Rick Springfield to play at NIBROC; Forcht Group, Forcht Bank named as premier sponsors of festival

Pop icon Rick Springfield will play Aug. 9 at NIBROC in Corbin.

Grammy Award-winning 80s pop legend Rick Springfield will be the featured entertainment at this year’s NIBROC, a big return to prominence for the festival … made possible by generous support from Forcht Group of Kentucky and Forcht Bank.

Springfield is a musician, singer and songwriter responsible for 17 Top 40 hits in the U.S. — most notably “Jessie’s Girl,” which he won a Grammy for in 1981, “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch.”

“It’s going to be a very exciting, dynamic show that I think just about anyone will enjoy,” said Bruce Carpenter, Executive Director of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The chamber serves as the main organizer of the NIBROC Festival.

“All of our corporate sponsors are very important to us. Without them, our festival would not be possible,” Carpenter said. “Forcht Group and Forcht Bank was generous enough to become a premier sponsor for this year’s entertainment, allowing us to book someone of the caliber of Rick Springfield. I’m very thankful for their contribution to making our festival great.”

Forcht Group of Kentucky Founder, Chairman and CEO, Terry E. Forcht, said Tuesday that the NIBROC Festival adds value to the community, and that he’s happy to support it.
“We believe NIBROC is good for Corbin, and we want to see it continue,” Forcht said.

Tucker Ballinger, President of Forcht Bank, said contributing to NIBROC aligns well with the bank’s business philosophy.

“At Forcht Bank, we’re proud of the fact that we serve and support community markets. Being a premier sponsor of NIBROC fits in with our belief in community banking,” Ballinger said.

For NIBROC, now in it’s 67th year of existence, Springfield signals a return to the type of well-known, top-flight entertainment the festival had been known for prior to 2014. The festival was forced to downsize after it was barred from utilizing Main Street as part of the festival area after 2013. It returned, in a modified format, in 2017.

Aside from his musical exploits, Springfield is also well regarded for his acting. He first appeared the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man in 1977, and has also appeared in other shows including: Battlestar Galactica, The Rockford Files, General Hospital, Californication, American Horror Story, Supernatural, True Detective, and in theatrical releases like “Ricki and the Flash” with Meryl Street and “Legion.”

Carpenter said there would be no live music on the main stage the Thursday night of NIBROC, Aug. 8, and is instead encouraging those visiting the festival to visit any one of a number of local restaurants and bars on Main Street where live music will be provided.

“We are partnering with our downtown establishments this year and really trying to promote them as a great place to enjoy live music for NIBROC,” Carpenter said. “We want them to benefit as much as possible from the festival. I’ve talked to all of them and they will have live music that night. We plan to get with them and provide a schedule of who will be playing by the start of the festival.”

Music for Saturday night at NIBROC has yet to be announced. Carpenter said he would be announcing an opening act for Rick Springfield in the near future as well.

NIBROC officially kicks off Saturday evening with the Miss NIBROC Pageant — a qualifier for the Miss Kentucky Pageant. It will be held at the Corbin High School Auditorium and begins at 7:00 p.m.

Next Wednesday, the NIBROC carnival will open for its traditional half priced armband night. Ride-all-you-want bands will be sold for just $10.
A full schedule for the festival will be provided in next week’s edition of the News Journal.