On select Sundays throughout the summer and into early fall, historic Main Street comes alive with music, local vendors, and an easy, unhurried energy that makes you want to stick around. Since the first Park Silly Sunday Market in 2006, the event has been a weekend destination, drawing in loca ls and visitors who come for the quirky, friendly vibe and an experience filled with creative folks and good food they can find nowhere else. Since 2012, two familiar faces—Kate McChesney and Michelle McDonald—have been the spark and steady hands behind Park Silly’s success. McDonald’s story, in particular, is a classic Park City narrative. Long before she was wrangling vendors and navigating logistics, she was teaching kids to ski and coaching racers at Woods Valley in western New York. In 1996, with the Olympics coming to Salt Lake and a thirst for adventure, she and her two best friends made a pinky swear: One year out West, no matter what. Safe to say, it didn’t take long before Park City felt like home, and there was no looking back. McDonald jumped right into the Park City scene, first working in lodging and property management at Park City Mountain Resort base, then picking up an extra gig at Cole Sport. “The ski locker and pro deals and a house account helped with gear for a broke 24-year-old,” she remembers.  Later on, she found her way into luxury transportation, teaming up with All Resort Limousine, where she helped open new accounts for hotels like Montage and St. Regis. Everywhere McDonald went, she built lasting connections—her knack for finding friends and her love for the mountain lifestyle kept her grounded in the community. In 2012, McDonald tried life away from the mountains and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia—but it didn’t take long to realize Park City had her heart. “I was back in 82 days,” she recalls.  She hadn’t even unpacked when McChesney reached out and asked if she wanted to jump in at Park Silly. That one phone call changed everything. McDonald found her home again—both in Park City and as Director of Operations in the market. “Best job ever,” she calls it.  McDonald isn’t just the go-to for logistics; whether it’s managing zero-waste efforts, selecting vendors, or finding creative solutions to Main Street’s quirks, she tackles each challenge with a smile.  If you know Executive Director Kate McChesney, you know her energy is contagious—the kind that makes you want to roll up your sleeves and join the action. Her journey to leading Park Silly wasn’t something she plotted out; it just came together naturally over the years.  “I didn’t set out to take over the market—it just happened little by little, and it made perfect sense,” McChesney says. She spent nearly 20 years with Entertainment Publications, jumping between sales, B2B projects, and school fundraisers.  Gathering people, getting everyone excited, and bringing out the best in a crowd is what she does best. It probably helped that Park Silly felt like family from the start—her sister Kimberly [Kuehn] founded the market in 2006, so McChesney was already pitching in before she officially moved to Utah in 2010. As her sister’s focus shifted to new adventures, it felt like the timing was right for McChesney to take the reins and help steer the market into the future.  McChesney and McDonald didn’t set out to become local legends; they just followed their love for community, friendship, and a good challenge. That “let’s make it happen” attitude isn’t just talk. It’s what powers Park Silly’s weekly magic and gives those Sundays their unmistakable warmth.  The real joy for them comes from seeing a young dreamer test out a business idea, talking to grateful vendors, and feeling the genuine energy that brings the community together week after week. And together, they also coordinate some of Park City’s favorite annual events such as the 4th of July parade, Miners Day, the Summit County Fair, Forum Fest, the KPCW Back Alley Bash, and the Running with Ed fundraiser.  See more in the 2026 Summer Home magazine The post Faces of Park City: Serious Business, Silly Sundays appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less