One of my favorite events of the year is the Park City Arts Festival August 1-2, 2009. This year, celebrating the 40th anniversary.  Each year I look forward to the wonderful art abounding on Main Street Park City.   The art on the street is complimented by the art surrounding the mountain town.  Bearutiful green mountains framed by clear blue skies enhance the emotional impact of the paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and other peices on display. Staying in a condo just off Main Street, like Motherlode, gives you a haven only steps from the action.

Author - Jeana:
It is going to be close to 70 degrees and very sunny today. I start off my day with a trip to our local Home Depot to pick up supplies for sprucing up our yard and perhaps give the kids a few hints on flowers they can pick out for Mother’s Day. Next, over to Old Town to do a last minute arrival for one of our homeowners coming into today to enjoy a bit of the Park City life. While I’m in Old Town, I decide to pick out my mother and mother-in-law’s Mother’s Day gifts. The perfect Main Street store for this adventure –The Crosby Collection www.Crosbycollection.com – the Park City premier dealer in Native American arts and collectibles. The owners, Bing and Vicki Crosby, are also my neighbors and I love supporting our local businesses. The Crosby Collection also has location at the Salt Lake City Airport, for those folks needing last minute mementos, but you have to come to either of their two Main Street locations to find their fine collectible Pueblo pottery, gem quality turquoise, Navajo Rugs and Zuni fetishes. Don’t forget to ask about the secret, upstairs room – it is filled with amazing, one-of-a-kind works of art from the most famous names in the Native American art world!

After finding the perfect Mother’s Day gifts, I stroll down Main Street, popping into Java Cow Cafe and Bakery (knows as Cow’s to locals) for a much needed coffee and then down to Dolly’s bookstore for the Saturday edition of the Park Record (www.parkrecord.com) and pick up a copy of Angels and Demons. I have to read the book before I see the movie.

I’ve been putting off my yard work all morning, but I am planning to take tomorrow off to be pampered, so now I’m heading home!

The 40th Annual Park City Arts Festival dates have been announced. On August 1-2, 2009 main street Park City will be transformed into a gigantic art gallery filled with paintings, prints, photography, arts, crafts, sculpture and even food artisans making Park City the place to be.

But it wasn’t always this way.  In fact, it was far from what today’s art festival includes.

In 1973 at the age of 25, my aunt Robyn Card was living in Ogden and teaching art in a local school.  A southern California native and a recent grad from Utah State, her mother suggested she attend the new and recently founded Park City Arts Festival.  Her mother was a traditionalist painter and hoped to sell something at the festival. Robyn recalls:

“The main body of the exhibit was on the sidewalks or just off the sidewalks. It was mostly just art back then with very little crafts or jewelry, especially the high end items you see today. My mom sold 4 oil paintings that first year.  There was a big dirt parking lot where the lower Main Street is today that we parked in.”

Next to them was a woman who made turquoise jewelry who also was a first time attendee. 1973 in Park City was a fun unique place with a lot of old buildings and relics from its past.  As a twenty something gal in the early 70’s, Robyn recalls that first year was a lot of fun.

“The focus of the festival in the early days was painted art, although there were some ceramics - 60’s-70’s style.  There weren’t a lot of crafts which is why I managed to sell some things that second year (1974). It was less expensive so I fared pretty well.”

She fared pretty well that first year as well.  While she was in her mom’s booth standing next to an oil painting of Native American, my Uncle Dell struck up a conversation about the painting as he had recently returned from living among the Native American’s in Arizona.  They got talking, started dating and would eventually be married.

It’s often said of the Park City Arts Festival that you’ll never know what treasure you’ll find.  In the case of my aunt and uncle, they found each other.

–images credit the Kimball Art Center