The iconic barn at the McPolin Farm could be splashed with colors in June.
Talks are underway about marking Pride Month in Park City with rainbow lighting on the City Hall-owned barn, something that would be an especially visible reminder of the month. The barn is usually lit in white lights at night, and the rainbow colors would be expected to dramatically change the look of the building that month.
The barn is located in a high-profile setting along the S.R. 224 entryway, and the rainbow colors would be expected to be seen by large numbers of drivers each day of the month. S.R. 224 is the primary entryway to Park City for people from parts of the Snyderville Basin and drivers from the Salt Lake Valley.
Mayor Nann Worel and the Park City Council received a briefing about the plans for the barn during a recent meeting. A municipal task force dedicated to LGBTQ+ topics presented a range of issues to the elected officials at the recent meeting, including the idea for the rainbow colors at the barn.
A written update drafted in anticipation of the meeting indicated the task force recommended the lighting at the barn. The update did not provide details.
The task force as a result of the recent meeting plans to approach a group called the Friends of the Farm, which operates under the umbrella of the municipal government. The Friends of the Farm acts in an advisory role to City Hall staffers. It was not clear at the end of the week when the Friends of the Farm would consider the concept.
It is rare for City Hall to use lights at the farm other than the usual white ones. In the early months of the novel coronavirus pandemic, officials shined blue lights on the barn in honor of first responders. A municipal report forwarded to the elected officials in 2021 explained the blue lights were created with film that was temporarily placed atop the spotlights as well as lightbulbs shaded blue in the exterior fixtures at the farmhouse and the shed on the grounds.
Rainbow colors at the barn would be another step in City Hall’s wide-ranging social equity efforts. The social equity work at the municipal government is designed to ensure a diverse population is welcomed in Park City. The work dates back years but has been especially aggressive recently.
Putting rainbow colors on the barn would likely be the most prominent social justice effort by the municipal government since a series of murals, including one with a Black Lives Matter message, were created on the Main Street asphalt in the summer of 2020, stirring controversy that stretched for months.
The recent City Council meeting was held shortly before the start of the annual Elevation: Utah gay ski week in Park City. The event opened on Wednesday and is scheduled to end on Sunday. Elevation: Utah involves parties, apres-ski events and other gatherings. The gay ski week returned in 2022 after a cancellation the year before out of concern for the pandemic.
The municipal task force plans an event on Saturday that is not an official Elevation: Utah gathering but is nonetheless timed during the gay ski week. The task force event involves a lunch and apres ski, with organizers hoping attendance reaches between 80 and 100 people. More information is available at queerski.com.