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Show ran high on everyone's lips that this controversial building build-ing was not burning as a result of an accident. At this very writing there is a state investigation underway to determine the nature of the blaze. If in fact the blaze is found to be arson, it will be a sad and sorry day for Park City. In any case, fire in Park City is now, and has been, her most dreaded enemy. To the crowd who cheered at Saturday night's fire, I'd like to give you a hand... the back of mine. Strike a vein?... With any luck Park City will always be a city of outspoken individuals fighting for the direction they hope the town will grow in. We will hopefully continue to attract people from the arts to perform for us, and qualified, quali-fied, concerned, bright individuals indiv-iduals who choose to serve us in city government. I wish I could applaude the promising promis-ing events that made up this week, but the blowing snow outside my window reminds me of the choking smoke of Saturday night and I shudder in the warmth of the room... Jamie. Applause, applause... (Sorry, Lauren Bacall, this is not meant to be another curtain call.) Performers thrive on it, children use it to express . their delight, and as adults, we give it as a token to show something touches us, humors hu-mors us, or pleases us. I never thought I would hear applause and cheering sound ugly and cruel... It was a busy week in Park City... Friday night the McLain Family Band appeared for two successful performances at the Kimball Art Center. Saturday night Jack Johnston's John-ston's 8-plex in Deer Valley burned to the ground. On Monday, the new City Council members were in-stalled in-stalled at City Hall, and Mayor Green celebrated his 64th birthday. On Tuesday, the Snow Goddess blessed us with a foot of new snow. AH events were met with applause... The McLain Family Band is a group of musicians, all related, who come from the hills of Kentucky. Even though father Ray was a music theory major, the family's blend of music is one you learn to play by ear. Combining country, blue-grass blue-grass and a bit of that good ole gospel beat, the family played two shows to delighted delight-ed audiences at the Kimball Art Center. Daughter Ruth's clear, high voice was a treat to hear unamplified, as was : - son Ray's exciting banjo and fiddle playing. Another daughter had the crowd slapping in time to the beat of her bass, and later surprised . the audience with her quick step dancing. I have never heard a bluegrass group play Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever, but midway through the song, the entire room was clapping along. At introduction :time, ,the senior Raymond smiled and introduced the newest member mem-ber of the family band, son Raymond's new wife Beverly. Bever-ly. He aid this was getting to be a tradition; last year when the group played at the Art Center, they introduced his daughter's new husband. He winked at the three remaining children on stage and said, "I guess that means if we follow tradition, well have to come Back here three more times." The children blushed, the audience audi-ence laughed and the group ended their performance to thunderous (you guessed it) applause... On Monday, full of the proper degree of pomp and circumstances, Judge Kilby presided at the swearing in of the new Council members (soon enough, it will be the swearing at) in Mayor Green's office. Tina, Tom and Helen stood with their hands raised promising to uphold the duties of their office. Afterward family members and friends applauded ap-plauded the ceremony. The congratulations had just died down when Tina Lewis disappeared and re-apprear-ed quickly with a cake decorated with the Coalition Building for Mayor Green's 64th birthday. The Mayor was surprised and as he blew out the candles on the white-frosted white-frosted cake, the well-wishers gave him a round of... applause. After weeks of snow dancing and -thinking white thoughts, Tuesday morning dawned on a foot of new powder in town. Children squelled and clapped their hands in delight as they adomidibly clad their way to school. Rumor has it the folks at the Resort could be heard shouting all the way to California with the same degree of excitement. The barren trees suddenly became be-came lacy doilies set out for the company the snow was certain to bring. The depot building, a t-shirt character of late, became a gentleman with it's white roofed collar and white cuffed eves. And even Prospector Square, that so often reminds one of Disneyland pop-outs, looked Victorian and charming like so much frosting on gingerbread ginger-bread houses. The long-awaited long-awaited storm that promised to make curtain calls the week long, deserved a hand from us all... A crowd of more than 50 people cheered and clapped Saturday night as the roof collapsed on Jack Johnston's 8-plex. Having been alerted by a friend who could see the orange glow against the night clear out at the golf course, I had rushed to take pictures of the blaze. I reached the scene just minutes before the roof fell in and the crowd cheered as if for the winning point scored in a game. I felt both scared and sick. There is a fine line between a crowd and a mob... There is a clear line however, between arson and accidents.;. Speculation |