Anxiety levels are high as Corbin plays Boyle County

It never gets old. The anxiety of an upcoming sports game that has a lot on the line.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

In this case it is the Corbin-Boyle Co. football game coming up this Friday. Both schools have excellent teams and the winner of this game will move on toward a 4A run for a state championship. The loser goes home.

Last year Boyle Co. edged out Corbin in the state championship game. The teams were so evenly matched that it could have gone the other way.

I have been around long enough to see this scenario play out several times. It is always exciting. Corbin fans will be at Danville to cheer the Redhounds on to victory.

I prefer high school football over college and pro football. Last Friday night’s game against Taylor Co. packed in great excitement. It was the best game I’ve seen this year. Only a win over Boyle Co. could top it.

• On April 5, 1961 I stayed up late to watch the Jack Parr TV show. That night Orson Bean filled in as the guest host. He introduced a young lady who was making her first television appearance. It was Barbara Streisand who was 18 years of age. When I heard her sing I knew immediately she would be a star.

Bean said when she starting singing, “It was like God singing through her.” The audience gave her a standing ovation which was rare for a late night show.

Unlike now, it was back at the time when we had music that I enjoyed. I had several favorite female singers at that time like  Julie London, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Dinah Washington and several others, but as good as they were I had never heard a better voice than the young Barbara Streisand had that night.

Of course the rest is history as Streisand went on to become a huge star in movies, on Broadway, TV appearances and with her recordings.

Monday night I was up late again to watch Stephen Colbert in a rare interview with her. He was at her home to talk about her new book, “Ask Barbara.” It was a delightful interview.

No matter what your views are about Streisand, there is no denying that she is very talented and has one of the best voices ever.

• The older one gets it seems the quicker time flies. Christmas season is here again and it starts in downtown Corbin this Sunday with a “Christmas Open House.” The hours are 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be music by the Corbin High School Band, a petting zoo, face paintings, crafts, free hot chocolate and of course, Santa Claus.

But no matter how fast time seems to fly, it always seems to slow down during the winter months. But before that happens we now have a season of joy during the Christmas season.