Park Silly Sunday Market.

We’re the new kids in town.

Life in Park City is not the same as it is in Salt Lake City. It’s amazing what a difference 20 miles can mean! Living in the valley for more than a decade, we were prepared for a change we moved up the hill in February. Park City is usually 10-15 degrees cooler than SLC (awesome in summer, less awesome in winter). PC gets less of the infamous SLC “inversion” (otherwise known as SMOG), and it stays greener longer. PC is smaller, feeling more like a ski town than a city.

Something we’ve had to get used to is “suburban” living. We both lived downtown in walkable neighborhoods in Salt Lake. Our neighborhood now is more removed, and it means getting in the car for groceries, restaurants, even the mail. We love our home, and it’s easy to stay in because we enjoy it. But like any new kid in school, we’ve learned we need to make more of an effort. We want to ‘live the life’ up here and be a part of our new community!

So we hit the Park Silly Sunday Market.

Sundays in Utah are hit or miss. Shops and restaurants are often closed; one can’t buy a bottle of wine. But on Sundays in the summer, Park City’s Main Street is transformed into a street fair, farmers market, food/drink venue, and music stage. The Market is described on their website as an “ecofriendly open air market, street festival and commUnity forum where neighbors and friends come together to celebrate our commUnity of fun and funky Park Sillians.”

Feeling both fun AND funky, away we went.

Our intention was to enjoy the scene, grab some lunch, and head for the farmers market section to stock up on fresh produce for the week. We’d been to the Market before, so we had an idea of what to expect: tons of people, tons of dogs, tons of colorful and random vendors selling tons of colorful and random things.

A tad overwhelmed with the mayhem, we headed toward the food and beverage area at the bottom of Main Street. It’s called Park Swilly and it houses a stage for local bands, various options for lunch, and beer or cocktails. There’s also a somewhat legendary bloody mary bar, offering different tomato mix choices and a giant selection of garnishments.

After visiting a tiny trailer (even smaller than Betty), we surveyed our options. We went for locally made tamales and lemonade-y cocktails, and settled in at a table perfect for people-watching. We were joined by a delightful family of 4 from Philadelphia, the kids sharing Pad Thai and the parents clutching drinks that looked like salads (fans of the bloody mary bar).

The crowd was a bit easier to handle after some lunch (and a drink), so continued to explore. On stage was a magician, dazzling some wide-eyed children. The sun was intense, and John made me stop for some sunblock. We strolled along, through the maze of tourists, locals, kids, and dogs. Each vendor had something unique on display, eager to share. I made a mental note to come back soon to stock up on local wares for future gifts. (What friend of mine wouldn’t want a fur hat with ears?)

In addition to fur-bottomed jeans and hula-hoops, there were booths with gorgeous pottery, jewelry of all styles, reclaimed wood furniture, art- all created locally.

When we left the ‘silliness’ behind, the farmers market section was a bit disappointing. John did taste and purchase some jalapeno jelly, and we decided to visit the bigger farmers market later in the week. We ambled back down Main Street, stopping into a shop buy some specialty hot sauces. We ducked down a different road to avoid the scene, and soaked in some of the unique features one finds all around Park City.

A bit drained from the crowd and the sun, we headed home. We might enjoy a catnap. We’ll spend some time on the deck before the sun goes down. We’ll play with our dog- maybe take her for a swim. We’ll giggle about some of the sights we saw today, and be thankful we get to live here.

Because that’s what locals do.