City council uninterested in 7+ year Park Silly Market contract

Historic Main Street in Park City. Photo: Park Silly Sunday Market

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Council held a work session to discuss the future of the Park Silly Sunday Market at their recent meeting.

In a request to the city earlier this month, Park Silly Sunday Market Executive Director Kate McChesney asked for a new contract, with terms set for seven to 10 years.

Park City Special Events Manager Jenny Dierson said Thursday, “we’re here to start the process with the community.”

“15 years ago Silly Market was brought here to help bring vibrancy to Main Street on what was the slowest day of the week,” Dierson said. “Over the last 15 years, our community has changed a ton, and the Silly Market has been willing to change along with us.”

The market takes over Main Street for 14 Sundays every summer from 10 am to 5 pm, offering 160 individual unique vendors, and costing the city a total of $60,000 each year.

The dynamic however has changed from the die-hard local event it once was. Many believe it’s now more catered to outsiders, pointing to the China Bridge parking lot often filling up quickly on summer Sunday mornings. The market’s current contract with the city, which was approved in 2020, is set to expire later this year.

At an earlier meeting, the council made clear that they wanted the event to be community-focused.

Nosh, Sammy’s Bistro, and Red Bicycle Bread are just a few examples of local businesses that got their start at Park Silly. “We gave them that opportunity,” McChesney told the council on Thursday.

Councilor Becca Gerber said she wants to hear from local stakeholders before making a decision. Gerber added that “seven to 10 years is a long contract, and I don’t think we usually do that.” She said she felt more comfortable in the three to five year range.

Gerber emphasized that a reevaluation of the event in light of the Park City Chamber’s sustainable tourism review may give people a different perspective.

“I’m not really comfortable assigning anybody 10 years,” Councilor Max Doilney said.

Councilor Tana Toly, who owns Red Banjo Pizza on Main Street, said it might be time to rethink the entire thing. “Maybe do you want it on a Wednesday? Do you want it to be on Main Street? We can kind of throw everything at it right now because I’ve heard so many different ideas around the community,” Toly said.

Councilor Jeremy Rubell agreed that getting feedback was the right first step.

“I hate to say it, for me, it’s an absolute nuisance at the bottom of Main Street,” one Old Town resident said at the meeting. “I don’t think the town needs it… every Sunday, it’s just horrendous.”

“I am a supporter of the Silly Sunday Market,” said Mark Sweeney, who is a property owner at the Town Lift.

“I think there’s always ways of doing things better, and I like to listen to people and how they think that we can do it better… I know that it doesn’t help all of our tenants.”

No formal action was taken at the meeting. The first Silly Market of the season will take place on June 5.