Honorees

Thursday August 24, 2023 5-6:30 pm – Dinner with the Stars, Honorees and Plaque Presentations Jacob Hamblin Park, 566 N 100 E

2023 Western Legends Honorees

 

Every year Western Legends is proud to honor our local Cowboys and Cowgirls, as well as their families for all of the hard work and dedication they put into our loving western community. Learn more about Western Legends Heritage & Music Festival’s  Honorees.

Be sure to get your tickets to Dinner with the Stars where this year’s honorees and/or families will be honored.  Click HERE to get your tickets. (Tickets are no longer for sale online. Please purchase ticket at the events. Limited quantity available.) Dinner $30 Breakfast $20 Rodeo $10

 

 

Robert Houston

Robert was born in Panguitch, Utah in 1949. In 1964, his family moved to Kanab, where he graduated from high school and married Daylean Brown. Robert, with the help of Daylean, got through college at Southern Utah University with a degree in accounting. Robert and Daylean raised 4 children, Mickey, Tyler, Jeremy, Jaime, and have 20 grandkids and 7 great grandkids. In 1975, Robert, Brother Joe, mother Emma, and the Houston Family started Trail’s End Restaurant, which is still in operation today. Many nights, you could see the whole Houston family working. Since 1978 the Houston;s have had a USDA contract to feed forest fire fighters. Houston;s kitchen has been in every state in the west, at least 3 times. In 1993, the Houston and the Mangum families started a weeklong horseback vacation ride (The Red Rock Ride) which gave riders a chance to explore the beauty of Southern Utah. Robert has always been involved with community service, holding several elected positions. He served on many civic boards and volunteered for numerous civic activities. Dennis, Lyle and Robert joined together to start the western Legends Roundup. The purpose was, “To Promote, Preserve our Western Heritage, Character & Culture through Music, Poetry, History, Entertainment and Working Displays.” Western Legends is a great community event. Its success is because of all the community volunteers who worked countless hours to make it possible.

 

 

Dennis Judd

Dennis (or Denny as he’s known by family and friends) was born in Kanab in 1942. Dennis is the fifth generation of his family living in the Kanab and Fredonia area. He spent his youth ranching with his grandfather, Dan Judd, and his dad, LeRoy Judd, working with cattle and farming on the Kaibab, Johnson Canyon, and around Kanab. Denny has a love of the Western lifestyle and is proud of his heritage that it has brought. Dennis married Kathy and started Denny’s Wigwam in 1970. They raised 4 children, Janette, Cody, Holly and Levi, while operating their business for 37 years. In his business adventures, Denny became involved as an extra, playing the part of a native American one day and a soldier the next day in several movies. He even got paid extra for riding a bucking horse for Dean Martin. Most early Kanab locals were involved in helping Kanab become known as “Utah’s Little Hollywood” as extras, wranglers, teamsters, carpenters, actors, greensman, catering and the list goes on. Later, Denny became a local (contact man) that Hollywood would contact when they wanted to come to Kanab to help find locations, mules, horses and men. Local leaders approached Denny, Lyle and Robert to come up with an idea of preserving Kanab’s local heritage. Through several meetings, the name Western Legends Roundup was decided upon. Dennis and Kathy give their heartfelt thanks to ALL THOSE who have given their time and talents to keep WESTERN LEGENDS alive for the last 25 years.

 

 

Lyle Heyborne

Lyle’s love of western heritage and the rural way of life led to his desire to help establish the Western Legends Roundup. A descendant of several prominent southern Utah pioneer families, Lyle spent his growing-up years in Cedar City helping his dad and uncle farm the ranch. That interest in agriculture has persisted throughout Lyle’s life. Lyle returned to his hometown of Kanab to run a business and raise a family. After several years of business ownership, Lyle and Marj sold their store and Lyle has had several careers since, running heavy equipment for Energy Fuels, entertaining tourists at Denny’s Wigwam, and directing the maintenance and transportation departments for Kane County Schools. For several decades, Lyle ran his own small ranching operation and has been a staple of that community, helping others grow and manage their herds for many years. More of a way of life than a way to make a living, Lyle was born 100 years too late and would have thrived in the world of the old west. Lyle, Marj, and their three children were all part of the ranching enterprise, and his three kids still value the work ethic they learned by helping – even though none of them take part in ranching or farming today. Lyle was also actively involved in the film industry in and around Kanab for several years. He worked as a wrangler, providing livestock for several productions and was an extra and stuntman in a few as well. A true cowboy at heart, Lyle continues to this day to champion western culture and heritage.