The Western Legends Roundup annual festival is ready to share the magic of the West once again. This annual festival, located in the charming western town of Kanab, celebrates the real cowboys of the West and the reel cowboys of the Western movies.
The annual “roundup” includes a plethora of legitimate Western activities and opportunities to meet the Western movie stars who once came to Kane County to film the Western classics.
One of the newest authentic western experiences offered as part of the roundup is the Western Legends Wagon Train, which will begin on Monday, Aug. 24, at the MacDonald Ranch in Alton with a chuck wagon dinner and campfire entertainment. The wagon train will depart Tuesday morning on Aug. 25 and begin the 50-mile trek over three days through the scenic old country of Johnson Canyon and through the Grand Staircase and roll into Kanab Thursday afternoon.
Each morning, participants will wake up to a delicious breakfast before packing up camp and taking off on the wagon train to enjoy some of the most beautiful, pristine country in the West and get to see some of the same scenery used in several favorite Western movies and TV shows shot in the area, like “Daniel Boone” and “Gunsmoke.”
The wagon train will arrive at a campsite in a new majestic setting each evening and have a chuck wagon dinner and entertainment to cap off the day.
“We had an experience of a lifetime! We will cherish not only the experience, but also the terrific people who made our adventure surreal,” said Mary Cox, a former wagon train guest.
Thursday afternoon, Aug. 27, the public is invited to welcome the wagon train parade into town, beginning at the Comfort Inn Hotel located on the east end of Kanab on U.S. Route 89. The public is welcome to line the streets and cheer on the wagon train as it rolls westward toward the stoplight at the intersection of 100 East and 300 South, near the Stage Stop gas station. The wagon train parade is expected at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, which is the beginning of the annual three-day Western Legends Roundup celebration. Keep your eyes peeled as some of the movie stars like to join the wagon train for part of the stretch!
The wagons from the wagon train will be used as free shuttle taxis during the Western Legends Roundup in Kanab to help guests travel between the various activity and event locations throughout the festival.
To top it off, the wagons and wagon train participants will reunite on Saturday to ride in the High Noon Parade on Center Street in Kanab following the crowd-pleasing longhorn cattle herd.
This is the second year of the wagon train event prior to the Western Legends Roundup. If you would like more information or want to register for one of the annual events, email Monica Wren or call (435) 648-2133.
For more information on the activities and events and for a list of the stars attending Western Legends Roundup, please visit their website.
