North Summit Unite Explores and Celebrates The Region’s Arts & Culture

In the words of President Anita Lewis, North Summit Unite (‘NSU’) is a “newly established nonprofit organization dedicated to Cultural Enhancement and Historical Preservation in the communities of Tollgate, Rockport, Wanship, Hoytsville, Coalville, Upton, Echo, and Henefer.”

Since its inception in 2021, NSU has sought to explore and celebrate the North Summit area. “To celebrate our community, residents have actively engaged with their neighbors and visitors from surrounding areas through events such as the North Summit Roundup, Crossroads, Friday Fiesta, community mural painting, and various other initiatives,” says Lewis. She indicated that the budding nonprofit has received support from the County and from neighboring Park City: “We extend our gratitude to the RAP Cultural Funding and the Park City Chamber Bureau for their support of NS Unite.”

NSU was founded with the intention of being a support system for creatives and artists in the North Summit region, which NSU representatives say has a wealth of talented people across Arts & Culture disciplines. There is also a desire to preserve and celebrate the unique local heritage and character that residents adore, even as Summit County expands and changes. “No place stays special just on accident,” says NSU Treasurer Lynn Wood in a video about the organization’s mission. “It’s going to take a lot of involvement, it’s going to take some intention to keep our community unique as it grows.”

Though it is a young organization, NSU has already produced a successful Regional Roundup event in 2022 which showcased the rich history of Coalville. In 2023 NSU partnered with the Summit County History Museum to host a Smithsonian traveling exhibit titled Crossroads: Change in Rural America. This exhibit was a catalyst for community engagement events which focused on the question of what the future holds for America’s rural communities such as those encompassed by North Summit. NSU has plans to expand its outreach, Lewis says: “At present, North Summit Unite is in the process of developing a newsletter that will showcase cultural and historical events within the region. This newsletter will be distributed via email and made available on the NS Unite website.”

For further information regarding North Summit Unite and upcoming events, please visit their website at northsummit.org.