Jim James with My Morning Jacket, performing at the Marquis, Park City, Song Summit 2026 Photo: TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

PARK CITY, Utah — Friday’s Song Summit Village attracted a crowd with a lesson on songwriting by Steve Poltz, complete with audience participation. Yellow balloons guided participants to the Recovery Hang and counseling services. While this may have you thinking about drugs or alcohol, it is meant to be much broader. “We are all in recovery from something,” said Nikki Bluhm. Jim James’s evening concert, followed by the Song Summit Collective, drew everyone to The Marquis.

Steve Poltz teaches song writing //Photo by Kirsten Kohlwey

Jam Session outside Park City Library // Photo by Kirsten Kohlwey

Park City weather changed Saturday’s schedule.

After a long dry spell, a series of downpours forced Park City Song Summit to cancel most of the Song Summit Village programming on Aug. 29. Summit Rising Artists, who were scheduled for performances on Aug. 29, were quite disappointed.

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Still, a small group turned a stretch of sunshine into an opportunity for an impromptu jam session and attracted some young dancers outside the library.

Steve Poltz creates songs to go with Jay Blakesberg’s story // Photo by Kirsten Kohlwe

A Discourse in Civility at the Song Summit, Park City with Ben McAdams, Greg Jackson and Scott Van Hartesvelt — TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

The Song Summit Labs offered a series of presentations that paid tribute to The Grateful Dead. In Workingman’s Dead: Songs, Stories and Improvisation Inspired by the Music of Bobby Weir of The Grateful Dead, Jay Blakesberg shared his path to becoming a professional photographer, along with photographs from those years. He lives by the motto: “Put yourself in the path of opportunity and say ‘Yes’.”

The series culminated in Chris Benchetler’s film ‘Mountains of the Moon,’ which was presented with a live score by Eric Krasno, Ross James, Nicki Bluhm, Alex Koford, Holly Bowling and Ben Anderson.

This mix of high-risk sports and art, inspired by The Grateful Dead, drew many families. One especially striking scene featured rock climbers dressed in suits with light-reflecting skeletons sewn on. Chris Benchetler and his crew pushed the limits of what is possible to create this movie. It will be on a streaming service later this year, but experiencing a movie with a live score is unique.

The Discourse in Civility with Ben McAdams, Greg Jackson, and Scott Van Hartesvelt moved indoors.