now link in from around the country and sometimes from offshore. I’m not doing this alone. Local autodidact, Jack Kelley, built up and oversees a communications architecture for LSDM including website, Gmail account, and Zoom link. Park City mayoral candidate, Jack Rubin has taken the lead in speaker invitations and LSDM meeting management.
The scope and number of speakers has expanded to upwards of a dozen or more each month. Politicians running for office are a staple for us. And through the efforts of our members, we have drawn authors, Hollywood directors, economists, scientists, and tech bros among many other disciplines. With the Park City City Council elections upon us, we are hosting all of the candidates for individual sessions. LSDM stalwart Pat O’Connell has organized and will oversee these sessions. Members of the community are welcome to attend. These sessions will be “in person” at Wasatch Bagel from 7 to 8 am. Our meeting schedule is available at www.LSDM-ParkCity.com. Click on “calendar.” Please feel free to come join us at Wasatch Bagel as we learn more about the candidates in advance of the primary.
Steve Taylor
Park City, UT