When you organize an outdoor event in the spring or fall, the weather can cooperate, the temperature can be perfect, and things can sometimes go great with numerous people turning out to take part like Williamsburg’s Oktoberfest a couple of weeks ago.
Sometimes though, you have weather like we had Saturday for Corbin’s October Fest. (Each of them spell Octoberfest differently…LOL.) It was rainy pretty much all day up until about 2 p.m. It was a bit on the cool side.
Despite the weather, some vendors still turned out, but, unfortunately, there were few visitors.
Corbin Tourism Executive Director Emily Roberts ended it early. Just about everybody was packed up and out of there by 2 p.m.
This is the problem with planning events months in advance. You never know what is going to happen, especially in the fall or spring in Kentucky.
It was just a few weeks ago, everybody was complaining about how hot and dry it was. The opposite complaint was made Saturday.
Saturday was reminiscent of the first Colonel Fest celebration ever held. The weather was awful. Far worse than Saturday. Best I recall it was raining all day long. It was cold, not just cool. It was totally miserable. I came down just to check it out and made an appearance but didn’t stay long. I have never felt so sorry for then Corbin Tourism Executive Director Maggy Kriebel as I did that day.
Maggy persevered and had the event again the following year and the year after that and after that. Colonel Fest has become an annual event many people look forward too.
I have no doubt Roberts and this year’s organizers will persevere too, and Corbin’s October Fest will be successful next year weather permitting.
Even though it didn’t turnout as everyone had hoped, a thank you goes out to the organizers of this year’s Corbin October Fest for their efforts
A thank you also goes out to Cumberland Valley Cruise-In organizers, who held their final cruise-in of the year Saturday in conjunction with October Fest.
I hope to see the Cumberland Valley Cruise-In back next year with several events too. I love seeing those old cars and trucks. As the old saying goes, they just do not make them like they used too.
As Roberts pointed out Saturday, weather also impacted a lot of other festivals this year, including NIBROC in Corbin and Old Fashioned Trading Days in Williamsburg. When you do something outdoors, you just never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you.
Now for a few other random thoughts before I conclude this column.
• I was sad to hear about the decision of Matt Rhymer to “step down” as head football coach at Whitley County High School recently. So far, the team is winless on the season. Having seen them play twice now, I am not sure they will win a game this season, which is unfortunate for the players and coaches. I saw them out there playing hard last Thursday though, and the players and coaches are still putting in the effort, which is commendable.
Personally, I have always liked Rhymer going back to the days when he was head coach at the University of the Cumberlands. Rhymer seems like a good person from everything I have heard about him. I have never heard anybody say anything bad about him as a person, which, quite frankly, is kind of unusual for a person in a high profile position in Whitley County.
Here’s hoping Rhymer lands in a position where he can thrive in his next coaching job, if he chooses to stay in that field.
I am also hoping Whitley County can build a good feeder system through the elementary and middle school levels and find a way of keeping those players when they get to the high school level. Right now, Whitley County just doesn’t have enough players to be competitive at the 4-A football level. Hopefully this will change.
• Congratulations to my friend Kenny Carr, who has been named the new Director of Missions for the South Union Mt. Zion Baptist Association. He will do great in this new role.
For the last several years, Kenny has taken a mission trip most years to Uganda around the end of the year with another church from out of state.
The places he stays are not exactly five-star accommodations. The hotels Kenny stays at in Uganda are places where you recharge your electronics and take a shower when they happen to have electricity for a little while. The bulk of the money raised goes toward the mission work there, such as supporting a local church and an orphanage.
