Arts Council of Park City and Summit County returns with Art on the Trails

Art on the Trails is the best of both of Summit County’s worlds.

On one hand participants enjoy the outdoors during a guided hike on the McLeod Creek Trail. On the other, the trail will feature several stops for immersive art experiences including live music performed by members of the Utah Symphony, dances presented by BalletNext and Flamenco del Lago, youth poets and visual art by local artists, said Jocelyn Scudder, Arts Council of Park City and Summit County executive director.

“We first came up with the program in 2019 with the local community in mind,” Scudder said. “We know people live here because of their love for nature and the outdoors, and I’ve talked with others who love it here because of the arts and culture scene. So we wanted to present a program that connects those two core values — nature and art.”

The 2021 Art on the Trails will run from 2-6 p.m. on Saturday. Tours will leave every 20 minutes starting at 2 p.m. from Copper Moose Farms.

Although the event is free and open to the public, registration is preferred so attendees can choose a tour time, according to Scudder.

“People can select the one they want and curate their own experience with what works for them,” she said. “The tour guides will lead our attendees through the trail, and the whole tour will take about an hour and a half.”

Participants should arrive 15 minutes prior to their tour, wear comfortable shoes and a hat, and bring sunscreen and water, although there will be water stations along the trail, Scudder said.

During the tour, groups will stop at several site-specific locations so the group can experience live music, participate in a public art installation or watch a dance. (See accompanying list of participating artists).

“We have seven performing artists, and four visual artists who will create temporary art for the groups,” Scudder said. “This is a hybrid of 2019 and 2020. We did have art on the trails in 2019, and while we didn’t have the tours in 2020, we did invite artists to create art on the trails with natural materials, so people who were hiking could experience the art in their own way and in their own time.”

This year’s visual artists are local artists who participated in 2019, and the youth poets are winners of Utah’s Poetry Out Loud competition hosted by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, she said.

“This year we are working with a presenting sponsor, Nordic Track from iFit, which allowed us to schedule more artists for this year’s event,” Scudder said. “We were able to work with the Utah Symphony who provided a fantastic trombone duo, and we are working with the Living Traditions Festival, who introduced us to Flamenco de Lago.”

The arts council also worked with local songwriters group MUSE PC for some acoustic-music offerings by Alicia Stockman and Zeus Garcia, Scudder said.

“Zeus will perform on the trails, and Alicia will perform at Copper Moose Farms,” she said.

Copper Moose Farms, which will serve as the trailhead of the hike, will also be the hike’s trailtail, Scudder said.

“After people have finished their tour, we hope they will stay a while at the farm,” she said. “We’ll have the farm stand set up so people can purchase produce. We’ll have a casual cash bar, and Yoli’s Taco Truck will be serving dinner.”

In addition to Stockman, Michelle Moonshine will also perform at the farm until 6 p.m., Scudder said.

“There is a lot going on, but we are also taking safety precautions,” she said. “While we’ve been tracking the pandemic and virus in the community quite closely, we are also staying apprised at what the Summit County Health Department will recommend.”

The arts council will have PPE supplies, hand sanitizer and disposable masks available for those who want them.

“We’ve also reduced the size of the groups smaller,” she said. “In the past we had 25-30 people, and now we’re going to do about 20.”

Even if people can’t or don’t want to schedule a time for the tours, the arts council invites them to hang out at Copper Moose Farm, Scudder said.

“That way they can still get a taste of Art on the Trails with the live music and food,” she said. “We’re proud of the program, not only because it supports many of our local artists, but also shows what makes Park City and Summit County special.”