Study to determine if amphitheater, Sanders musical is viable

Is an outdoor ampitheatre as a setting to tell the story of Colonel Harland Sanders a viable tourist option in Corbin?

The Corbin Tourism Commission is going to find out over the next year as a feasibility study has been commissioned.

Corbin Main Street Director Sharae Myers, said the study performed by Institute for Outdoor Drama at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. will determine whether property behind the Corbin Arena is a suitable location for an ampitheatre and whether a musical rendition of Colonel Sanders’ life will entice people to stop in Corbin.

“We are looking at the bottom of the hill behind the arena,” Myers told the tourism commission. “The city already owns that.”

Myers said part of the study will also determine whether the land is suitable for and how large the ampitheatre could be.
In addition, the study will detail how much the ampitheatre will cost, how it will be laid out and give strategies to pay for it including securing grants and federal funding.

“This ties in with our strategy to capitalize on the popularity of the falls,” Myers said.

Regionally, Myers said outdoor dramas include “Unto These Hills,” the story of the Cherokee Indians and the Trail of Tears, in Cherokee, NC, The Passion Play in the Smokies in Sevierville, Tenn. and the story of Stephen Foster Musical in Bardstown.

 However, Myers said musicals are more popular than dramas.

“Trends are showing dramas are not culturally attractive,” Myers said. “We think a musical of the life of Colonel Sanders would be highly entertaining.”

The tourism commission will pay the $16,500 for the study. However, it will be reimbursed for $8,000 through an I-75 Corridor Community Development Grant.