Whitley County Fair, W’burg car show happening this week

They are back and hopefully will be better than ever.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

We’re talking about festivals, fairs and the like, which were mostly all canceled last year due to the pandemic.

For those of you, who were cooped up for the better part of a year, it’s time to get back out and support our local events. Here are a just a few events that are coming up in the coming weeks.

• The Whitley County Fair will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

An exciting new event Thursday will be the demolition derby. I have only seen one of these and it was about 30 years ago at the Laurel County Fair. It was interesting to watch. For those that don’t know, drivers will circle around in a blocked off area with clunkers ramming each other trying to knock the other vehicles out of the competition. Last vehicle still running wins.

The fair will also feature a horse show Friday night, and a mud bog on Saturday. The mud bog features four-wheelers, ATV’s, and four-wheel drive trucks driving through mud filled pits with the winner going through in the fastest time.

There will also be an antique tractor show, pedal tractor race for the kids, and a cornhole tournament. See Jennifer Perkins fine story about what’s coming up at the fair in this week’s edition of the News Journal.

• This one isn’t a returning event, but rather a new event. The inaugural Cumberland River Cruise-In will take from noon until 7 p.m. Saturday in downtown Williamsburg around the courthouse square. At the close of the car show, the vehicles will cruise throughout Williamsburg in kind of a make-shift parade.

This will be the first of two planned Cumberland River Cruise-Ins with the second one slated to take place Aug. 21.

If the events go well, organizers are hoping to have these car shows monthly in 2022 throughout the late spring, summer and early fall.

• The Fifth Annual Kayaking for Kids race will take place on Saturday, Aug. 7. This 2.5 mile race features kayaks and jon boats. Don’t have a kayak, but want to participate? Sheltowee Trace always has kayaks available for rent in order to participate in the race.

This was one of the few events that actually took place last year, and drew 70 participants, which was down compared to prior years. In 2019, over 150 participants took part.

The best part about this event is that it raises money for a good cause. Race proceeds benefit the Upward Basketball programs in Corbin and Williamsburg, and the family resource centers at local elementary schools in Corbin, Williamsburg and Whitley County.

Last year over $15,000 was raised.

For more information about the race, contact Amber Owens at (606) 549-6000.

• For all of you foodies out there, the Seventh Annual Moonbow Eggfest will take place on Sept. 11 in downtown Corbin. The event is expected to see 40 chefs this year from all over the country, who will be coming to prepare and share their culinary treats cooked on their Big Green Egg clay cooker. Event patrons will have an opportunity to taste a wide variety of recipes, some of which include smoked meats, breads and baked goods, pizza, stir fry, casseroles, dips, roasted vegetables, macaroni and cheese and more, directly off of the Egg.

This year the internationally renowned cooking duo of chefs Eric Holdo and Francine Bryson will be on hand cooking.

There are several packages available to fit every family size ranging from $20 for a single ticket to $50 for a family of four. Tickets allow folks to sample a wide variety of food all day.

• Of course, there are several other upcoming events happening too, such as the NIBROC Festival Aug. 12-14 in Corbin, and Old Fashioned Trading Days that will take place Sept. 9 – 11 in Williamsburg.

Everyone please come out and support these great events.