Corbin gets second Sanders musical grant

Tourism funds to also map out horse riding trails through Knox County

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

The city of Corbin received $8,000 this week toward a feasibility study for an outdoor drama based on the life of Col. Harland Sanders.

Additionally, Knox County will benefit from a proposed horse riding trail, to be mapped out with several thousand dollars in funding.

The awards — part of $100,000 awarded for Community Development and Scenic Byway funding in southeastern Kentucky —  were announced Monday during TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky’s annual tourism meeting at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset.

In April 2008, the city of Corbin received a $13,000 grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission for a feasibility study to produce an outdoor musical based on the life of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Harland Sanders, but the city was unable to complete the project and use the money.

“That was ARC money, which gave you a six-month timeline,” said Corbin Main Street Manager Sharae Myers. “There was not flexibility if you came into some obstacles, but it did afford us the opportunity to explore where we needed to start in planning and give us information that we weren’t aware of.”

The city learned that the intended site of the outdoor amphitheater — at the foot of the Arena hill along Cumberland Falls Highway — would be too noisy from traffic to be a suitable location.

“The location wasn’t going to work, but the response from the Institute for Outdoor Drama, as well as industry leaders that we met with in North Carolina, was that it was the most exciting project in the industry and it was abuzz,” Myers said. “People who were in the industry, Tony Award-winning producers, were so excited. They thought it could really change the direction of outdoor theater and drama.”

The project was dealt another huge blow when musical composer Chris Toliver was murdered in Lexington in March. It has left playwright Bo List looking for another partner for the project.

“He (List) has received numerous requests from music composers nation-wide after the media attention regarding Chris’ death,” Myers said. “Everything from Broadway-credited to Off-Broadway musical composers who would like to work on the project because of the attention and uniqueness.”

The Corbin Tourism Commission has agreed to fund up to $12,500 for the remaining cost of the project’s feasibility study.

“It’s a long-term goal that could not get to the next step without this kind of feasibility study,” Myers said. “It’s not something that happens overnight — with the Arena, it took seven years.”

The Southern I-75 Corridor, which includes Jackson, Laurel, Madison, Rockcastle and Whitley counties, received a total of $16,900 in TOUR SEKY funding. In addition to the “Col. Sanders Story,” the funds will be used to support a regional advertising campaign, and a regional promotional display at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in Renfro Valley.

“All the projects had to be something that would benefit the entire corridor, not just one community,” said Maggie Bill, Community Awareness Coordinator with TOUR SEKY. “In the application, she (Myers) backed up everything that proved that it would benefit the entire region. She talked about the Chicken Festival in London...”

The First Frontier Corridor, which includes Bell, Knox and Harlan counties, was awarded $17,500. The funding will be used for the feasibility and mapping of a horseback riding trail that would connect all three counties, and for a feasibility study and mapping for a Coal Heritage Trail.

“I think we would have more interest in the horseback riding trail because I think there are some trails already established, and they can go over into Bell County,” said Barbourville Tourism Director Betty Cole.

Cole said she isn’t aware of any commercial riding trails in Knox County, but said trails “would be a welcome outdoor activity in this area” that could benefit local tourism.

Cole said planners will likely be looking at trails in the Stinking Creek and Kay Jay areas, which would be able to bring riders into Bell County.

The Coal Heritage Trail would map out significant areas of coal interest in the First Frontier Corridor, particularly in Harlan County, where Portal 31 opened last month. The tourist attraction in Lynch is Kentucky’s first exhibition coal mine, which is now open for underground rail tours.

The community development funds are monies available to TOUR SEKY’s 47-county region to assist in regional improvement, enhancements and promotion. TOUR SEKY has committed more than $2.5 million in community development funds and has completed more than 420 projects.

“I began working with the corridors in June,” Bill said. “Each corridor truly worked as a team during the application process and applied for projects that would benefit the corridor as whole.”

For additional information about TOUR SEKY, visit www.tourseky.com, or call 606-677-6093.