Department of Parks
Cumberland Falls to Host CCC Reunion Oct. 3-4

CORBIN, Ky. – Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is hosting a reunion for a group of people who left their mark on Kentucky and the rest of the country during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

A reunion of the Civilian Conservation Corps will be held Oct. 3-4, 2008 at the park near Corbin. The CCC was a work relief program established in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt to combat poverty and unemployment. The young men who made up the CCC constructed buildings and trails at local, state and federal parks, worked on conservation and flood control projects, planted trees and fought forest fires.

Anyone who was a member of the CCC or who has an interest in CCC history is invited to attend.

CCC crews built a lodge at Cumberland Falls (that later burned down), along with cottages, shelters, trails and a fire tower. There are CCC buildings and projects still in use today at several Kentucky State Parks.

About 80,000 Kentuckians served in the CCC, and nearly 100 camps were built across the Commonwealth. For more information on the Civilian Conservation Corps visit http://www.cccalumni.org.

The CCC vets and their families will gather for a weekend of fellowship and entertainment.  On Friday night, Haley Bowling will portray her Chautauqua character, Anna Mac Clarke.   In 1941, Clarke joined the Women’s Army Corps and was trained to be an officer. She later became the first African American officer to command a white unit.  The weekend will close on Saturday evening with a bluegrass concert by Mixed County.

Cumberland Falls is described as the "The Niagara of the South" plunging 65 feet – nearly seven stories -- into a boulder strewn gorge.  Every month, the unique “moonbow” is visible at the falls, weather permitting.

The park includes historic DuPont Lodge (built in 1941 by the Works Progress Administration), cottages, Riverview Restaurant, gift shop and visitor center, campground, hiking trails and fishing.

For lodging reservations call 1-800-325-0063.  For event information, contact Naturalist Bret Smitley at 1-800-325-0063 or email BretA.Smitley@ky.gov.  

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is 20 miles southwest of Corbin. Take US 25W to KY 90. From I-75 south, take exit 25. From I-75 north, take exit 15. Follow directional signs leading to the park.

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The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 53 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov.