Every year since 1988 the Park City Museum places ribbons on historic structures, including residences and businesses, in and around Old Town. This time around, these ribbons will also celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, said Dalton Gackle, the museum’s research coordinator. “The rib bons are red, white and blue,” he said. “Usually we’ll try to go with a solid color on each component of the ribbon, but we decided to go with the tri-colors.”Gackle designed the ribbons. “I picked the colors and coordinated with our executive director, Morgan Pierce, and presented him with a couple of combinations,” Gackle said.  Within those combinations, Gackle examines what each component will look like. “There’s a button in the center, fringe around the button and a (sash) that extends down,” he said. “I then pass those ideas around to people in the office and have them vote on which ones they like best. Then we submit them to a trophy- and ribbon-making company back east.” Brady Scott, whose father, Randy, sits on the Park City Museum board, points out a couple of ribbons that signify a historic structure in Old Town. Credit: Photo courtesy of Dalton Gackle Volunteers from the Park City Historical Society, the nonprofit that runs the museum, then hit the town to attach the ribbons to the buildings. The day this year is Wednesday, Gackle said. “We always wait to do this in June, even though May is Historic Preservation Month, because the weather in Park City is a little nicer,” he said. “We’ll go to all of the residences and businesses that afternoon. Then we’ll piece-meal the mining structures over the course of the summer because it’s difficult for volunteers to get all of those up in one day.” Last year, volunteers pinned up 587 ribbons, Gackle said. “We add another six or eight structures each year,” he said. “We mostly just stuck to Old Town, with a few exceptions.” The main prerequisite is the building has to be at least 50 years old. “So, this year we added those that were built in 1976,” Gackle said. The buildings’ conditions also do matter. Dalton Gackle, Park City Museum research coordinator, fastens a ribbon on a historic mining structure. Gackle oversees a museum program that uses ribbons to signify historic structures that are at least 50 years old. There are nearly 600 historic buildings that have been recognized in Old Town throughout the years. Credit: Photo courtesy of Dalton Gackle “We tend to be pretty lenient and put ribbons on structures that are still standing — especially the mining structures — and sometimes, some of the residences have deteriorated to such a condition that it’s weird that they would get a ribbon,” he said. “So it’s a subjective judgement call, but we pretty much give a ribbon to everything that meets the age requirements and those that are on the historic sites inventory that the city has built into the code.” Ribbons are also awarded to ski-era structures, which are currently not on the historic sites inventory, Gackle said.  “We still want to recognize them because they are important to Park City’s history,” he said. “I’m always thinking about things that are historic, whether or not they are on the inventory.” Sometimes the eligibility of structures surprises Gackle. “A few years ago, I did come across structures that I didn’t realize were that old, and I found some that I was surprised weren’t old enough,” he said. Volunteers usually start attaching ribbons around 1 p.m. “We stagger start times so groups can finish around the same time,” Gackle said. “That’s when we throw an appreciation party for the volunteers who do it, because it’s such a huge effort. There are a few sections that take longer than others, so I’ll give that group ribbons first, so they can go out and start.” Some of the volunteers have joined the effort for decades, Gackle said. “I start by sending out a call for volunteers from our entire museum membership base because this is something that is a little more fun than some of the more tedious things we do,” he said. “They get to go out and see the town and learn about and see historic structures. So, it’s like a mini membership perk in a way. We get some of the same people and some new ones, along with staff members. So, we usually have between 15 and 20 people who help.” The group then divides into smaller groups that are designated certain areas, Gackle said. “I create packets by street for the groups, and these packets have photographs of the buildings, so volunteers know they are giving ribbons to the right addresses,” he said. “Every year, before we do this, I have to drive around town to make sure the houses and buildings still look the same. If they have changed their paint color or have been restructured or restored, I take new photos for the packets.” Ribbons are displayed in different ways, Gackle said. “On residences we try to put them on the front porch posts or right near the front door, and we put them on the entry way of businesses,” he said. “Some of the businesses like to put them in specific spots like their front windows. Flanagan’s put them up around the front door, and the post office puts them by the desk.” Some residents show only the current ribbon, while others display all of the ribbons they have collected over the years, Gackle said.  “Some people have built shadowboxes on their front porch,” he said. “It’s cool to see homeowners and business owners who love to receive that appreciation and show they are owners of historic buildings.”Recognizing these historic structures is important when it comes to preserving Park City’s past, Gackle said. “Having a connection to our past in the way of built environments, is, especially in a place like Park City, a way to see what things looked like during a certain period if you want to appreciate the history,” he said. “It’s important to recognize those types of things, and that’s why we have this ribbon program we do every year. These ribbons help these structures stand out a little bit and draw people into learning more about the buildings.”  For information about the Park City Museum and its programs, visit parkcityhistory.org. The post Museum ribbons highlight historic buildings appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less