The self-described crepe king was among the 34 retail shops, 20 food vendors and 14 food trucks set up to sell wares at Heber Market on Main at Main Street Park on Thursday.

Despite being royalty, Kent King of Crepe Factory displayed a humble demeanor and an almost aggressive friendliness with a smile permanently plastered on his face as he waved down friends or asked teenage patrons about how the school year had gone. 

A Southwest Airlines pilot and aviation science professor with Utah State University, King got into the crepe-slinging business 14 years ago as a way to connect with people. The Heber City local has been participating in the annual Market on Main farmer’s market and concert series all that time, making crepes for many of the local kids as they’ve grown up.

King and his litany of employees, many his children or grandchildren, are most often found at Brigham Young University, where the Crepe Factory sets up for games and events. King’s record is 871 crepes sold over a three-day women’s conference.

Other than his friendliness, King’s key to success is his custom-built kiosk. It has a window display so customers can watch their crepe being made — a tactic King picked up from vendors in Paris — and lights installed to attract patrons like hungry moths.

Crepe Factory sells anywhere from 100 to 150 crepes each Thursday during Market on Main, which runs from the beginning of June to mid-August this year. Inevitably, King ends up giving out many of those crepes for free — but don’t tell his paying customers, he joked.

Market on Main has existed in some shape or form since 1998. Local Paul Askins was tired of driving to Park City for outdoor summer concerts and started a concert series of his own in Main Street Park, printing posters with his dot matrix printer and gathering about 25 attendees. 

The event, combined with a Midway farmer’s market in the early 2000s, created the fusion of live music, shopping and dining patrons enjoy today.

The tradition became popular a little over a decade ago, bringing 300 to 400 attendees per night, according to Rachel Kahler, executive director of nonprofit Community Alliance for Main Street. These days the event brings between 600 and 1,000 attendees every Thursday.

This year’s Market on Main is the first organized by Community Alliance for Main Street. It was previously organized by city staff, who took over the responsibility from Askins about six years ago.

Before the event, Kahler was “holding (her) breath and hoping it all works out.” She’d spent weeks making arrangements and putting out fires to ensure permitting, business licenses and the event layout were all in place.

But the attendees wandering through the sea of vendors’ tents, lazing on the lawn or dancing like no one was watching on Thursday were none the wiser to the blood, sweat and tears that had gone into its organization.

Askins, too, is familiar with the headaches that can come from organizing the event.

“When we were first starting out, we didn’t really coordinate well with the parks people, and we had a couple where the sprinklers came on right in the middle of the concert. It was in the summer, so some people appreciated it,” Askins laughed.

There was one summer when bands played in the Heber Valley Rotary Club’s bandstand — which was constructed for the concert series — before it had a roof. Supported by a land donation from the city and financial backing from the Rotary Club, the bandstand was completed around 2003.

Before the bandstand was constructed, Askins found it impossible to convince Parkites and other out-of-towners to make the trek to the Heber Valley for concerts. But “once people got to know that this was a viable venue, I had musicians calling me all year long, wanting to be involved,” he said.

Now, Market on Main’s live acts perform in the much larger, $3.5 million bandshell the city constructed last June, with programming coordinated by Park City’s Mountain Town Music.

“It’s beyond our wildest dreams that the city would put this much effort behind it and build something like this. I mean, this stage can handle big bands,” Askins said.

Although he was a DJ for KPCW for two decades, Askins doesn’t describe himself as a musician. The instruments he plays are the stereo and the radio, he joked.

He is, however, an appreciator of all genres of music, which showed in the types of concerts he put on.

“We’d have a jazz night. We’d have a country night. We’d have a rock night. We’d have a folk night. Everyone of them did really well, except for the jazz night,” he said. “Nobody liked jazz in the valley. Those ones were dead every time. But I think now they could do jazz, and it would be different.”

That’s because of Heber City’s growth in population from about 11,000 in 2010 to nearly 20,000 in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. With that, population growth has increased diversity in many forms, including in music taste, Askins said.

Another symptom of that increased diversity can be found in Market on Main’s beer garden, where Askins spends his Thursday evenings checking IDs.

“There’s no way that I ever thought we’d have a beer garden outside in the Heber Valley,” Askins joked, though he greatly appreciates the addition.

When Askins started his concert series, he had only lived in Heber City for about a year. He didn’t take credit for making Market on Main what it is today, but he did offer advice about how to contribute positively to one’s community: “You get out of it what you put into it.”

