OCR Text |
Show r1 Park Record 'Thursday, April 4, 1985 'Page Bl I photos by Nan Chalat, David Hampshire and Sierra McKee Clown Race Day Area offers two events for the price of one The ingredients were all there. It was a warm, sunny day. The final town race of the season was being held. And it was April 1, Clown Day, -the rite of spring where local ski , bums paint their faces, put on the t most outrageous clothes they can find, and head for the slopes. In other words, it was the perfect setting for a day-long party. And that's the kind of scenario that makes the manage- ment at the Park City Ski Area just a little bit nervous. , So the resort took a few steps to keep things under control. For one, the Snow Hut; where clowns traditionally gather to compare costumes, was asked ' to stop selling beer at 1 p.m. For another, a party (with free beer and hot dogs) was planned in the lower parking lot below the Three i Kings chairlift. That way, the i reasoning went, a few less crazies ' woujd be on the slopes, i The strategy apparently work-ed. work-ed. Ed Bowers, communications - director for the ski area, said Clown Day passed without any real problems. The parking lot party didn't attract as many people as ; expected. Bowers said between 50 and 100 were there at any one time. But those who went seemed Ho enjoy themselves. ''I think it was great for a lot of people who didn't have ski passes," he said. Prizes (mid-week season passes) were awarded to the best man and woman in costume. One prize went to Bruce Edmiston for his impersonation of Ronald Reagan. "It was hilarious," Bowers said. "The guy even had the same mannerisms as Reagan." The other prize went to Patti Oehmke, who wore a huge top hat which came down almost to her waist, and a smile painted on her stomach. Glenn Artist, one of the owners of the Snow Hut, located at the bottom of the Prospector lifts, reported that business was good untjl beer sales were cut oH. s- "The deck was full in the morning," he said. "But after one o'clock it kind of thinned ' out." Artist said the party was relatively restrained except for a couple of people who skied off the mountain right onto the deck on the south side of the building. "They've done it every year for three years now," he said. "The same guys." At Park City High School, where classes usually finish a poor second on Clown Day, the number of absentees was surprisingly surpris-ingly low. Only 51 of 374 students were not in school when the j morning roll was taken. 1 By the time the lifts closed, the party had moved onto the plaza- -near the Corner Store. Park City Folic Officer Al Allen stood off to - ' one side7fa3io in hahd7 watching """" the action. Those who had participated in the town race, and were still in the mood to celebrate, finished the afternoon at the Rusty Nail, where the season was being wrapped up with an awards party. (See separate story, page CI.) 'i ; k ' ' " - 1 - - . f - i, . , . ' -fe i - " - . ' V" S "- ' WW. f ' '' " ..-.1; I LEFT: Gumby Goes to Washington and meets Ronnie Reagan. In real life these two are Phoebe Bouton and Bruce Edmiston. BELOW: Nick Calas models the lates in Clown Day racing fashion. RIGHT: Monoskiing mermaids Kristie Kirkland and Vici Julian make a splash on the mountain. . ' -. 4 r . . . " -Z. v - t " s . ft i - Jk.s T;i ; ir 1 0l .. 3, ,"X r" ...... .. . -' |