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Show Park Record Thursday, May 21, 1992 Page B7 Welcome to Planet Utah III IB WEEK MAY 24-3 . j i by Jean Case After surviving the L.A. riots, I finally arrived at the SLC airport. It was a visual shock- the Utah sky characteristically crystal blue and clear, not layered with gray, eye-stinging smoke. There was also an uncanny silence, lacking the whir of helicopters and the continual wail of sirens. Park Cityjicver looked so good. I had to actually see Main St, to reassure myself it hadn't been burned to the ground. Well-dressed citizens and tourists browsed lazily along the shops, curfew-free and oblivious to the inner city turmoil only a short plane ride away. After a few days, the trauma and anxiety of seeing rioting firsthand faded and lulled me right back into the "reality" of Park City life. As Tom Clyde so eloquently put it- $25 lunches, expensive clothing, mountain bikes, and "wondering what the poor folks are doing". Typically, Utah news of the day focused on the positive side of local politics, achievements and progress. Along with the "majority" in L.A., I had felt compelled to constantly change TV channels, searching for a bigger fire or more unbelievable reactions by rioters, politicians and reporters. It seemed inconceivable to witness looters being transported by mass transit, young children cheerfully brought along to participate in the excitement, firemen fighting fires as well as airborne rocks, and law enforcement standing by, helplessly watching the robbing and destruction. Particularly memorable were the scenes of a parking lot jammed full of late-model cars loaded with TVs and stereos. Drivers honked relentlessly to move along while a single policeman held his gun loosely down at his side. One shoe store was victimized by discerning looters who shopped for hard-to-fit sizes. Across town in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, vigilante groups, determined to protect their property, were just as armed and probably more dangerous, hiding among statuary on manicured lawns. I remember waking up, even within the walls of a nice hotel, to the stench of smoke from the streets. The view out of a high-rise window more resembled war-torn Beirut than a major U.S. city. I'd innocently gone to L.A. to attend a Sundance Premiere and fund-raiser and to visit friends. My trip evolved from Canyon Lake where I'd ridden around the lake in a golf cart and caught a runaway iguana wearing a rhinestone necklace. Staying in a mansion in a scenic canyon high above Malibu, I'd recovered from a gala, star-studded opening night at Santa Monica, complete with champagne, a dazzling carousel and lilting Irish music, by the end of the week, I was trying to find my way out of the LAX area, beat the curfew, and drive to Orange County to catch a different flight. Earlier flights were canceled due to heavy smoke and fear of ground gunfire. Since my return, I've thought about the mixed blessings of living on "Planet" Utah. Lacking the stimulation of cultural diversity, we do instead enjoy peace and quiet and extreme homogeneity. For most of us, we're isolated from crime, racial injustices, street violence and poverty. Actually, those negative forces never even enter our lives unless we're traveling. How lucky we are to sail through life, immune from all the inconveniences of living in south central L.A. It's hard for us to identify with children, elderly, and newly unemployed waiting in lines for food, mail, health care and assistance. This past week, I forced myself to take another look at what I could do realistically to help someone else. Instead of just writing a check or waiting until As I cc It Christmas to collect food for the needy, I purposely sought out some alternatives. Previously, I'd always begged off, being too busy with the higher priority details of life. This time, a friend dragged me to the homeless shelter in SLC and I proceeded to dish out five hundred bowls of "hearty" soup. This questionable mixture included sliced hot dogs and meatloaf- hardly typical Park City fare. The looks on those hungry faces indicated they could have cared less about the menu's fat or cholesterol content. I noticed some had such beautiful eyes, though empty and hopeless- the windows of the soul. Ironically, many wore collegiate emblems from castoff clothing. An incongruous image of our children, full of hopes and opportunities, lined up for food at their dorms, fraternities and sororities came to my mind- not that any of us ever expect to see our youth in a soup kitchen. But then I reminded myself, these starving, neglected people really were somebody's sons, brothers, fathers. These five hundred homeless were polite, reserved and mostly, just plain grateful for the help. Many of the men have daytime labor jobs but can't afford the expense of renting a home. Some of them eat at the shelter to make it possible for their families to eat at whatever home they have. We've all observed the local debate of placing an Olympic ice skating rink in SLC, specifically on the site of an unfinished housing project only a block from the shelter. Priorities. A few hours earlier, I'd shared an exquisite barbecue lunch with locals at the top of Deer Valley, a new development in which lots alone run in the hundreds of thousands. It always amuses me in some twisted way when locals complain about what's being served- the sourdough bread is too dry at this altitude?), the wine is too sweet, or they want to know the shrimp's names and previous addresses- Gulf Coast or Pacific? The same friend lured me the next day to a meeting of women in Park City who are struggling to raise money for a hotline to benefit victims of domestic violence. One speaker who had suffered violent abuse explained how impossible it was to get someone to come help her. Now, folks, we're not talking random beatings on the streets of L.A. This social problem is painfully evident in our own backyard. Shall we ignore this one, too? We're all fortunate to be able to live in Park City. Is it really just Planet Utah or are we part of Planet Earth? I often wonder how easily we take for granted this superficial exclusivity and actually complain at the mildest imperfections in our lives- including any traffic at all, our tennis