Could Park City shut down its 4th of July Parade if it wanted to?

I’ve been reading about the various Utah counties that are trying to remain closed due to the Coronavirus. However, it seems the Governor’s Office won’t always allow them. It seems funny to me. Wouldn’t local officials know best for their area, especially when they are trying to be cautious?

However, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Park City Schools have shown they will either be opened or closed at the whim of Salt Lake City. It all seems so Roman.

Over the course of the last month, we’ve seen many events shut down. The Silly Market won’t happen. Deer Valley concerts won’t happen, The Tour of Utah won’t happen. Yet, the public has heard nothing about the Park City 4th of July Parade. It seems really strange.

The 4th of July Parade is like the Silly Market turned up to 11. Tens of thousands of people from Salt lake, and thousands more from the Park City area, are all standing arm-in-arm, mixing their sweat on Main Street and Park Avenue. Then everyone descends on City Park to further sweat on each other, eat burgers, drink beers, and watch some rugby. I do it every year.

However, it’s going to be impossible to social distance. I see no way a six-foot separation could be ensured on the 4th, unless the parade is virtual.

So why hasn’t it been cancelled?

I’d guess there are a number of reasons. Most of them start the sentence with the words “Our economy….” Perhaps they are just waiting to see where things stand. Perhaps the Marsac building is hoping that it can happen for business’ sake. That may be the case.

However, what I wonder is if we could cancel the parade even if we wanted to. Yes, the Days of 47 parade was canceled; however, that was over a month ago. Now, the Governor has shown that he going to open the state up come hell or high water.

After following local politics for years, what I have learned is that our local politicians tend to deal at the bread-crumb level. Yes, those crumbs can influence our lives dramatically and are important. However, most big decisions at the local level take into account the view (and repercussions) from SLC.

So, if the Governor really wants the parade, he’ll get the parade. With the highest level of Coronavirus cases ever reported in Utah occuring today, maybe the Governor will change his tune.

I’d love to get into the mind of Governor Herbert. It would tell us a lot about our collective future.