July Chamber Lunch at the Kanab Center

Every summer, the Kanab Area Chamber members look forward to hearing from Kane County Tourism Director, Janette Peatross. The July Chamber luncheon was that event, held in the main ballroom of the Kanab Center. Lunch was sponsored by the Kane County Office of Tourism, and was delicious lasagna, salad and garlic bread from Honey’s Deli. Chamber secretary/treasurer Don Jennings was the MC for the gathering. He welcomed everyone and introduced the chamber board, followed by announcing the and renewing chamber members for the month.

Janette then began her presentation, which started with an introduction of her team and the announcement that this week they moved into a new, temporary location for the duration of the yearlong remodel of their visitor center headquarters. She then explained their Basecamp Kanab campaign, aimed at the coveted “red emerald” visitors who immerse themselves in the community and stay longer. Basecamp Kanab encompasses the entire county in which Kanab is the “anchor tenant”. It’s a landing zone, a launchpad, “Where you stay to GO!” The presentation included the new “Shoulda Got a Guide” campaign promoting the Kane County tour guide industry. Next was data showing that 1,613 jobs in the county are directly or indirectly related to tourism, followed by where our visitors come from, and hotel & vacation rental occupancy rates.

Janette reminded everyone that beginning June 7, 2026, large vehicles will be rerouted from the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway to improve safety and protect resources. And then she wrapped up by rolling out the ELEV8 Utah visitor experience development program. Applications are open for tourism-related businesses to apply for this master class in experience design to take visitor offerings to the next level. Janette’s presentation can be found on the Chamber resources page.

Kane County events and Kanab Center manager, Camberly Anderson, took the stage next to share with the audience details of the Heritage Days of Summer events happening in the community. Camberly communicated some interesting details about this year’s 4th of July Parade, including that estimated attendance was 5800, there were 38 entries with a run time of 50 minutes, and it’s projected to grow. She also mentioned the upcoming 1890’s Heritage House Dinner, Radiator Springs Car Rally, movies and other events. Ending with “If you say there’s nothing for you to do in this community, it’s not our fault!”

Businesses in attendance were Best Friends Animal Society, Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile, Brown Box Café, Buckskin Tavern, Burro Flats High Desert Lodge, Crickets Creations, Dark Sky RV Campground, Eagle Gate Title, East Zion Adventures, ERA Utah Properties, Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Gus Thomas Photography, Hampton Inn, Hirschi Electric, Holiday Inn Express, Hot Mama’s Pizza & Brew, Kanab City, Kanab Coffee, Kanab Create, Kane County, Rascal Rodeo, Rise Women’s Wellness, Ron’s Fresh Baked, Southern Utah News, Springhill Suites, Stellar

Vista Observatory, Utah Dept of Workforce Services Apprenticeship Navigator, Zion Stays Vacation Rentals.

Be sure to save the dates for our July Chamber Breakfast at Parry Lodge at 8 AM on July 15th, and our August Lunch at Kane County Hospital at 11:30 AM on August 14th!