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“Where do you take guests to experience Heber?” 

That was a survey question intended to gather resident feedback on the redesign of Heber City’s Main Street Park.

While many of the top answers referred to the great outdoors, beloved restaurants and the Heber Valley Railroad, the second-most popular answer was not even in town. Fifty-six of 400 respondents said they spend their time in Midway when friends and family come to visit.

That’s part of why Heber City plans to redesign Main Street Park as a Trailhead Plaza by the 2034 Olympics: to increase foot traffic and spending downtown, host year-round activities and shape a community identity.

Engineering firm Terracon led an effort earlier this year to gather feedback on what residents want to see in a park redesign, which included three open houses and the aforementioned survey. Representatives from Terracon and MHTN Architects presented their findings to the City Council on Tuesday.

Terracon identified a set of priority elements for the Trailhead Plaza, and representatives asked the City Council for direction on a preliminary design for the project. Principal Dave Harris said the goal is to align the consulting firm’s vision with the city.

“We’re going to do the right thing for the city and for the community and for the majority. … I think we can take this information and figure out what’s just right for Heber,” he said.

To gauge residents’ interests, Terracon drew up three designs based on the initial 134-page plaza design created by architect Roger Brooks last March. Brooks’ vision included elements such as a 12,000-square-foot ice ribbon, a splash pad and space for community vendors. His goal was “to have at least 20 vendors on the square at all times.”

Brooks’ plan had a price tag of $23 million. Terracon’s designs explored low-, medium- and high-cost versions of Brooks’ plan but did not include precise cost estimates. Each design tweaked elements like the amount of retail and the size of the lawn and ice ribbon.

Respondents consistently ranked the lawn and preservation of historic trees as their favorite elements in each concept they were presented with, though Brooks’ plan did not emphasize those elements.

“(Trees are one) of the few public assets that increase in value over time. Whereas others fall apart, trees get stronger, healthier and more robust, providing irreplaceable shade and beauty,” said Ryan Wallace, a planner and architect with MHTN Architects.

Retail was less popular. Terracon’s designs included a mixture of retail buildings and glass kiosks rented as incubator spaces to local businesses. A common response was to “consider less or no retail and buildings on the site,” according to Terracon’s presentation. Some requested that the park host vendors in the summer instead of year-round.

The ice ribbon received mixed reactions, particularly about its potential costs and maintenance. Some public commenters at Tuesday’s meeting added that it was inessential given Heber City’s proximity to the Midway Ice Rink. So, Terracon plans to minimize the ice ribbon’s size.

Terracon’s other listed priorities for the park include shaded areas, upgraded restrooms and a new all-abilities playground.

Thirty-one percent of respondents to Terracon’s survey indicated they did not like any of the concept designs for the park. Several commenters also spoke against the Trailhead Plaza redesign.

However, resident Alexandra Fullmer pointed out that doesn’t mean respondents were opposed to any changes at the park. Fullmer said many of the people she had talked to desired smaller, less expensive improvements — like the bathrooms and playground — instead of a complete overhaul.

Community member Tracy Taylor argued the city could use its money “much more frugally” by improving existing parks. She also voiced her discomfort with adding retail to Main Street Park.

“I’ve heard from Main Street merchants themselves that don’t want the competition. They can barely make their lease payments or their mortgage payments,” she said.

Although the official public feedback period is completed, City Councilor Yvonne Barney welcomed the engagement. 

“If you’re seeing this, and you’re going, ‘Wow, we don’t want that,’ let us know,” she encouraged.

City councilors did not provide specific design direction for Terracon, instead asking to continue the discussion to May 19 to provide time to digest the survey results. 

However, they agreed Terracon had given them a great place to start. 

“I appreciate that we’re whittling down Roger Brooks’ presentation,” Barney said. “I think that’s been the biggest source of frustration for most of the citizens, is that it was just so much, and there was such a huge alteration of the community park that we have currently. … I’m really glad that we’re starting to see (it) a little bit more (realistically).”

After incorporating City Council feedback, Terracon will present a final preferred master plan and construction budget for the Trailhead Plaza sometime in June.

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Part of the holdup in renewing Heber City Manager Matt Brower’s employment contract in recent weeks was an anonymous complaint filed with the Office of the Utah State Auditor, which confirmed the existence of an investigation into the complaint but declined to comment further.

