GROU
he impact of new ideas isn’t really quantifiable,” said TedXCorbin attendee Merritt Conley. “Every little innovation resonates and moves the mind like music moves the soul. I wouldn’t begin to know how many ideas are rippling outward from the free and honest voices at TedX, but I’m very glad to have them heard.”
“T
her team selected Corbin because the energy and excitement of the area are indicative of recent growth in small towns across Appalachia.
It takes an enormous amount of planning to put together such a large event. Figuring out where to hold the talks is the first order of business, and it is an important decision because it sets the scene. Kinser and
The theme drew speaker Mae Suramek, owner of Noodle Nirvana and Hole & Corner Donuts in Berea, Kentucky, and allowed her to share her expertise as a small business owner and social entrepreneur. She has seen great success
“We have refocused the things that made downtowns the gathering hub of the 1950s era. By putting economy and community back into focus, Corbin has farmers markets, family events, and strong entrepreneurial leadership Why do people stay in economically disadvantaged areas? building great businesses that are welcoming and unique,” Why do they return? Crystal Kinser was so intrigued by said Aaron Sturgill, Downtown Corbin manager. Sturgill these questions that she approached the nationally recog- remembers that when he was growing up most of the nized TedX speaker series and pitched them the idea of downtown was made up of shuttered businesses. He’s hosting a series of Appalachian-focused talks. The event, excited about the changes that have happened over the held in Corbin, Kentucky this winter, sold out in a mat- last few years. “We went from 60 percent to almost 100 ter of days and watch parties, set up in adjacent cities and percent occupancy, and now, when you drive downtown locations, showed the live feed to even more people. any day of the week, you see busy streets, people walking. You see life again.” Kinser remarked that “this was the perfect opportunity to allow people to speak for themselves on a platform That sense of place and hometown pride also inspired that provides them more of a voice than they’ve ever the theme of the talks: Grounded. Musicians, poets, had. The work had been done, the people were there, education advocates, podcast hosts, scientists, chefs, and but using this well-known platform brought attention to goat wrangling artists were all part of the lineup and inthe region.” terpreted the theme in many different ways.
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christianapp.org/MtSpiritGive | SPRING / SUMMER 2019
