Summerset Festival was founded as a way to gather the community together to say good-bye to summer. For the first few years, the festival was held on the west side of Johnson Reservoir. When Clement Park opened in 1987, Summerset Festival found a new home

Clement Park and its 200 acres continue to provide Summerset with a unique and beautiful event venue. Now, as the primary fundraiser of the Foothills Foundation, it has grown in size and sophistication, attracting over 40,000 festival-goers each year. In the early days of the event, organizers had to borrow money to keep the event afloat. Now, the mission of the event is to raise funds for Foothills Park & Recreation District and to create opportunity for businesses and organizations to showcase their specialties.