Day 13

Day Thirteen – Sunday 27^th April

Kanab

Since it was Sunday and I’d noticed the night before that there was rather surprisingly a Roman Catholic Church in Kanab, a Mormon town, I decided to attend a mass to see what an American service was like. During his sermon the priest made a really interesting comment, “in a town like this you have to strongly believe or risk losing your faith,” which makes sense when you think about it. After all living in a Mormon town or state while believing in a different faith must be really hard because I imagine you face incredible pressure to convert. It raises a fascinating question about the how competing religions can successfully live together in a small town like Kanab.

(Film Buff)

Just like the towns on Route 66, Kanab’s history remains a big part of the town’s identity, in particular its history in the film industry, with a couple of western films being produced in and around Kanab. All along the sidewalk there were placards to the different Hollywood stars, including Ronald Reagan, who’d filmed films and TV shows in Kanab. The most prominent celebration of Kanab’s past was the Film Buff, a statue of a buffalo made from film real, which once again demonstrates the Americans tendency to memorialise everything, just like the Route 66 sign. Throughout this trip it has become clear that America is enamoured by its own past. Perhaps this is because America has so little history, especially out West, that they have to cling tightly to what history there is.