Photo: Colin McMillen, Flickr.
"There are a lot of people here who knew him from way back," sighs Suzie Razmus, newly appointed chair of the Corbin (Ky.) Tourism Commission. "How can I say this? He wasn't exactly ..."
Universally beloved?
"Yes, exactly," Razmus says, with the obvious relief of a publicity pro saved from uttering something more damning. "You hear stories about women and his colorful language that didn't sit well with a small conservative town. There are still people here that say he owes their great-aunt money, or he fired their grandfather."
Still, Razmus senses the time is right to capitalize on Corbin's rich KFC history and officially recognize its most famous resident. She's put a Colonel Sanders statue at the top of her priority list.
"The newer generation is ready to embrace our heritage," Razmus explains. "Corbin is poised to be so much more than what it is."
The Harland Sanders Café and Museum, which stands on the spot where Sanders first mixed his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, is just beyond Corbin city limits. Razmus believes pointing visitors to it could significantly boost Corbin's revitalization efforts.
"Colonel Sanders is the most recognized face in the world other than Jesus Christ," she says.
Razmus says the town hasn't yet settled on a design for the statue, or determined its size. I-75 squeaks right past Corbin, so a massive monument could conceivably be seen by hundreds of thousands of travelers every day.
"It needs to be as big as we can afford," Razmus says. "We're really proud of Colonel Sanders."
Would you be tempted to stop at the Colonel's museum? Tell us in the comments.
10-29-2009 @4:56PM DD said... I'd totally go to something like that. I've been to the KFC museum at their headquarters, and it was hilariously enjoyable. The low-def movie with the bizarre folk song about how awesome the Colonel is was totally the high point.
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11-02-2009 @6:22AM jfr said... I've been there and it's a nice place to visit and very interesting. You'd enjoy it!
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11-02-2009 @6:44AM bev said... Nice little town you have there(not) The town talks bad about the Colonel and yet they are doing something they should be ashamed of = capitalizing on someone they said was a bad person. Pitiful town, hope they gain nothing from it.
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11-02-2009 @7:03AM ConnieJ said... Oh, the hypocracy of a small town. I have been to Corbin and enjoyed the experience. They have spent the last40-50 years capitalizing off Colonel Sanders' name, but get 'offended' at the thought of putting up any kind of memorial. I have a suggestion for a giant statue -- put it up with his right arm extended toward the town, with the middle finger extended upward.
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11-02-2009 @7:32AM John S said... I lived in Louisville, KY, when KFC first started. I was just out of HS, and had a chance meeting with the man himself, white suit and all. I found him to be quite pleasant. I was a truck driver and passed through Corbin many times.
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11-02-2009 @7:54AM disbeliefed said... I grew up in Corbin, Ky. This article is very much inflated. These people in this town also all claim to be related to Loretta Lynn, Pocohontas, and to have shared whiskey with Tom T Hall and Merle Haggard. Hillbillies all tell the same stories. Why can't we just get a news article about the statue without the melodrama? http://www.revelrymagazine.com
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11-02-2009 @8:30AM Fran said... You know what I miss? I miss the generally accepted rule that forbids besmurching the dead, or the living for that matter. There was a time in this Country they somehow still call America that everybody knew that everybody was less than perfect & took pains to avoid pointing shortcomings out. This man parlayed a Recipe into a National Icon. Something that can only be done here. I'm certains that in accordance with his era, he shared the wealth, as well. Thanks KFC...love the grilled, & in keeping with tradition, why not marinate the chicken earmarked for grilling in those same 11 spices? I'll bet that would be delicious.
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11-02-2009 @8:40AM David said... What a town. They still don't have legal alcohol and no black residents. Total backwards place, the Colonel probably would not want his statute there.
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11-02-2009 @9:30AM Coop said... Loose women and coarse language?? Those are his worst flaws? Damn - un, I mean, Darn. I'm sure everybody thought he owed them money for one thing or another. And, well, he was a businessman so it's no surprise that he fired some people. What's sad is that the guy died nearly destitute because he got fast-talked into signing a bad contract. From what I understand, neither he nor his estate made anything off of letting KFC use his image to promote the restaurant he inspired.