or golf game being canceled, our haircut not being exactly right, or our child's teacher not answering our needs the way we wanted or the sourdough bread being too dry. Maybe we're so far removed, we forget we're not on this planet alone, isolated from the hardships of ordinary people. It seems we might once in a while dig a little deeper, past surface prejudices. I know from experience how easy it is to sporadically help others with little to no commitment. We can all make more of an effort to challenge ourselves to year-round assistance. Simple steps such as recycling clothing, worthwhile donations such as Comic Relief, voting for change, or personally helping someone who needs it, unconditionally. Perhaps we can each try to be a little more sympathetic, more nurturing for our fellow man, woman and child, regardless of race, creed, religion or planet. Utah horse industry growing If those in the Utah horse industry are sitting tall in their saddles, they have good reason to. The number of horses in the state has increased, said E. Bruce Godfrey, Extension Farm Management Manage-ment Specialist He said the first horse industry study in Utah was conducted by McKendrick and McArthur nearly 20 years ago. This study estimated that about 132,000 horses were in Utah, 40,000 were registered animals. "While complete data are not yet available, the data provided by some of the breed associations suggest that a much larger number of registered animals exist in Utah today," Godfrey said. According to preliminary results from a study Godfrey conducted appraising the importance of the horse industry in Utah's economy, the state now boasts some 72,500 registered horses. This compares to the estimated 80,000 milk cows and 325,000 beef cows in Utah as of Jan. 1, 1991. While animal numbers are important, Godfrey said one needs to also measure the role these numbers play in the economy. For example, the two largest segments of Utah agriculture, when measured as a percent of cash receipts, are beef (38 percent of total cash receipts) and dairy (20 percent total receipts). If this data for horse numbers are representative of the sales that may occur in Utah, Godfrey said the horse industry has the potential to be one of Utah's leading agricultural enterprises. It is an enterprise, however, for which little data has been available. Numbers of animals and sales are only two of the many criteria that mieht be used to measure the w importance of an industry, he said. "Of perhaps equal importance are the people involved in the industry," he said. "From that point of view, Utah has reason to stand tall." For example, the past president of the National Cutting Horse Association, president-elect of the American Paint Horse Association and the leading Quarter Horse trainer (as measured by the number of winning horses for the period 1989-1991) are all from Utah. "While other national leaders can be cited, it is safe to say that not only are horses important in Utah, but so are those who work with them," he said. "Some of the more influential leaders in the industry today call Utah their home." 13 HOMESTAKE f fi I fi if 4 N ARE YOUR CLIENTS SICK OF RENTING? Buy this two bedroom for $60,000 and build equity instead of paying someone else's mortgage! Seller is qsqsl. CONTACT: A. Madeline Smith aka Mardi Hudson 801-649-7171 801-649-1919 1 BHfe I ne prudential m Coleman Real Estate Park City Junior Clinic Starting Monday June 15 THRU 18 Call Dana at Park City Golf Course 649-8701 IfcM JJKlVh A ACOUSTIC GUITAR! (Clip this ad and get a set of acoustic strings FREE!) Holktay MUSIC 2191 East 3300 South Salt Lake City 484-0234 Celebrate "Live Health' Week by joining the Fun Run Free-For-AII. Get moving! Run, skip, skate, ride, or just stroll. Fun for everyone! Saturday morning at the park. Join us for the "Natural Highs" Fair in the City Park. We will have free information booths with these exciting subjects: Bike and Blade Demos Face Painting & Costumes Karate Exhibitions Fishing & Water Sports Exercise Demonstrations Food, Fun and Prizes Km mm a pc? A n VALLEY MENTAL HEALTH 649-8347 J L3H ' COMMUNITY HEALTH m&m COALITION 649-8357 FDSKTB" F3 oaDKnr IL1F Date: Monday, June 1st at the Park Meadows Golf Course Time: 8:30 a.m. shotgun start (all players start at the same time on different holes) Players should arrive no later than 8:00 to register. You will leave the clubhouse for your starting hole at 8:15 p.m. O Format: Four person scramble Prizes: there will be prizes awarded for the first, second, and third place teams. Individuals may also register for closest to the pin, and long drive contests. $50.00 per player includes golf, one dinner ticket and one door prize ticket. Dinner Only- $25.00, includes one dinner ticket and one door prize ticket. Dinner Dance follows in The Primrose Room at The Resort Center. Social Hoar, silent auction 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 , live auction and dancing to a live band. REGISTRATION ENDS MAY 25TH Make checks payable to The Fight For Wright Fund 3886 Holiday Curve. Park City, Utah 84060 ALSO: There will be a pairings party at Pop Jenks ( a private club for the benefit of members) on Friday May 29 at 530 P.M. Silent and live auction items will be announced. There will also be an opportunity to offer challenges to other teams and buy Mulligan Cards for the closest to the pin and longest drive contests. Questions? Call 649-3000 and ask for Suzanne or 649-1830 ask for Pamela or leave message. GREAT DOOR PRIZES, SILENT AND LIVE AUCTION Just a sampling of door prizes and auction items: 3 nights lodging at the Poco Diablo Resort in Sedona, AZ 2 nights lodging at the Hyatt Regency at Lake Tahoe A two day float trip on the Green River with guide and lodging For the closest to the pin contest- a year's supply of Titleist golf balls! I GOLD SPONSORS it- SSSpgffk Record First Western EfflS Mortgage A AMERICAN LINEN & PARK MLUJUVS 15 15 ARCHITECTS H()l.LNH PROPKM'II :.S The Prudential (fe Coleman Real Estate PC PKINTSNK MM C I T V ' M tuvnus runtime juried t Tft r t 7cF,nrR,Sorr,U George W. Perkins, Jr. VARGO CONTRACTING Quality Landscaping A Excavating USWESTCELLULAR K ALL RESORT RENTAL CAR RENTAL .11 COLUMBINE AT THE RESORT CENTER 649-7062 Stedman Catering Park City Library g3tjBIBrfflX5viiii ii i ii |