The complaint revolves around the City Council’s Jan. 20 approval of a contract hiring CAMS Executive Director Rachel Kahler to organize a minimum of 50 days of events downtown annually for three years.

In return, the city pays Kahler, who is also a former Heber City councilor and current Wasatch County Council candidate, an annual salary of $39,900 with no benefits. Event organizing was previously the responsibility of city employee Jody Summers, who resigned in October.

Funding for the events themselves comes from vendor fees, business sponsorships and grants, especially those funded by Heber City and Wasatch County’s Trails, Art and Park (TAP) taxes.

The complaint alleged that Brower had not disclosed his status as a CAMS board member when the City Council approved the contract, despite the fact that the names of all board members were listed in the agenda materials.

“Beyond people not reading the material that’s put in front of them, I don’t know how much more clear we need to be (about) who is serving on this board,” Kahler said.

CAMS board members are volunteers, meaning there was no financial gain for Brower in the City Council’s approval of the contract with CAMS.

However, City Councilor Yvonne Barney still had reservations. She argued that as city manager, Brower may have had “undue influence in procuring … certain funding for CAMS,” even if unintentionally. 

Barney was not comfortable renewing Brower’s employment contract while he was under investigation by the Office of the Utah State Auditor and voted against doing so on April 14. Brower’s contract was renewed that night by 4-2 vote, with Mayor Heidi Franco as the other “no” vote.

The complainant also argued that the city did not follow its procurement process in its approval of the CAMS contract, which requires competitive bidding before the purchase of a good or service. An exception is made for sole-source purchases, when there is only one viable vendor of a good or service.

City Attorney Jeremy Cook proposed ratifying the agreement as a sole-source purchase on Tuesday. The city considered CAMS a sole source because of its connections with local businesses and knowledge of downtown, as well as the time and costs that would be incurred by the city if it changed vendors.

City Councilors Barney and Morgan Murdock argued that the issue needed further discussion, but they were outvoted when the ratification of the contract was approved 3-2.

A few public commenters spoke against ratifying the CAMS contract as a sole-source purchase. 

Charleston resident and former mayoral candidate Shawn Taylor, who owns an audio production company, asked that Heber City go through the competitive bidding process. He said he believed local vendors would step up to provide the same event planning services CAMS would.

“Those larger contracts, at least, should be selected in a public, transparent process to allow local companies to participate,” he said. 

Agenda materials show that Heber City staff contacted two organizations, the Park Silly Sunday Market and Historic Park City Alliance, to see if they were interested in providing event programming before approving the CAMS contract. Both indicated they were, but the cost would be “significantly more” than $39,900. 

The agenda materials also state that the city had received no complaints from local event planners after the contract with CAMS was approved.

Kahler later said that Heber City is simply following the example of municipalities like Ogden and Vernal, which have similarly partnered with downtown revitalization organizations. 

“So many people are getting caught up in the sole (source purchase) instead of realizing the reason why Heber is looking at this relationship is because they looked at other communities and saw the success that was happening,” she said. “They saw downtown organizations that cared about what was happening and wanted to raise the bar.”

Beyond event programming, CAMS also advocates for local businesses, historic preservation and downtown beautification separately from its contract with Heber City.

Downtown events organized by CAMS will begin this year with a Cinco de Mayo party at Main Street Park on May 5. Other events this summer include Heber Market on Main, Dogs Day in the Park and free yoga and concerts at the park.

Next steps will become clear when the Office of the Utah State Auditor releases a report on its investigation. 

If the investigation finds anything untoward, the CAMS contract could be terminated, which would require 60 days’ notice to Kahler by the city. 

Additionally, the City Council could terminate Brower’s employment contract by majority vote. If Brower were fired for cause, the City Council and city attorney would be required to gather evidence against Brower and give him 10 days to provide a verbal defense in a closed session. In that case, he would not be paid severance.

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From Shabu’s Asian fusion to Kaneo’s Mediterranean dishes, Irish fayre at Flanagan’s on Main to Don Gallo’s authentic Mexican, the world’s flavors collide along the half-mile length of Park City Main Street. This month, a key player in international cuisine joins these ranks with the addition of Mumbai House, bringing its taste of India to the mountains.

First opening its doors in Salt Lake City as Bombay House in 1993, this restaurant was one of the few offering Indian cuisine in Utah’s state capital, said one of its original founders Harpal Singh.

