It’s been a busy week. There have unfortunately been some very negative developments in our local communities, but there have been some extremely positive ones as well. With this column, I’d like to take the opportunity to send out some well-deserved congratulatory messages to several people.
I will start with a couple of athletic achievements.
First, congrats to the Whitley County Lady Colonels soccer team on their Kentucky 2A sectional championship victory last week. The Colonel ladies defeated host Bell County and Corbin to win the title, which advances them to this year’s Kentucky 2A State Championship Tournament.
An extra, extra special congratulations to WCHS senior Autumn Sawyers for breaking the school’s all-time goals scored record during last week’s 2A sectional competition. Autumn is an amazing athlete, and an all-around fine young lady. She has worked hard to achieve this milestone, and I look forward to seeing what else she is able to accomplish in the future.
Next, a big congratulations to the Williamsburg Lady Jackets volleyball team on once again becoming 13th Region All “A” champions over the weekend. The Jackets bested Jackson County, Pineville and Barbourville to secure their latest All “A” regional crown, and are looking really good at the midway point of the season. The team also picked up a huge victory over 50th District opponent South Laurel recently, proving they are ready to make waves in postseason play next month.
Now on to some non-sports related items…
Congratulations to Williamsburg Tourism Director Alvin Sharpe and everyone who had a hand in presenting the 41st Annual Old Fashioned Trading Days festival last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I brought my daughter and her cousin to the festival Saturday, and I was very impressed by the large crowd that was on hand. It is very obvious that this event is continuing to grow in popularity with each passing year, as more and more vendors are setting up and the live entertainment gets better and better. The fantastic weather that we experienced late last week also helped a lot. Congrats to all, and here’s to a great 42nd Annual Trading Days Festival next year!
Finally, a big congratulations to Mr. Danny Beckner, who has retired from his position at J. Frank Publishing in London after 24 years. Getting to communicate with Danny in recent years has been a real pleasure. He has always been helpful, and was more than happy to lead a tour of the facility when I once asked if I could bring a group of Corbin High School journalism students up to see the operation. His expertise and professionalism will certainly be missed by us here at the News Journal, as well as J. Frank’s many other customers, but we also look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come with all of the capable employees who still remain.
Before I wrap up, allow me to give one other shout out to Laurel County Sheriff’s Office Public Affairs Officer, Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, on the amazing job that he has done in recent days with providing timely updates to members of the media following the I-75 shooting incident that occurred this past Saturday evening.
Acciardo always does a fantastic job with informing the media about Laurel County Sheriff’s Office activities, and this situation has been no different. I think I speak for all of us when I say I appreciate his efforts to keep everyone informed via press conferences, e-mails, social media posts, etc.
