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Show Wednesday, July 3, 1996 The Park Record A-13 i s EDITORIAL Marching to a different drummer At first glance it appears Park City is the town that has everything. And, with its historic landmarks, hanging flower pots, new schools and free bus system, that would be a tough point to argue. But, during dur-ing the parade on the Fourth of July, one important hometown ingredient will be absent. Look closely between the Uncle Sam costume contestants, the fancy floats, the shiny fire engines and the prancing horses. Something is missing and has been for years. Park City no longer has a marching band. There will be no red and white clad majorettes, no Park City High School ban- ner to rally the local crowd. No familiar faces among the kettle drums and trombones. trom-bones. Parade organizers have, to their credit, booked a high-strutting, 250-member high school band from Altamont which will ensure the necessary pomp and circumstance. circum-stance. But no matter how precise the band's footwork, it wont be the same without with-out our local students. In all the excitement excite-ment of the day and the Park City Ambassadors have planned a full day of fun activities the phantom band likely wont be missed. Except, that is, by one or two Park City High School alumni who remember the band's heyday, and one man who, for the last 12 years, has been itching to reinstate the summer band program. According to Park City High School band director Bill Huhnke, it's a shame that, throughout the district, students' tubas and trombones will be gathering dust when they should be polished and marched down to the city bandstand. When Huhnke arrived to teach music in 1983, he remembers scrounging up a grand ensemble of three band members. Soon, though, he had 33 enthusiastic beginners and within two years the Park City High School band had been revived. With the support of the school board and the willing participation of a growing number num-ber of young musicians, Huhnke put together a summer band program. For the first time in years, a Park City High School band, uniformed in white levis and red shirts, proudly marched down Main Street. In addition to the official marching band that year, there also was a jazz band and also a concert band. But the program fell victim to funding cuts. Year after year it apparently sank lower and lower on the priority list. This year, Huhnke says, his hopes rose briefly when it was pointed out that the school district's official strategic long-range plan called for reinstating the program. His proposal suggested a six-week, five-day program at a cost of about $4,500 (including (includ-ing some new instruments). But with barely bare-ly a. murmur the summer band program funding was left on the cutting room floor with dozens of other proposals. Admittedly, a marching band shouldnt be ranked above new classrooms, computers comput-ers or textbooks, but perhaps it should be given a bit more attention. The Park City High School band now has more than 90 members. The parents have made a substantial sub-stantial investment in those instruments that are now sitting idle in the closet. And next fall, the musicians will have a matter of days to rehearse for the first football game. A lot of them, Huhnke believes, would have loved to continue learning and practicing for a few weeks this summer. Even without a Park City marching band, this year's Fourth is going to be a festive event, but wouldnt it be nice, if one of these days, the Music Man rolled into town and next year the 76 trombones leading lead-ing the big parade belonged to us? LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A family tragedy Editor: On May 22, my 19-year-old son walked into Kmart here in Park City, bought a 12-gauge 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition, came home and 'blew his brains out. He was sold this shotgun with improper identification. (A valid drivers license is acceptable I.D. at the age of 18 to purchase a shotgun and ammunition with no waiting period.) Ryan didnt have a drivers license, he was schizophrenic schiz-ophrenic and had recently been hospitalized hospital-ized for his mental illness. He had red scars on his neck that were not healed from a suicide attempt a month earlier. No one bothered to ask my son what he was planning plan-ning on using the gun for. It was not hunt-, ing season. He took the gun back to Kmart when he couldn't get it to work and told the sales clerk "When the gun is ready, dont call me, I'll call you." Not one at Kmart cared enough to ask any questions. One call to the Park City Police might have saved my son's life. I am telling you this because I hope in my lifetime to save other people the anguish I am suffering. We cannot accept complacency and negligent negli-gent vitty, regard to the sale of firearms. Please help avoid more tragedy by supporting sup-porting stricter gun control laws and Utahns Against Gun Violence. The life you save may be your own. Sandra Eslinger reveille has been a part of July 4th in Park City since before anyone can remember (at least 70 years). This year, at the 11th hour, it has been deemed unsafe and has died a quiet death. The reason given is fire safety. This is on the same day that all those fireworks are launched. I believe the real reason is apathy. There should be no reason that the powers that be, (fire department, chamberbureau and ski area) cannot get together around a table and come up with a workable solution. The soul of our community lies within its people, history and traditions. The people peo-ple with the responsibility of guarding our community traditions must do so. If not, these people should disappear before our tradition and sense of community does. As residents, it is our responsibility to make our leaders understand the importance we place on the few traditions we have left and not sit idle while they are taken from us. What's next, Park City? If this trend is allowed to continue, the next step could be to lose the parade itself. After all, it is an "unnecessary" interruption