The curtain is dropping on the Sundance Film Festival in Park City this week. I’ve mostly watched from a safe distance as it has evolved over the past 40 years, while publisher of Park City Magazine letting my teams of photographers, writers and editors tell the stories. This year, the festiv al feels different, a bit sad, a thin layer of anger and perhaps even regret.  My earliest impression of the festival was as a curious college student bluffing my way into parties I had no business attending. The past few years, I was happy to pass on party invites to others and avoid the traffic. This week, I attended my final film screening, thanks to a friend’s generosity and commitment to securing the best tickets. This will be it, though. I have no interest in trekking to Boulder next year.  Word on the street, overheard in ticket lines and around the newsroom cubicles is mixed, mostly speculation for what the true reasons could be for the festival leaving Utah. We can only go by the official statements, but I suspect it isn’t just one thing and most likely a serious of missteps, bungled opportunities, and a vibe check Utah couldn’t pass.  We’ll miss having the PIBs in town. Certainly, we’ll miss their contributions to the local economy. Park City in January will start to resemble February and March with the usual visiting crowds in primary colored Patagonia puffer jackets. Park City will get back to business as usual.  Next January, if you find yourself in Boulder, be patient with the PIBs in their head-to-toe black clothing and impractical footwear. It’s film festival folk and they have a screenplay they’d love for you to read. RIP Bobby. Janet Jorgensen is the co-publisher and advertising director of The Park Record. She formerly was the publisher of Park City Magazine. The post Farewell to the festival appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less