Singh had moved to the U.S. from India after graduating from the restaurant profession there, first to Arizona before coming to Salt Lake City. With three partners at the time, Singh opened Bombay House locations in Provo and West Jordan, but a split between them two years ago led to their name change. Mumbai/Bombay are two names for the same city in India, so they became Mumbai House.

Singh said it was always his plan to open a restaurant with the philosophy that feeding people is an important responsibility.

“We cook the food for us, like the same to feed my children, my family — it’s the same for feeding our customers,” Singh said.

This meant the dishes, various curries and kabobs, were prepared daily with the freshest ingredients, and never using frozen meat. 

“People can tell if we don’t do it fresh,” said Naysan Morad, one of the restaurant’s partners who has been with the company for 10 years. “If we don’t serve fresh, good food to people, how can we be successful?”

This attitude is just one of the reasons they’ve maintained 4.9 stars with 12,046 Google reviews, Morad said.

“It’s just a business for some people, but for us, it’s a big responsibility,” he said. “And we think Mumbai House doesn’t exist without our customers.”

Two years after the split, Singh and his staff are ready to expand, opening their second Mumbai House location in Park City based on requests from their customers. 

“Our customers are asking for a long time, about 30 years, there was a big demand, ‘Please come to Park City,'” Singh said. “They come from Park City to over here to get the food … the community is supporting us to come there.” 

They wanted to open on Main Street knowing it’s a hub for restaurant-goers, said Singh, and have moved into The Mustang Restaurant’s space beneath Marriott’s Summit Watch. They’re finalizing personal touches similar to the Millcreek location, with murals of iconic Indian scenes like the Taj Mahal, as well as lighting and dishes to create an authentic atmosphere.

One of their partners and longtime chefs Ajmer Singh will be head chef at the Park City location, ensuring the food is highest quality and identical to the taste at their original location. 

He will be bringing the same menu, including their most popular dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Makhani or Butter Chicken, as well as new dishes like Mumbai Chicken Masala, a creamier masala dish made with dark meat, a new lentil dish and a vegan kabob option they’re calling the Mumbai Soy Kabob. 

Along with their traditional food from both Northern and Southern India, they are bringing the same attitude toward the profession that has won the hearts of many of their longtime customers.

“I believe Mumbai House is a holy place because we feed people and feeding our family from here,” said Morad. “What is a holy place? A mosque or church, the places that we go and pray. This is basically like praying for us. Why? Because we’re working here. We’re working hard to feed ourselves, our family. No life without food … So feeding people is a good thing in our culture.”

Mumbai House on Main Street plans to open Monday, May 20. They will be open daily from 4-10 p.m. and will also be available for takeout, DoorDash and UberEATS. 

All main dishes are gluten free, and they are happy to accommodate any allergy, Morad said. Spice levels are customizable from mild, medium to hot and are prepared on the more mild side, so don’t be afraid to go up a spice level for even more flavor. Heat can be toned down with yogurt sides like their Cucumber Raita. Follow them on Instagram @mumbai.house and on Facebook at facebook.com/p/Mumbai-House-100086507855108. View their menu and place an order on their website, mumbaihousecuisine.com.

After the Park City opening, they have plans to open a third location on Toole’s Main Street this summer. 

The post Mumbai House brings authentic Indian cuisine to Park City Main Street appeared first on Park Record.

The Triple Crown Softball series is back in Park City and opened up the week with a pin trading and parade on lower Main Street Monday afternoon, July 10, 2017. The series, which will last throughout the week, welcomed over 80 teams. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Triple-Crown-Softball-Series-Opening-Festivities/

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Park City hosted their annual 4th of July Parade on Main Street Tuesday. The festivities added to multiple activities that continued throughout the day around town. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Park-Citys-4th-of-July-Parade/

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Park City’s annual Savor The Summit event brought hundreds of locals to Main Street to wine and dine together and enjoy live music, fine cuisine and more. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Savor-The-Summit-2017/

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Locals participated in the March for Science on Main Street to support fact-based research and celebrate Earth Day Saturday morning, April 22, 2017. The group heard from a few speakers and were invited to more formal presentations from local scientists at the Jim Santy Auditorium in the Park City Library following the event. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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Olympic gold medalist and, more recently, author of “Strong is the New Beautiful: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, Eat Clean & Harness Your Power”, visited Dolly’s Bookstore on Main Street Tuesday evening, April 4, 2017, for a book signing event. More than 100 fans poured through the bookstore, receiving personalized messages in their books and a photo with Vonn. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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