to the continuous continu-ous flow of construction traffic on "historic" "his-toric" Park Avenue. John Stafsholt ; Old Town residghV" And as for the cow... Hold on to traditions Editor: It appears that Park City has lost another anoth-er tradition. The sunrise salute dynamite Editor: I enjoy the whimsical cow statue. I think it brings a smile to locals and tourists alike. The city seems to be acting a little heavy handedly in forcing its removal, but why stop with cows in our quest for visual harmony? Perhaps the city should consider passing pass-ing a law that bans women (athletes GUEST EDITORIAL The burning season by AL COOPER Another wildfire season is upon us and already Utah skies are filled with smoke. In the wake of a wet and early spring and the consequent explosion of undergrowth fuels, conditions worry fire experts. Add to that environment the arrival of the monsoon phenomenon with its promise of dry lightning and we have all the ingredients ingredi-ents for wildfire. , In Summit County we only have to look around us to be reminded of the potential for conflagration which surrounds sur-rounds us. In addition to thousands of acres of oak brush and dry grasses, we reside under and amongst conifer forests pock-marked, with the dead growth spawned by years of insect damage. Many of our residential subdivisions draw their charm from the very surroundings which pose the greatest threat. Because of the demand upon firefight-uig firefight-uig resources already being felt throughout through-out the state, it is especially important for $11 of us to do what we can to practice fire prevention as well as to be prepared to . deal with an emergency should one arise. Here are a few suggestions: J' 'Perform a walk-around inspection of your property with an eye to removing dead trees, shrubs and any accumulation of fuels which could feed a fire. Pay special spe-cial attention to the areas close to buildings. build-ings. , Take advantage of a local "chipping frogram," such as that offered by the ark City Fire District, as an aid to reduc ing branches and small trees to easily disposable dis-posable quantities. Encourage a neighborhood approach to extending clean-up efforts to unoccupied unoccu-pied properties which pose a threat to nearby structures. Keep your eyes open to dangers in your area: Children playing with matches or lighters; the unauthorized use of fireworks; fire-works; careless practices near construction construc-tion activities; the improper disposal of cooking coals and any open fires. Organize a neighborhood "fire watch." Early detection can be the most important weapon in dealing with wildfire. wild-fire. Residents with cellular phones and the time to be on the lookout at various hours can be recruited to be area "bird dogs." Hold a family planning meeting to discuss steps each can take to make the home and neighborhood safer. Check smoke detectors and the condition of extinguishers, location of outdoor hoses, etc. Develop a family evacuation plan. Establish a priority list of things to be saved and. make sure everyone knows their location. Differentiate between those items which must be saved, those you would like to save, etc. In a future article, we will cover the subject of "grab-bag" "grab-bag" kits. , . . ;. Al Cooper is the Director of Emergency Management for Summit County, and his column, "Home Country" is intended to keep citizens abreast of ideas for making our neighborhoods safer places to live. excepted) weighing over 175 pounds from wearing shorts? Sincerely, Robert A. Wood On the flipside Editor: Bigger things to worry about. Forget the damn cow. Daintrie Zega Gateway project contributors Editor: The Park City gateway tree planting on Saturday, June 8, was an unqualified success, suc-cess, thanks to the support of the entire Park City community. Hundreds of volunteers volun-teers worked in the hot sun that morning to lend their hands to this community beautification project which we will all enjoy for years to come. The event was so well-organized that the planting of nearly 300 large trees took less than three hours. Citizen volunteers, local politicians, local businesses and corporate sponsors all turned out with their boots, shovels, rakes and bolt cutters to plant the Colorado spruce, Patmore green ash, spring snow flowering crabapple, quaking aspen and European mountain ash. While it would be nearly impossible to thank everyone by name, the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board would like to thank the following groups and organizations for their generous gener-ous support of this project: citizens of Park City; Park City ChamberBureau; Park City Council; Mayor's Tree Fund; Eccles Foundation; Eccles family, Utah Power; Park City Ski Resort; Discover Card; Deer Valley Ski Resort; TreeUtah; National Tree Trust; Huntsman Corporation; Park City Rotary Club; QuestarMountain Fuel; American Express; Einstein's Bagels; Fred Meyer; Pepsi; Summit County; TCI Cable; Bruce Construction; Utah Barricades; Deer Valley Lodging; Resort Property Management; High Mountain Properties; Identity Properties; Park City Ambassadors; Park City High School; Park Record; Dan's; Albertsons; Smith's; McDonald's; KPCW; and Park City Municipal Corp. departments (Parks, Public Works, Police, Public Affairs, Transportation, Leisure Services and Finance). Sincerely, Lani Furr, Brigitta Wray and Bruce Feyerabend Park City Parks, Recreation and Beautification Board Keep gymnastics program Editor: . My son Geoffrey has been enrolled in the week-long gymnastics camp directed -rfos ton. utf 4uj ( S r57L A II I sttfcTktF.RrftBso) I I II 1 (Oil f j by Use Hillyard. They have experienced all aspects of gymnastics using the apparatus set up in the Treasure Mountain Middle School. The children have enjoyed the program very much and Use and her staff have done a tremendous job. It is sad to think that gymnastics may no longer be a part of Park City. We have lived here for five years and my children have enjoyed the gymnastics program very much. We have seen the program grow successfully in the past few