The Bourbon City Challenge 2007 was a success for the small team which brought the event to fruition, sponsors of the event, adventure racers, vendors and the community in which it was held.
The two-day event Sept. 8-9 drew in a total of about 70 competitors from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and even South Carolina to Bardstown. Each team or racer also brought along support staff doubling the number of those truly involved in the race. About 20 volunteers assisted with the event on race day and, with spectators, a total crowd of about 300 came out for the event Sept. 8 and 9.
A couple hundred dollars was raised for the Bardstown Boaters via the event, but more importantly, the Bourbon City Challenge shone a bright light on the group’s effort to rebuild the Beech Fork rubble dam into a safely navigable whitewater feature within the Bardstown city limits. Alongside Bardstown Boaters, the Bourbon City Challenge drew attention to Bardstown’s city center with its quaint and touristy feel, the Bardstown-Nelson County Airport and its newly available T-hangar facilities, Sympson Lake and the opportunities available for the lakeside property and Bardstown pertaining to outdoor and adventure recreation.
Not only was the event a success, but there were also a number of positives the event spurred on such as some simple improvements to the lakeside; a television show; further improvement to the trails along the lakeside property; inspiration to a conglomerate of non-profit groups to do even more outdoor projects within Nelson County; and numerous other positive spin-offs. You will hear more of these ideas in the near future as non-profits geared toward outdoor recreation team together and make central Kentucky, the Kentuckiana region and the entire southeast region of the United States a great place for outdoor recreation and adventure.
The Bourbon City Challenge 2007 was a success in its on rite and future developments spurred on by the congregation of groups, individuals, businesses and environmental activists which gathered at the Bourbon City Challenge is exciting. The Bourbon City Challenge is only the beginning.
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