Old Town was buzzing Saturday afternoon, and it wasn’t just the lively crowd and beautiful weather.
On Main Street, Parkites and visitors came together to set a new mark in the town's back-and-forth shot-taking rivalry with Breckenridge.
At Park City Sunrise Rotary’s 6th annual Shot Ski, 1,340 people tipped back High West whiskey and apple juice shots using 515 skis drilled together. The group effort surpassed the previous “unofficial” record of 1,333 shot-takers in Breckenridge in 2021.
In the event’s first year back since 2019, Sunrise Rotary volunteer and Pinebrook resident Russell Fericks said everything went according to plan. While he said defeating the rival Colorado ski town on a beautiful day was a sweet victory, the community impact was the most important win.
“I want everybody to know that this isn’t just silly business,” Fericks said. “We’re raising money for all the community volunteer organizations, and there could be as much as $50,000 raised today to support a number of community causes, all the way from the food pantry to Rotary activities to the museum. [Rotary] needs money to operate and make such a wonderful committee.”
Entering the event, the goal was to raise $35,000. According to Sunrise Rotarian Connie Nelson, there wasn’t an official fundraising tally at the time of the shot, but the group did exceed that goal.
On Main Street, which was closed from the top down to Heber Avenue, many who didn’t have tickets stood outside the perimeter and cheered along.
Participating for the first time, Liz Sollis of Salt Lake City said she appreciated the fun time for a good cause.
“There’s people who come up to Park City all the time from all places,” Sollis said, “so it’s good for all those people to come back up here and give back to the community. I figured why not take a shot at the Shot Ski?”
Skye Emerson, also from Salt Lake City, said she had participated several times before. After the event’s two-year pause due to the pandemic, she was glad to be back.
“I love the back-and-forth competition with Breckenridge,” Emerson said. “It’s always a good excuse to come to Park City in October, and you’ve got to love High West, so it’s a win-win. We just put five hours in the parking stall meter, so we’re apparently planning for a full day up here.”
Main Street reopened shortly after the shot.
Now, it’s Breckenridge’s turn to attempt to reclaim the bragging rights. That effort’s expected to take place in December at the Ullr Fest.