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11-02-2009 @8:57AM rick said... I played college baseball on Harland Sanders field. I got to meet this gentleman twice during my college years before his passing. He seemed like a classic man with a smile on his face and words of encouragement for all who came into contact with him. I have eaten at the original location and always wondered why there wasn't more about him there. He is a world icon and I think that Corbin needs to forgive and forget.
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11-02-2009 @5:02PM linda caylor said... what is backward about a town without alcohol and other things that make people stupid and the blacks arent banned so they could move there by choice also i live in a tourist town full of hillbillys who tell the same tales and i would rather live around them as the rude, know it all,money hungry,and truly stupid people moving here from other states
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11-02-2009 @9:10AM Angi said... I and my family stopped in on the way up to Indianapolis. Figured it would be a fun thing to do and out of the way. The town was a sweet reminder of how my own hometown used to be before it started getting greedy for the tourism dollar. As far as Sander's Cafe and Museum goes, since I adore history, I give it a A-, only because it was rediculously difficult to find. The restaurant itself was akin to many other KFCs I've been to, but the service was REALLY something that needs attention. I stood at the counter for several minutes, the cashier said nothing to me and was continuing a personal conversation with a co worker. I began ordering when she at least looked my way, and the only thing said to me the entire time was my total. Needless to say, been there, done that, won't be back.
Corbin, take my advice. Just improve on what's already there. Tourism will ultimately kill your 'little town' vibe. Work on what's broken (i.e. making folks feel welcome) first.
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11-02-2009 @9:12AM Robert Green said... Harlan Sanders was a horrible racist and sexist. That's why KFC has stopped using him other than as a cartoon. His chicken is great and hewas horrible. If you want to put up a statue, put up one of a Giant Chicken. It's more appropriate all the way around.
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11-02-2009 @9:59AM Coop said... So, if a town or area has no white residents, is it also backward? Could this simply be a matter of choice? Perhaps black people don't choose to live here? If you want to see black culture, go to Memphis instead.
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11-02-2009 @9:41AM escem59 said... What the story negates to inform is that in 1959, at the age of 69, Colonel Harland Sanders and his wife Claudia, moved their base of operations from Corbin to Shelbyville. Prior to this the Colonel had spent many years in Corbin, Kentucky, developing his now world-famous chicken recipe. Sanders' move to Shelbyville was prompted by the opening of I-75 which bypassed Corbin and killed traffic to his restaurant.
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11-02-2009 @11:51AM Angiebaby said... Typical American community. Oh, we despise the loose-lipped, skirt chasing scalawag! Oh, wait a minute. We can make money of his dead carcass! Uh, actually, we love the smooth talking, respectable entrepreneur! Okay, who's going to make up the t-shirts for the souvenir shop?
They don't impress me.
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11-02-2009 @4:05PM WilliamSexton said... In 1952, my wife and I spent one night of our honeymoon at the Colonel's motel in Corbin. We
decided to have dinner at his restaurant that
evening. We enjoyed the food and, to our surprise,
had an opportunity to speak briefly with Sanders.
He emerged from what we were told was the kitchen, and stopped briefly at most of the tables to chat
with the customers. Unlike the immaculate appearance pictured on the KFC ads, the Colonel
was waaring his white shirt and black tie, but his
sleeves were rolled up. He had been working, or
supervising in the kitchen, and took time to visit
with his customers. This happened long before the
KFC franchise explosion, and my wife and I thought
at the time that it was a gracious touch on his
part. I also saw his appearance on the TV show
"What's My Line" during which most of the panel were unable to identify him.
to identify him.
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11-02-2009 @10:14AM Just My Opinion said... Comparing the fame of Colonel Sanders to that of Jesus is just patently offensive.... shades of John Lennon....
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11-02-2009 @10:29AM pd39 said... What ever happened to the "Bless his heart" type of courtesy in this country?
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11-02-2009 @10:26AM JDUB said... Corbin is my kinda town, great food, and little to NO minority residents. I'd bet the crime rate is ultra low. I even named my Catahoula dog Harland, after the Colonel!
The world is a sadder place without Harland Sanders or Sam Walton.
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