Visitors and residents of Kanab may have noticed a new decorative piece, in the form of block letters spelling out KANAB on the Center Street curve next to the Kanab Center, across from the Parry Lodge. In response to some of the Southern Utah News readers asking if the sign is designed to be a permanent emplacement, we reached out to local officials to enquire about them.
The sign was originally designed as a flair piece for the Balloons and Tunes festival, placed by the Kane County Office of Tourism in coordination with Kanab City. In fact, the sign was only supposed to be at its current location for a brief time, with the ultimate goal of relocating it to the golf course as a landmark for travelers looking for the balloon launch site. However, the snowy conditions prevented safe removal and replacement of the sign, so the powers that be concluded it could be left where it is now.
The new block letters are likely to come down sooner rather than later; according to the Office of Tourism, “[The city] were really great to work with. They had representatives out there to help me set it up, make sure I didn’t hit any sprinklers or anything and make sure it would stand up to wind and snow … but it’s just a temporary agreement for now. There’s no permanent plan to establish the sign, but now’s a good time to discuss signage and potential places to put the letters like that. We’d love to see them become a permanent emplacement - better that than having to store them away in some county storage until the next festival rolls around.”
No firm date was given for when the letter sign is to be removed; the known plan is that it is simply a temporary replacement and will likely come down soon.
