Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus epitomized what a small town festival like NIBROC is supposed to be about Friday night.
Razmus was at a concert for The Wildflowers, which is a Tom Petty tribute band. She was sitting in the front row with approximately half a dozen of her besties enjoying the show and was later up dancing with her friends as the group played several classics from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
To me, this is what these festivals are supposed to all about, bringing people together to socialize and have a good time.
Sure, the parking is a hassle. Once you get down to the festival though, it is typically a good time.
You get to go out and eat some food you wouldn’t ordinarily eat, such as a ribeye steak sandwich from the Whitley County Cattleman’s Association (Saturday’s supper) or catfish from Jordan’s Junction (lunch on Thursday and Saturday).
I know on the knock on festival food is normally it is pricy, but I cannot really say this is the case now. It is not festival food prices have come down, but rather regular restaurant prices have caught up.
There was plenty to do. The parade Thursday evening was excellent. I was happy to see WWII fighter pilot and former Corbin business owner Paul Jones honored as the grand marshal. Paul will turn 104 on Oct. 31. (I would not be surprised if the man outlives everybody at this newspaper and city hall…LOL.)
The annual sand volleyball tournament drew several participants Friday and Saturday. It is not quite as popular as it used to be, but this would be quite difficult to accomplish.
The antique car and bike show Saturday proved to be a hit. To be perfectly honest, I had my doubts they would be able to fit many vehicles on the small portion of Depot Street, which was not taken up by the carnival. They surprised me. Between Depot Street and the parking lot behind my office, they were able to fit several vehicles.
This year’s entertainment was great.
Paint Creek did a great job kicking off the entertainment Thursday night. Paint Creek is fronted by brothers Eric and Alec Poore, who are from Paint Creek in Whitley County. This is a very much an under rated band in my opinion.
I had never heard of Nashville artist-songwriter George Birch before NIBROC. After watching him perform live, I can see why he has had a couple of number one hits. This guy is a great performer, who connected well with the audience.
Aron Bunch had a good sound to kick things off Friday night. The Wildflowers do a really good job of performing Tom Petty hits. They have a good sound. The lead singer really nailed the Tom Petty look and sound.
Larry Wayne & Heartbreak Station kicked things off Saturday night and were very enjoyable. The Sidewinders closed things out Saturday night with a good show. I think I counted three lead vocalists and approximately 10 people in this band. If I hadn’t been so tired, I might have stayed for the whole show. They sounded great.
My compliments to Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bruce Carpenter and all the folks, who once again helped make this festival a huge success.
Corbin Public Works did a great job having things cleaned up by Sunday morning. By 10 a.m. Sunday, I think about the only thing still left on Main Street was the stage, which the work release inmates from the Whitley County Detention Center were busy taking down.
I cannot wait to see what organizers have planned for the 75th Annual NIBROC Festival in 2027.
While I enjoyed NIBROC, I feel towards our local festivals, which include the Whitley County Fair, NIBROC and Old Fashioned Trading Days, much like many grandparents feel about visits from their grandchildren.
I am happy to see them come. I am happy to see them go.
Before I conclude this column, let me congratulate the organizers of this year’s 10th Annual Kayaking for Kids race, which was also held Saturday.
The number of participants were down, which I think was largely due to the weather. The kayakers got rained on during part of the trip down the river to the finish line.
The event still drew 31 participants and raised more than $22,000 for youth basketball programs and family resource centers across Corbin, Williamsburg and Whitley County.
During its first nine years, it generated over $250,000 for these programs. Many thanks to the organizers past and present for making this event such a success.
When it first started, the goal Kayaking for Kids was to showcase the Cumberland River and promote tourism in our area.
There are now multiple places for people to put a kayak in the river, and multiple places where they can exit the river.
There are now river access points at KY 904, the Whitley County Fairgrounds at Savoy, the Williamsburg boat ramp off First Street, the Croley Bend Boat Ramp, the Ballard Ford East River Access Point and the Red Bird Boat Ramp.
If like to kayak, the Cumberland River is a great place to do it.
If you want to try kayaking but do not have a kayak, Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort can hook up. It can be reached at (606) 526-7238.
