If you’re still looking for a memorable activity to make the most of your Labor Day weekend this year, why not spend the weekend in Park City, Utah where you can celebrate both Labor Day and Miner’s Day at once with the annual Miner’s Day celebration and parade festivities. Miner’s Day has been celebrated by Park City locals and hundreds of visitors for decades as a nod toward the city’s heritage, a history formed in large part by miners and their families who called Park City their home in the town’s early days. The Miner’s Day celebration is the culmination of many efforts on behalf of the Park City officials, the Rotary Club, the local government and many local businesses who come together to put on this memorable production.
Start you Labor Day and Miner’s Day celebration early with a pancake breakfast in the City Park at 7 a.m. Children under 5 years eat free and the breakfast cost for everyone else is only $5 each. After breakfast there will be a 5K race that runs through Park Meadows and Round Valley and ends up back and the City Park.
Crowds can then migrate over toward Main Street for the highly anticipated annual “Running of the Balls” in which over 5,000 yellow golf balls are released on a track running down Main Street from the “Cows Ice Cream” to the Post Office below. Anyone can participate in the “Running of the Balls” race by purchasing either 1 ball for $5 or 5 balls for $20 with the hopes that their ball will finish first and win them the grand prize. All the proceeds from the race go toward the Park City Rotary Club’s grant program which is the biggest fundraiser of the year.
After the “Running of the Balls” event, groups can remain along Main Street to enjoy the official Miner’s Day parade making its way down Main Street with floats and music and local politicians.
An iron lung will be on display as both an educational draw and a point of interest for those who remember the history of how serious polio once was for decades in the United States.
One of the biggest attractions of the day is the “Mucking & Drilling Contest” which takes place at 2 p.m. and involves many contestants from the local area as well as neighboring states who are in a race to see who can muck and drill their rocks the fastest.
About Jim Bizily
I am an outdoor enthusiast, parent of two awesome boys, and Property Manager in beautiful Park City, Utah. After years in engineering and entrepreneurial projects, I decided to move to Park City Utah to start a business managing lodging and vacation rentals.
