PAROWAN – Join the communities of Parowan, Brian Head and Panguitch as they celebrate the completion of improvements to Utah’s Patchwork Parkway on Wednesday.
A National Scenic Byway, Utah’s Patchwork Parkway (also called Utah Highway 143) will complete construction this week on three hexagon kiosks that shelter eight interpretive panels about the history, culture, traditions, agriculture, water and attractions of the area of Parowan, Panguitch, Brian Head and the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, along with stone entryway signs in Parowan.
“The information on the panels will aid visitors and residents in learning more about the history of the area,” said Dutch Deutschlander, byway chairman and mayor of Brian Head.
These improvements will be unveiled at the “Traveling Ribbon Cutting Ceremony” and “Discover & Find Activity” Wednesday, spread between the towns of Parowan and Panguitch. The event begins at 4 p.m. at the south Interstate-15 exit in Parowan and will conclude with a prize drawing at 6 p.m. at the south end of Main Street in Panguitch. Guest speakers will be featured at both sites.
At the Parowan site, visitors can pick up their Discover & Find Activity cards to use as they travel the parkway to Panguitch. Along the byway, there are four sites to find with a question to answer related to that site (directions and photos are included on the cards.) Sites are located in Parowan, Brian Head, Cedar Breaks National Monument’s North Overlook and Panguitch. Those that find three out of the four sites can turn in their cards at the Panguitch ribbon cutting site for a drawing at the end of the ceremony. Prizes include a quilt and other gift packages from local attractions, including Brian Head Resort, the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Panguitch ATV Rally. Everyone who turns in a card will receive a commemorative coffee mug.
After the event, the activity cards will be available online for visitors to use in exploring the many attractions of the byway.
“The Discover & Find Activity will allow families to discover what’s happening along the byway,” Byway Coordinator Nancy Dalton said. “Throughout the summer and fall, we will be adding more sites to the online version, thus making a family trip along (the highway) more interactive and fun for kids of all ages.”
Utah’s Patchwork Parkway received two National Scenic Byway grants from the Federal Highway Administration in 2010 and 2012 for the fabrication and installation of interpretive kiosks, entryway signs, trail signs and the development of an interpretive master plan and sign design guidelines. The project was funded with $267,558 from the Federal Highway Administration and $66,890 from local county and city governments. The total cost was $334,448.
Kimley-Horn and Associates, a national planning firm, has worked closely with the byway communities and residents in developing the interpretive master plan and creating the design, text and photos for the interpretive panels. Cedar Breaks National Monument and Utah’s Patchwork Parkway are using a Paiute student intern to assist them in working with the leaders of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah to gather and tell Paiute stories of how their ancestors survived on the high plateau. Larry Pendleton Builder’s Inc. has constructed the stone entryway signs in Parowan and will be assembling and installing the interpretive panels and steel hexagon kiosks in Parowan and Panguitch.
More information about Utah’s Patchwork Parkway can be found here.
Event details and contact information
Date: July 10
Time: 4 to 6 p.m.
Location: Utah’s Patchwork Parkway, Parowan to Panguitch
Admission: Free
Contact: Nancy Dalton – 435-463-3735
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Submitted by: Utah’s Patchwork Parkway
Email: [email protected]
