Another NIBROC has come and gone

Here we are, once again in the wake of another NIBROC Festival. For 71 years, the annual event has taken over downtown Corbin for a weekend full of fun, excitement and memories.

This year’s festival was no different in that that regard. Here are some of my main takeaways from NIBROC 2023:

• People were glad to see the News Journal booth back on Main Street again this year. Things started off a little slow, but once folks began coming by our booth there was a pretty steady stream for the duration of the weekend. There were a lot of familiar faces who stopped by to say hello, and I am happy to report that I got to make a lot of new acquaintances as well. Many of these folks were new to the area, and looking for a good source of information on what is going on in our local communities. I was very glad to get to chat with everyone, and I hope that all of our visitors went away happy that they stopped by.
• Folks enjoy a good giveaway. I was pleased with the amount of folks who came by the News Journal booth inquiring about how to get signed up for our special prize giveaway, which will take place after the conclusion of Old Fashioned Trading Days in Williamsburg next month. In case you missed it, the prize pack includes two GCI Outdoor folding rocking chairs from W.D. Bryant, coupons for free Pepsi products courtesy of Pepsi Co. of Corbin, movie passes courtesy of Tri-County Cineplex, free David’s Buffet coupons and five tokens for free play at the newly remodeled Corbin Pinball Museum. If you didn’t get your name in the drawing at NIBROC, then be sure to stop by and do so at Old Fashioned Trading Days on the evenings of September 8-9!
• Having good neighbors makes setting up at festivals more enjoyable. For two years now, I have really lucked out when it comes to having good neighbors at NIBROC. This year, I had the fine folks of the Sunup Corbin group on one side, and on the other I had a very friendly group of jambalaya chefs. Originally from Louisiana, their jambalaya was the real deal, and I had a lot of it over the course of three days. With plenty of hot sauce added, of course. It was good stuff…
• The 2023 musical lineup was one of the best that I can remember. I thought the musical offerings at this year’s NIBROC Festival were fantastic from top to bottom. There truly was something for everyone, whether your personal preferences lean toward rock, country, blues, or somewhere in between. Local bands County Wide and Paint Creek put on great shows, as always, and I was super-impressed with the husband and wife duo of Tim & Taylor. There was a ton of excitement for Band of Heathens on Friday night, and rightfully so, and hours of entertainment was featured on Saturday courtesy of Zac Hart, the Bucktown All-Stars and Paul Thorn. Great job to all!
• The weather got bad, but luckily not for long. On Saturday, an unexpected storm blew up in the afternoon that got pretty bad. A ton of rain, close lightning strikes, and high winds were all cause for concern. Luckily, the adverse conditions were short-lived, and things cleared up quite nicely before it was time for the evening’s musical acts to take the stage. It wouldn’t be NIBROC without at least a little rain, now would it?
• Friday’s false alarm left a black mark on an otherwise perfect event. Unfortunately, a false report of gunshots in downtown Friday night led to temporary panic as festival-goers fled the area in search of safety. Luckily, nobody was actually injured, and the carnival worker who caused the incident was promptly taken into custody, but by the time the dust settled the damage had already been done. Band of Heathens was on stage when the panic broke out, and had to stop playing in order to take cover. They did return once the all-clear was given, but much of the crowd had dispersed, and did not return. It takes a lot of effort (and money) to bring these musical acts in from all over the country, and for something like this to negatively affect their performance is just infuriating. Not to mention all of the vendors who were set up on Main Street, and the carnival company that this person was working for, all of whom were simply trying to make money and provide folks with food, souvenirs and entertainment. Again, I am glad that nobody was actually hurt, but I hate that something like this had to occur, ruining the fun for so many for absolutely no reason at all.
• Social media is dangerous. Picking up on the point above, Friday’s incident was a prime example of the danger that social media poses to society in general. Within seconds of this guy shouting and causing a panic, people whipped their phones out and began making posts about everything from “ACTIVE SHOOTER IN DOWNTOWN CORBIN” to “SOMEONE SEEN LAYING IN A POOL OF BLOOD.” It was all total fabrication, which is why it is so important to only go to trusted news sources, such as your local newspaper, in situations like this.

So, there you have it… a lot of good, some bad, and a little bit of ugly from this year’s NIBROC Festival. Being in our booth for most of the event, I wasn’t able to see much of the happenings with my own eyes, but it sounds like people had fun with the pickleball and volleyball tournaments, as well as the singer/songwriter contest at Tomahawks, Thursday night’s parade, and the Fastest Kid in Town and NIBROC 2-Miler races.

There were also some great submissions in the Appalachian Photographic Society’s NIBROC Photo Contest this year. I made a couple of submissions myself, but wasn’t lucky enough to win an award this time…

I hope everyone enjoyed their time at the festival. We will see you soon for Old Fashioned Trading Days!