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Show v-J W rv V g":""' ; v - ."ill'..1:..;!'!.1? ff'.'-'i1-!" ' :""."":.! '" 1 : '".L1 L'"Bf iil....ii.iiii. .i... . l il i ; i m in. in i ii i i u i iii iiii,.,.,,.! .i iii, ,,-n ii,.., mi mmmmmmmmmmmmm ..ij.ni..- i J Trenches and tunnels can't keep festival down by David Hampshire You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief at the Kimball Art Center Monday. Another Park City Art Festival had come and gone. For the record, it was anything but routine. The installation of the mall tunnels and utility lines on Main Street kept festival staff members biting their nails until the last minute. And the construction at the Park City Resort Center created some unexpected parking headaches. head-aches. But the people came anyway. Art Festival Director Sean Toomey said attendance was up by about a third over a year ago. Artists reported that sales were good. And the weather, which has been teasing Utah with sporadic thunderstorms for much of the summer, saved its theatrics for the evening hours, when most visitors were on their way home. In the weeks before the festival, organizers were concerned that publicity about the Main Street construction would discourage visitors. visi-tors. So much of the promotion emphasized it would be business as usual. "I think we did it too well," Toomey smiled. "I think we got more people on Sunday than we've ever had." The throng of visitors from Salt Lake City did cause some traffic problems, particularly on Sunday afternoon when cars were reported backed up on Utah Highway 224 as far as the freeway. The loss of parking caused by construction at the Park City Resort Center also caught traffic police by surprise, forcing them to reroute drivers to Prospector Square sooner than expected. Some lines formed at the bus stops where people waited to be shuttled in or out of town. However, Toomey said the 12 Park City Transit buses did an excellent job of keeping up with the crowds. Except for an unpaved area in front of the new shopping mall, there was little evidence of the construction construc-tion which has kept the street torn up since May. The well-publicized 12-foot-deep utility trench had been backfilled and repaved as far up as the Alpine Prospector's Lodge ,and the two tunnels in front of the .mall were completed enough to be covered with fill. In the week before the festival Technical Director Andy Monaco and a crew of five put in an estimated 90 hours each taking care of last-minute details. At the Kimball Art Center Toomey and four other staff members were equally busy. As the festival approached the payroll got larger: six people to set up the stages and sound equipment, seven to help park cars, 16 policement from the University of Utah to direct traffic, and another 30 people to collect the $1 admission fee and run the festival concession booth. By 10 a.m. Saturday 205 artists and set up booths on Main Street. Their work ranged from $7 ceramic whistles in the shape of fish heads to $2,500 paintings, from metallic wind chimes to down comforters. Among the hottest-selling items: ceramic lamps, photographs of barnyard animals (pigs were big), and collapsible wooden wind ornaments. Among the performing artists, Salt Lake City's Saliva Sisters were the biggest hit. It was standing room only for their Saturday afternoon performance at the stage across from the Treasure Mountain Inn. The Big Band sounds of Joe Muscolino and the reggae tunes of Irie Heights also drew large crowds. Except for a few sprinkles Saturday morning, the weather cooperated during the festival's official business hours. However, a few artists were still packing their wares about 8 p.m. Saturday when a spectacular thunderstorm roared through the area, dumping hail and rain in large quantities. Toomey, who now has survived three festivals, said they get a little easier each year, but they're still far from easy. Monaco, who has served as technical director for the past two festivals, says the problems centering center-ing around the construction on Main Street made this festival unique. "It was trial by fire this year," he said ." It' s not going to get any worse than this." ITT ' ' If: tetfy ft) '. TV Iff l; , r. - I V-? fit t ' t r l - . - . J j nrv - ,f- y 1 r"'-v ' . me 1K.r. . VS.". - f . " ' y |
