The cosmos seems to be playing one big (and rather cruel) joke on us, so we thought it fitting to find a few ways to laugh together—or escape—this week. 

Boogie Down

Throughout April, a collaboration of musically minded folks—Rockwell Room, Mountain Town Music, Muse PC, Park City Summit County Arts Council, and a slew of independent artists—is hosting a series of evening “watch parties” via Facebook and Instagram. The line-up of live-streamed local musicians ranges from banjo-strumming former mayor Dana Williams to guitar-picking songbird Shannon Runyon, all of whom will put on a concert from their respective homes nightly, from 7–8 p.m. 

This Saturday, The National Ability Center, discovernac.org, is hosting  a virtual “Social Dis-dancing” party, featuring local DJ Dolph, on Facebook live from 6–7 p.m. Move some furniture and cut a rug in your living room.

Game time

Go old-school with the family game night tradition. Card games are an easy go-to, as are board games. But perhaps you’re bored with your own stock of monotony (I mean, Monopoly) and checkers? Currently, Baby Nee Nee, located at 1400 Snow Creek Dr, is facilitating a board game exchange. Simply drop off one of your games or toys on the table outside the shop, and borrow a new-to-you one.

Get out on the trails

Not much brings smiles to our Park City faces quite like a good ramble through the mountains. Thankfully, the stay-at-home order does not preclude hikes and walks; however, if the trailhead is packed, move along to another one in order to social distance. Right now, south-facing, low-elevation slopes are dry (or muddy) and north-facing, high elevations are snowy. Paved walks, such as McLeod Creek and Poison Creek, are dry one day and snow-packed the next, so plan footwear accordingly. For single-track that might be dry, consider Round Valley trails and the PC Hill. For a fun, snowy adventure (and workout), consider hiking Iron Canyon’s roughly mile-long stretch up to the lookout with a swiss-bob sled (or other small sled) and whoop it up on the descent. For trail maps, visit mountaintrails.org.

Laugh

Celerity comedians Ray Romano, Iliza Shlesinger, Howie Mandel, Nikki Glaser, Bill Burr, Marc Maron, Patton Oswalt and a slew of other funny folks will livestream some laughs on April 4 at 5 p.m., while raising money for an emergency relief fund for comedians in need. The donation-based Laugh Aid livestream is available on Laugh Lounge app, Twitch, Twitter, Comedy Central's YouTube channel, and Facebook.

Zoom!

Plan an app-y hour, party, or even extended family time via Zoom, Google Meet, or FaceTime (for you iphone users). Even six-year-olds seem to master these platforms these days (my kindergartner has a regular reading date with her across-the-country grandma), so why not give it a whirl and see a familiar face?

Keep smiling and stay safe, Park City!