What’s Happening: Butcher’s Pub grand opening take two, and the return of the Cruise-In

I am very excited about my column this week. For the first time in a while I am actually able to look ahead on my calendar and talk about what WILL BE happening instead of what should have, would have or could have been happening. Rejoice!

As we continue to re-emerge as a society from this spring’s coronavirus-induced lockdown, we are finally able to start getting back out and enjoying ourselves again. I pray that we won’t see a second spike in cases after all the mass protests and rioting that has taken place across the country in recent weeks, but let’s not even go there. Let’s just focus on some positive things that are about to take place, shall we?

First, I was excited to hear that the Butcher’s Pub in Williamsburg will be officially opening their doors later this week with what sounds like a fun-filled three-day event featuring live music. Things are set to kick off Thursday and run through Saturday. I plan on being there for at least night one, and maybe night two or three depending on how the rest of my week goes.

I did a story on what was supposed to be the Butcher’s Pub grand opening back on St. Patrick’s Day, but COVID-19 threw a major wrench into those plans. With restaurants and bars finally welcoming customers back inside, I am hoping that this will be the beginning of a very successful run for downtown Williamsburg’s newest place to eat, drink and hang out with friends and family.

Also happening this weekend is the Cumberland Valley Cruise-In in downtown Corbin. Of course, Cruise-In events have been taking place for years in our area, but this one will perhaps mean more than any that have come before it when you consider the fact that, not that long ago, we weren’t even sure if there’d be ANY gatherings of this nature during the summer of 2020.

Nevertheless, here we are. It is my understanding that Saturday’s Cruise-In WILL be taking place in downtown Corbin as originally scheduled. Unless something changes between now and then, folks can plan on making their way down to Main Street at 4:00 p.m. and hanging out until about 8:00 p.m. to check out all the classic cars and hot rods on display.

I have been to past Cruise-Ins, but if I get the chance to attend this one, I believe that I will appreciate it a little more. Not that I didn’t appreciate the beautiful cars already, but my excitement about finally being able to get out and cover an event like this again has me wanting to really take my time as I stroll around and take in the sights and sounds. Let’s just hope mother nature cooperates, and give us some nice, sunny weather this weekend.

So, whether you plan on attending the Butcher’s Pub opening, the Cumberland Valley Cruise-In, or both, I wish you an all-around enjoyable experience. Let’s all be mindful of those around us, though, and continue to do our part to help stop the spread of coronavirus. It’s not yet been eradicated, so it’s still out there, and we still need to be extra-cautious because of that.

Also, one other quick note… While the Corbin Speedway was originally slated to re-open this weekend, I am being told that has been pushed back to July 4. I know several folks are looking forward to going back to the track again, so I wanted to do my part to help spread the word about the delayed opening date.