Director Tracy Bailey told members of the Cumberland Tourist and Convention Commission plans are being made for several upcoming events in the Tri-Cities area during a meeting on Tuesday.
“After a $150,000 grant was received, Vaughn and Melton Consulting Engineers will conduct a study to see if a trail system may be obtained coming off of Kingdom Come State Park into the city of Cumberland and help the Tri-Cities area,” said Bailey. “Debbie Spencer, of Bowling Green, will be at a Trail Town meeting on May 1, at 2 p.m. here in Cumberland. Anyone interested in what she has to say might want to attend this meeting. They are hoping to get feedback from local groups about what kind of trails are being worked on in the county and what other trails the county might be interested in having. They are also researching trails can connect together to make larger trail systems.”
Bailey said there will be a Harley Davidson Motorcycle Ride event, hosted by the London Tourist and Convention Commission, in London on June 8. She said they are expecting 2,000 to 3,000 participants during the event.
“We obtained a small booth space to hand out information to riders during this event,” said Bailey. “I got an email stating Walt Meachum and his wife, Sharon, are organizing a Justified Ride on June 8, where they will bring 20-25 riders up from London — through the city of Harlan — through Evarts and through Virginia back across Black Mountain and down into Lynch and visit Portal 31 and the Coal Mining Museum.”
Bailey said plans are finalizing for the Black Bear Festival set for May 10-11 in Cumberland. She said they are still looking for “crafters and retail sale vendors.”
“Black Bear Motorcycle Bike Night begins May 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Freeman Shopping Center in Cumberland between Pizza Hut and Gabriel’s Pizzeria,” said Bailey. “Gabriel’s Pizzeria will allow use of their restrooms during the event. We hope this will help our local restaurants. We’re also preparing for our miner’s competition, which will take place June 23-25. We actually have 18 teams registered thus far. We’re hoping for more to participate.”
For more information on upcoming events, you may call 606-589-5812.
Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510, ext. 115, nsizemore@civitasmedia.com


















