Quick cleanup job always impresses after NIBROC

Splendid! The most impressive thing I’ve seen lately is how quickly every sign, booth, stage, everything, was gone Sunday morning at church time after the Nibroc Festival was over in Corbin. Hats off to all those responsible for the cleanup.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

Those corporate signs were everywhere, and they had disappeared. There had to be volumes of trash and it was gone. The people with booths had packed up and left. All I can say is, Bruce Carpenter, you had some mighty good helpers. Of course, I should mention that it has been this way ever year. Great job!

Almost as impressive was Corbin’s Mayor Suzie Razmus playing the cow bell to the music while one group performed. Add to that she and her husband Greg’s dance moves and Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison you have some competition on the dance floor. I’ve seen the moves from both of you and it would be a close call. The good thing is that everybody was having fun.

I’ve graduated from the carnival rides so I can’t comment about it, but I thought the number and kind of vendors were very good this year at Nibroc. Although we didn’t have the big-name stars of long ago, the concert artists were all good. And give a hand to the weatherman, very good.

• Now on to politics, or I would rather get away from politics because the television advertisements for the governor’s race are irritating. When I started in radio eons ago, we were told by FCC Chairman Newton Minnow that there must be “truth in advertising.” Apparently, it isn’t required anymore. I heard one candidate ad that said “allegedly” his opponent did so and so. No, stick to the facts and be truthful.

My vote for governor is for sale. The first one that says he would tell the transportation director to pave Kentucky Street in Corbin gets my vote. Recently, I contacted a city official to see if any action had been taken by the state to fix one of the worst sections of U.S. 25, which is right in the heart of Corbin, and he told me “NO.”

Why in the world can the transportation department do round-abouts, pave all the way from Corbin to London on U.S. 25 and do many other projects, but turn a blind eye to a problem that gives Corbin a black eye and is long overdue? I hope it doesn’t take as long to fix as it did the pothole at the corner of Kentucky and Gordon Streets. I wrote about that problem for over 10 years.

While complaining, one more. Self-service check out lanes! Too many stores are going in this direction. This story came my way. An elderly person had a big heavy box item at the checkout. To pay he had to lift the box to reach the barcode. With nobody there to help and not being familiar with the self-check another customer helped him. Amazon must be smiling!

Another, and this is a good one. A lady trying to scan bananas and the computer asking questions a computer tech couldn’t answer while having a basket full of groceries to do on her own. Is this the direction we are going?  Stores with cashiers, they are going to find you!