NIBROC cancellation is a punch to the gut

I knew it was coming, but still, it didn’t make it any easier to hear the news last Wednesday that this year’s NIBROC festival has been officially called off.

Over the past eight years or so I have really grown to love downtown Corbin’s annual festival. As an employee of the News Journal, I am always right in the middle of the action. Not only am I responsible for helping report on the event itself, but over time I have become more and more involved with some of the behind-the-scenes efforts as well.

For several years now I have assisted former News Journal Publisher Trent Knuckles with the presentation of the paper’s annual NIBROC cornhole tournament, and the annual NIBROC 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to help with vendor setup on Main Street, directing traffic and showing folks where to go with their trailers full of merchandise and/or food. That was a hectic experience, let me tell you.

Last year I even volunteered to lend a hand with some after hours guard duty, riding around in a utility vehicle in the wee hours of the night to make sure nobody was messing with carnival equipment. Luckily, the only trespassers that I had to chase off was a raccoon and a few stray cats trying to find a snack in a nearby dumpster.

I will really miss the festival this year, and so will my family. My son, especially, is a fan of the carnival. He would ride rides and eat cotton candy for a solid 24 hours if I let him. I hate to think about not being able to bring him back down here in a few weeks.

But, with all of this being said, I understand why this decision had to be made. I was still holding out hope after the cancellation of Old Fashioned Trading Days in Williamsburg, but I knew it was pretty much over when I heard about the World Chicken Festival being cancelled in London. It’s all very unfortunate, but I suppose that, in the end, having a festival is not really worth the risk to people’s health.