Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Share the park


Rather than viewing the use of Atkinson Park for the Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival as a bleak disruption of the park's sports activities, the temporary use of the grounds should be welcomed. It is the beneficial multi-use of a public facility for an annual community event that draws more than 7,000 visitors each summer who help fuel the area's economy.

Thus, the Ketchum City Council acted wisely in approving use of the park for the 2007 festival in August. It's one of the top festivals of its kind in the nation and is part of the valley's special nature.

The days when communities could afford to build single-use facilities that sometimes sat idle are over. Strained public budgets as well as sophisticated management dictate that public facilities be available and promoted for a variety of events and activities.

The long-running arts and crafts festival, produced by the Sun Valley Center for the Arts since 1968, customarily is staged on the lower soccer field at Sun Valley Resort. However, a new pavilion for the summer symphony will likely be under construction there this summer.

Whether the festival could physically be staged there again is not known and must be decided later. Ketchum might need to consider another year of hosting the festival or hosting it permanently.

As former Ketchum Mayor Jerry Seiffert pointed out during discussion of whether to open Atkinson Park for the festival, the recreational facility was spawned with the help of federal park funds, and in its early years was used for concerts and other events.

Events widely known far beyond Ketchum's city limits have found a home here—Wagon Days, Trailing of the Sheep, performing theater, antique shows, the Hemingway Festival, opera, concerts and Jazz Festival, national paragliding and skiing competitions, and more.

Improbable venues have become sites for events—the Sun Valley ice rink for jazz performances, churches for opera and chorale concerts.

Seizing on the opportunity to expand Atkinson Park's usefulness by hosting the popular and colorful arts and crafts festival can only add to the community's luster as a center of entertainment and culture and benefit the often-uncertain economy.




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