Sparkling Town Bash

At the Tabernacle Square, the Heber City Old‑Fashioned Christmas tree lighting unfolded beneath a canopy of step‑and‑repeat red lights, the kind of mid‑town luster that could make a Park City power broker blush. The crowd—roughly 700 hopefuls—gathered not for insider hype but for hot chocolate, demonstrating the irony of committee‑led stoicism. The organizers, Heber City Chamber of Commerce and Community Alliance for Main Street, staged a drone show that glittered in flute‑glass gold, yet it lacked the cinematic sparkle of the neighboring Sundance gala. Mayor Heidi Franco’s attempt to “share the spirit” felt like a forced choir note, with her scrolling through a postcard‑sized list of presenters that no one had checked long before the event. Children, most notably Harper‑Rose Becker, were given leading roles only because they were councilor‑children; the emptiness of the guest list is the real artifact of town pride. Verdict: Send a check but stay home.