Colonel Sanders' Hometown Makes Peace with KFC Icon

by Hanna Raskin, Posted Oct 29th 2009 @ 4:00PM

There are statues of Colonel Harland Sanders standing sentry at KFC outlets across Asia, but the town where the legendary restaurateur opened his first café has long resisted memorializing the man many locals consider a fast-talking, two-timing scoundrel.

"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.

Filed Under: Fast Food
Tags: ColonelHarlandSanders, ColonelSanders, corbin, harland sanders cafe and museum, HarlandSandersCafeAndMuseum, kentucky, kfc, southern states

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Reader comments (Page 3 of 3)

11-02-2009 @5:35PM JakeO said... If the local KFCs are typical of the original, then what the hell are people eating it for? To get sick from raw meat, gloppy, gravy tasteless cole slaw, and the famous, slimy undone skin? Gimmie a Big Mac.
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11-02-2009 @11:16PM suzie said... Hi to all, I'm the tourism chair, and new to the job. I was also totally caught off guard by the reporter who contacted my on my cell while I was picking my kids up from school after a crazy day juggling my volunteer job with my paid one. It's rare that Corbin gets such attention and I feel I've blown it with my tongue in cheeck comments regarding the Colonel. In my defense, I did tout the many positive attributes of the Colonel as well but I guess they weren't as interesting as the controversial ones. My biggest regret is my comment regarding my Lord and Savior and I certainly didn't think that one through. I was just repeating some study someone did at some time or another (and you are right, how does any living being know what he looks like anyway) And we aren't all white here either...there's just not a lot of opportunity that draws people here that don't already have ties to the area. Anyway, believe it or not, for every citizen that has some crazy negative comment about the Colonel, there are many more who are proud that he started his empire here. We are a small community, I'm sure flawed in many ways but it's our home and we only want to improve our quality of life. Us hillbilly's are doin' the best we can...peace out
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