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PAYSON — On Aug. 7, lifelong Payson resident Doug Welton went to Memorial Park to feast at the city’s 66th annual Salmon Supper. As he stood in line, 6 feet away from others, he scanned the area around him. The servers and patrons at the event were wearing face masks as the food was served. Tables were spread out along the park area to maintain social distancing, and there was no entertainment as there had been in years past.
Things were very different, yet Welton was filled with gratitude that his hometown was still able to continue the tradition amid the COVID-19 pandemic when so many others had not been so lucky.
However, Welton, who is also a member of the Payson City Council, had another lens to see the event through. Having been privy to many city meetings in the event planning stages, he knew all that went behind the scenes to be able to see this event through.
"City events coordinators go through tremendous efforts to put on any sort of city event this year," Welton said. "It's hard to navigate COVID-19 and have a meaningful city event. Lots of mean things are said about the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes for their communities. They could use a little pick-me-up and some praise for their work."
One such event coordinator that Welton was alluding to is Janeen Dean, who was charged with the arduous task of planning the Salmon Supper and is currently planning Payson’s Golden Onion Days celebration that will take place in September. Dean agreed that this year has been a challenge.
"Many people don’t realize what we had to go through to even have the Salmon Supper, and what we are doing to move forward with Onion Days," Dean said. "There have been lots of discussions with the Utah County Health Department to make sure that we follow protocol, even though protocol is always changing."
Many things that needed to take place to ensure public safety from the virus, Dean said, included selling tickets ahead of time and assigning specific times for people to come to avoid mass gatherings. Individuals needed to wear masks while in line and were required to sign in for tracking purposes in case there was an outbreak. Food was handed out in takeout trays, and there was no entertainment — which was decided upon both in an effort to encourage individuals to not linger and/or to take their dinner home with them.
Dean said that although the Salmon Supper was very different this year, she was pleased with how well the community handled things. She even said that there were some positive takeaways that she will bring forward to future events.
"I am very proud of the community for the way they responded to the guidelines," Dean said. "This year we served about 3,600 people, compared to our normal 5,000; this worked out to be about 420 people per hour. We usually try to cram all the tables under the tents and serve the food on plates. Spreading the tables out and using takeout trays this year actually worked out really well, and we will be doing that in the coming years."
Dean and Welton agreed that being able to have events like these is important to the morale of the community during challenging times, but so is keeping people safe. It is that delicate balance that they hope the community will respect and appreciate.
"COVID-19 has been grating on members of the community, and anything we can do to celebrate and live is good, but we have to be responsible," Welton said.
Continuing to celebrate and show appreciation for our citizens means the world is good. Family is home, and communities are family. We need that this year more than anything.
–Doug Welton, Payson City Council
Welton and Dean both spoke about the upcoming Onion Days festivities and noted several regular events like the parade and carnival, and a few smaller events that will not be held this year. They wanted to make clear to residents that all decisions that are being made have been done in consideration of the safety and well-being of all citizens.
"We are lucky to have our events later in the summer because we have been able to communicate with other event organizers from other cities to see what worked and what didn’t," Dean said. "Our larger events, like the parade and carnival, won't be held because we can't safely control numbers; and some of the smaller events have been canceled due to lack of volunteers. There are some people who are just not comfortable running certain events, and we have to respect that."
Even with things looking very different from years past, as Welton looks out over his hometown of Payson as it moves forward in celebration during this challenging time, he says that he is hopeful.
"Continuing to celebrate and show appreciation for our citizens means the world is good," he said. "Family is home, and communities are family. We need that this year more than anything."
