68th Annual NIBROC Festival officially canceled

The 68^th Annual NIBROC Festival has officially been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce issued a statement Wednesday morning officially announcing the cancelation.

“As you are all acutely aware, we are living in extraordinary times. Following multiple meetings of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, it is with great disappointment that we must announce the cancellation of the 2020 NIBROC Festival, scheduled for August 13^th, 14^th and 15^th. Many factors played into this decision, but none were more important than the health and safety of our community,” the chamber announced in the statement.

“Staging the NIBROC Festival is always a colossal undertaking. Trying to present the festival in the current circumstances, with the responsibility of keeping volunteers, staff and attendees safe is negligible in comparison to a normal year. With the impossibility of enforcing social distancing and masks, coupled with the inevitability of festival goers being in close proximity for prolonged times, the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce cannot in good faith put our community at risk for a spike of COVID-19 cases. With this announcement, we are looking forward to 2021 and hope to see everyone at the NIBROC Festival next August.”

The NIBROC cancelation joins a growing list of area event cancelations, including Independence Day celebrations in Corbin and Williamsburg, Old Fashioned Trading Days in Williamsburg, and The World Chicken Festival in London.

Corbin Tourism Commission officials have yet to make a decision on Corbin Eggfest event, which is scheduled for Sept. 12.