July Chamber Lunch at Parry Lodge

The Kanab Area Chamber’s July luncheon was held at the historic Parry Lodge in downtown Kanab. The location was well-planned as the presentation for the event was Matt Brown’s “The Parry Effect: How One Lodge Put Kanab on the Map”. And to keep the event “all in the family”, lunch was catered by Lacee Brown with Brown Box Café. Lacee served up her delicious tomato soup, best-ever breadsticks, along with two kinds of salads.

Photos by Nicholas Meyeres.

Chamber board member Nicholas Meyeres welcomed everyone and announced the month’s new and renewing members. Parry Lodge co-owner Mike Noel was on hand to also give a welcome. Nicholas then turned the program over to local Kanab businessman and historian, Matt Brown. Matt took the audience through the decades of history of the Parry Lodge. It was an interesting and entertaining walk through the years of Parry Lodge and local history, starting in the 1800’s.

What began as a one and a half story farmhouse at the turn of the 19th century, has observed 130 years of a changing world from its vantage point on historic Highway 89. Now a bit more than a farmhouse, Parry Lodge has retained its timeless charm through the decades and remains true to its essence—a point of pride for the town of Kanab and the people who live here.

The Parry Lodge came onto the scene as a roadside motel in the summer of 1931. The Parry brothers, who had long been invested in promoting tourism to the “scenic wonders” of the Kanab region, dedicated themselves to establishing the lodge as a true gem of the West. This meant unmatched hospitality and attention to detail that drew not only vacationers, but Hollywood film companies to the area.

Starting in 1924 with the filming of Deadwood Coach, The Parry became a home away from home for countless film casts and crews, which included golden age Hollywood royalty. Over the past century, the hotel has housed crews for over 100 films, including The Lone Ranger and The Outlaw Josey Wales, earning Kanab the title of “Little Hollywood”.

The efforts behind The Parry Lodge experience for both stars and vacationers was not unnoticed. The hotel was voted “one of the 10 best roadside inns in the United States” in 1956, and was also featured in several national publications, including the Saturday Evening Post (1945 and 1949), and LIFE magazine (1968). Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, our heyday is far from over.

Matt’s presentation was made even more personal as he shared stories of his days working at The Parry as a teenager. He ended on a thoughtful note with a slide that said “Time + Experience = Relationships”. There’s so much history in the Kanab area but it’s the relationships that have laid that foundation on which we continue to build a strong community today.