years. It really will be a shame if the program is discontinued discon-tinued and our children will not have the opportunity to participate in these wonderful won-derful programs. Sincerely, Marion Boland A good deed acknowledged Editor: This is an expression of thanks to Utah's Park City area for their hospitality and especially to a lovely lady, Peggy, who graciously assisted the elderly lady with a cane from the Sundance Theater at the close of the performance. Peggy's strong arm gave support and guidance over rough uneven steps and rough pathway to the parking area to meet her church group from Texas. Thank you Peggy and Utah. James and Bernice Alvis Peace House fundraiser Editor: The Domestic Peace Task Force and the Peace House would like to thank everyone who helped out with our summer garage sale this past Saturday. We had a lot of great support from the community with this grass-roots fund-raising effort. In particular the Peace House would like to thank Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, The Park Record, KPCW FM92, Deer Valley (for the use of two trucks and four hard workers), Jans Mountain Outfitters, the Park City Fire Department, the Park City Police Department, the Park City Ambassadors, Jess Reid Real Estate, The Rafter B, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Wasatch Rentals and the many individual volunteers who all pitched in to make the garage sale a big success. Thanks, Park City! The Domestic peace Task Force Dead moose by the side of the road . Editor: May have a propensity to analyze too much but some events just bring it out in me. Spend much of my free time in the Uintas especially just up the road from where I live in Kamas. It took the better part of 15 years living here to realize what a treasure trove we have there. Take it upon myself in little Got something on your mind? The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines: They should include the address and telephone number of author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. They must not contain libelous material. Writers are limited to one letter every 28 days. LePors must not be longer than 350 works and should if possible, be typed. ... We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements we consider unnecessarily offensive or obscene. All letters will be printed, unless the number exceeds our space limitation. QUOTES OF THE WEEK ' "AnyWay, it's all downhill after the Continental Divide in Colorado. A mountain biker, observing the start of two German cyclists' journey from Park City to Atlanta, linking two Olympic venues ; "Personally, I know of four or five people , in the Kamas Valley that have a big debtload. They're , , 1 ' really scrambling to stay afloat. " ways to exercise stewardship over these lands I frequent and love. I think, perhaps, that we transplants, from wherever we came, had it somewhere indelibilized in our decision to come here that we would be closer to nature. Nothing imbues nature more than the word wilderness, and around here it finds its sanctuary in the Wasatch National Forest. In that area around the wilderness (some would question how wild it really is) lies a buffer zone, if you will, of let's say something less than wild. Cars go in there, cattle go in there, so do bikers, hikers, hik-ers, fishermen, the list goes on. Let's take the cattle. For many years the cattlemen have had grazing rights there, they dont have to feed them when they summer there. They are in summer camp! When there and where they are, the bugs are different. The whole system seems out of kilter now. Throw in the drivers (the just-can't-wait-to-get-there crowd) that push one up the road when one is driving 55, and we have a recipe to augment a mistake. The moose seemed young like a teenager chocolate brown coat, eyes lifeless, life-less, a body molded to what it is by the land and'the ages, caught up in events; dis-placemenfimd dis-placemenfimd anxiety, way outside its realm of understanding. I guess what I'm saying here is, we transplants, old and new, have a responsibility responsi-bility that because of the stress we cause and the impacts we make on this territory which we happen to inhabit that we also have a duty to see to it that we get out of the car and feel this land more, so that we can feel for the land. Not just for our grandchildren, but for those "settlers" that way predate ourselves, who live there all year round and sleep out there even on those coldest of winter nights. My hope is that this epitaph for the moose will not go unnoticed, but somehow figure to help reassess, again, how we act when there. Tom Gallagher State Representative and rancher, David Ure, with regard to the deflated cattle market The Park Record Staff PUBUSHER Editor Staff writers Contributing writer Office manager Classifieds manager Classifieds Subscriptions manager SubscriptionsFront desk Advertising director Advertising sales Asst. production manager Production Editorial production Circulation CartoonistsIllustrator Andy Bernhard Nan Chalat-Noaker Lisa Antonucci Cornelia deBruin Adam Elggren Brian Fryer Laurie Staton Kirsta Bleyle Tom Clyde Rick Brough Debra Harris Jack Fuell Kim Dudley Beverly Robison .. LeahSzwec Rachelle Eickhoff Kim Hamm Tracy Harden Donna Berger Mary Hall Sharon Paterson Angela Swensen Courtney Wheaton Amber McKee Scott Aste Camilla Ducharme ' Jason Osbum , Yvonne Ruth Daintrie Zega Anna Penry Kat James ' Dick Elgin Karen Verier Michael Draper Tim Peterson The Park Record (USPS 378-730) (ISSN 0745-9483) 0745-9483) is published twice weekly by diversified Suburban Newspapers, 1670 Bonanza Dr., Park City, Utah. Periodicals Postage paid at Park City. Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Park Record, Box 3688, Park City, Utah 84060. Entered as second class matter. May 25, 1977 at the post office in Park City, Utah 84060, under the Act of March 3, 1897. Subscription rates are $32 inside Summit County, $60 outside Summit County, Utah. Subscriptions are transferrable; $5 cancellation fee. Phone (801) 649-9014. Published every Wednesday and Saturday. |
