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Show Park City: A town they'll never forget f ntry'"'"S 4 "iJ" ft":.) U 4. - v - . , C V; r m, .K?4 mXij i - , , 5 t ! j it'!,, f " Si ll 'l A ; ST ;i i lil ! -a i l 1 i ' ir j i in;;;: ? . s,. by Nan Chalat Neither sleet nor snow nor hail could keep Ann Clark from attending attend-ing the annual Park City Ladies' , Luncheon at the Yarrow last Saturday. Satur-day. "Park City has the best people and it's the best city in the United States. You'll never forget it," she said. Mrs. Clark wasn't alone in expressing ex-pressing affection for her home town. "I have beautiful memories of Park City," said 95-year-old Orletta Davis. The reunion was especially spirited spir-ited because it marked the thirtieth anniversary of the first Park City Ladies' Luncheon which was held at the Hot Shoppe in Salt Lake City. Several of the women who were there in 1954 gathered again to reminisce last Saturday. According to Ada Haran, the idea for an annual luncheon came about when a couple of former Parkites ran into each other at the Paris Company Department Store in Salt Lake City. They had so much to talk about that they promised to get together for lunch. On the bus ride home they decided to call a few other Park City friends to join them on Valentine's Day. Among the women Ada Haran called were Nan McPolin, Virginia Leahy, "Issy" Barber Jackson and Dorothy Wortley. Each of them in turn invited other women who either still lived in Park City or once did. "Well my phone started ringing every day and before I knew it we had 90 guests," Haran remembered. The reunion was such a success that those in attendance decided to make it an annual event. The next year, however, they changed the date to the first Saturday in May and since it was so close to Mother's Day they began the tradition of honoring guests over 80 years old. Before long the event grew so popular that it was moved to the Hotel Newhouse. It was held there for 14 years and according to Haran there were 300 names on the guest list during that time. Approximately Ap-proximately a decade ago the location was moved once again, by popular demand, to Park City. In addition to honoring elder guests several other traditions have become part of the luncheon and all of them were faithfully replayed last weekend. Prizes were awarded to the oldest guest, Orletta Davis, and to the youngest, who was two-and-a-half-months old. The prize for the largest clan in attendance went to Lillian Bircumshaw. "We always try to come for grandma," grand-ma," said Janet Southerland who was born shortly after her mother Lorene Bircumshaw attended the first luncheon in 1954. Lillian Bir-cumshaw's Bir-cumshaw's great-granddaughter Heather Statham was also on hand to bolster the family count which is usually a close race between the family tallies of Lillian Bircumshaw Bircum-shaw and Chloe Mouson. Bea Rummer's mother Lillie Carter Car-ter Knutson joined the reunion for the first time in 14 years. She currently resides in Centerville. Bess Thompson and Rose Peterson were also named as honored guests this year. They were classmates in . the Park City High School graduating class of 1921 . According to Haran, the best part of the luncheon is picking up where you left off with old friends. She spent part of the afternoon with Ruth Paxton who was pictured on the cover of the Park Record centennial cen-tennial supplement with Sam Rad-don Rad-don and Lynx Langford. "Yep, that was me. I worked at the Record when I got out of high school in 1926," she said. The luncheon concluded with a rousing rendition of "Dear Old Park High" and a promise to meet again next year. Former cheerleaders Nan McPolin, Dorothy Murnin and Thelma Lindsay lead a nostalgic rendition of "Dear Old Park High." |