Fine Arts shows are back, Upward basketball tips off, more

Once we finally reached the official end of the 2022-23 holiday season last week, it’s like everything immediately got shifted back into high gear.

There were so many developments and announcements that I thought I would use my column space this week to do a quick rundown of some of the ones that were most noteworthy to me.

• I was very excited to see a post on social media last week announcing the return of shows presented by the Fine Arts Association of Southeastern Kentucky, beginning with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensembles on Sun., February 19.

This show will feature the KSO string and woodwind quartets, and it will be presented live at 3 p.m. at Grace on the Hill Community Church in Corbin.

Another show has been announced for April 28, when the Fine Arts Association will present 7 Bridges, an Eagles Tribute band, performing live inside the gymnasium at Corbin Middle School.

Association members will be admitted for free at the door for both shows. Non-members will be able to purchase tickets for $10. Additional information can be obtained by calling (606) 524-3091, or by going online to www.fineartsseky.org.

I already have both of the above dates marked on my calendar, and I hope that you will do the same. These should both be great shows, so let’s be sure to come out and continue to show our support for the Fine Arts Association!

• The 2023 Upward basketball season kicked off in full force this past Saturday at Central Baptist Church and Immanuel Baptist Church in Corbin. The Tri-County Upward league is one of the absolute best around, and every year that statement is proven true by the sheer number of participants that sign up and come out each week to play in front of lively crowds of supporters.

This will be my third year volunteering with our local Upward organization, and while it takes a lot of work to put on a league like this one, the end result is always well worth the effort.

My first experience volunteering came when I coached my son’s first grade team three years ago. COVID canceled the season his second grade year, but last year I signed on to coach his team again.

I don’t have any kids playing in the league this year, but I still wanted to lend a hand where I could, because I know that there is always a great need for extra bodies, especially when game days roll around. This past Saturday I ended up running the game clock for four games over at Central. I was glad to see some good crowds come out to watch the guys and girls on the court, and I am happy to report that all of the players seemed to have a great time competing. That’s what it’s all about.

Best of luck to all of our local Upward athletes this winter. Hope it’s a great season for all!

• Finally, I learned something pretty neat while attending last week’s meeting of the Corbin Rotary Club at David’s Steakhouse. To get the full story on what guest speaker Chris Richardson (of the Kentucky Blood Center) had to say, please check out the report elsewhere in this paper, but I did want to pass along one thing here that I wouldn’t mind trying myself at some point in the near future.

Apparently, for the last couple of years the KBC has given blood donors the option of receiving a text message that will notify them when their blood has been given to a patient, and where. I am assuming the message will only include the name of the city where the blood donation ended up, and perhaps the name of the medical facility where it was used.

This may be old news to many of you out there, but I had no idea about it, and when I heard about it I thought that maybe I should go and see for myself exactly how it works. If I do, then I will be sure to share the experience with all of you here in a future column.

Giving blood is a great way to help out those who are in need, and anyone who is able to do so should strongly consider donating. I have done it a few times before, but I admit that it has been a while. Perhaps it is about time that I got back in the chair.