'Dear Park City'...love letters to a mountain town

With over 40 letters from community members and their own photography, Sierra Hase and Tanner Ladsten compiled the book "Dear Park City." Photo: Meander Collection.

PARK CITY, Utah — If you could write a letter to your beloved hometown, what would you say? Meander founders Sierra Hase and Tanner Ladsten asked prominent members and beloved characters of the community just that and created “Dear Park City,” a book that celebrates the community, landscape, heart, and soul of Park City through hand-written letters.

The inspiration for “Dear Park City” sprang from the duo’s shared passion for the outdoors and photography. Hase and Ladsten found themselves consistently capturing the beauty of Park City on their adventures hiking, biking, and skiing around town. However, they wanted to go beyond conventional photography and truly delve into the heart of the community.

“We wanted to share the beauty of Park City with people, and we knew we wanted to do that through more than just photography,” said Hase. “We’ve had the chance to meet some really incredible people in town and wanted the chance to showcase them and their important role in making Park City what it is.”

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Considering their preference for visual storytelling overwriting, the idea of collecting handwritten letters emerged as a creative solution. What initially began as a fun passion project soon transformed into a meaningful endeavor with the potential to make a positive difference in the community.

Ladsten highlighted the intention behind the book, saying, “We wanted the book to be something different and something that would hopefully inspire people to stop and get to know their neighbors or continue to support local dreams and preserve the spirit of our town.”

Ladsten shared that the couple has been together for 12 years, having both moved from Minnesota to Park City. While he works as a physical therapist at Intermountain, Hase works for Plenty Consulting the book became a shared side passion project.

Selecting contributors for the book was the first step from ideation to creation. Starting with people they knew or heard of in the community, they sought individuals making a positive difference or embodying the Park City spirit.

The list expanded as recommendations poured in, resulting in over 40 letters from nonprofit leaders, skiers, volunteers, longtime locals, newcomers, and others.

“The feedback we’ve gotten so far and already the recommendations of people who could be in a book like this have us excited to do a volume two someday,” Hase said.

The handwritten letters included in “Dear Park City” adds a personal touch to each contributor’s story, that would have been lost in a type-written version.

“We had this idea two years ago, and its guided a lot of our photography and adventures. We became more purposeful in going outside where we went and trying to capture every corner of Park City and kind of the essential surrounding areas and kind of the iconic, recognizable features of Park City.”

Hase and Ladsten carefully selected photographs to match the essence of each letter. Their collaborative effort, balancing her eye for design with his technical expertise, resulted in a visually striking and cohesive representation of Park City.

“I’d love to include a note of gratitude to the people trusted us with their stories,” she said. “With this being our first project, we didn’t have a lot to show for what our vision for the project was. But for people really to, in some cases profess their love to this town and to trust us to turn it into something beautiful that will hopefully have a positive impact in the community, we’re forever grateful for the people who did contribute in that way.”

“Dear Park City” is available for purchase through the authors’ website, meandercollection.com. The book is also stocked at local establishments such as Dolly’s Bookstore, Indigo Highway, The Market, HeartSpace, Park City Museum and Park City Gardens.

Like most Park City transplants, Hase and Ladsten are true enthusiasts of outdoor activities from resort skiing to backcountry adventures, cross-country skiing, and hiking with their dog taking photos along the way.