Published: August 29, 2008 12:13 pm            

‘Packed Weekend’ Expected

Somerset — “It looks like it’s going to be a packed weekend.”

Carolyn Mounce, executive director of Somerset-Pulaski Convention and Visitors Bureau, said her staff checked many of the larger motels, several bed-and-breakfast places and resorts and found most are solidly booked for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The last holiday of summer begins at 6 p.m. Friday and extends through midnight Monday.

“There’s limited availability on Friday night,” said Mounce. “Otherwise, (overnight lodging places) are basically full,” she added. Pulaski County has more than 1,100 motel rooms and overnight accommodations.

The weather for outdoor activities will be perfect, according to the extended forecast. The rains of Tropical Storm Fay will have moved out of the area and it looks like sunny skies with summerlike temperatures in the upper 80s for most of the weekend.

Lake Cumberland will not disappoint, state and local tourism promoters insist. Van Back, an official with the Kentucky Department of Travel, reminded outdoor writers this week that the lake still covers 37,000 acres despite its lower level due to repairs on Wolf Creek Dam. The water averages 50 feet deep, Back points out.

Mounce believes the perception of Lake Cumberland is improving as time goes by. She said the county’s transient tax collected from motel occupants increased by 1.2 percent this past July over the same month a year ago.

“That’s good,” said Mounce. “Up is good,” she insists. “People are coming back to the lake.”

Last Labor Day weekend, an estimated 205,000 visitors came to the 10-county area around the lake. The Corps no longer makes visitation projections, but with perfect weather in the forecast, local tourism officials are expecting a sizable increase in the number of holidayers on the lake.

Allison Jarrett, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Nashville District, said the lake level is currently just slightly above 680 feet above sea level. This is basically the target since the water was lowered 17 months ago to ease pressure on troubled Wolf Creek Dam.

The rains of Tropical Storm Fay this week deposited about 1.5 inches of rain over the Cumberland River Basin, Jarrett said. However, she pointed out that there was little runoff due to the dry ground and slowly falling rain. Therefore, the lake should stay about the same during the holiday period.

Jarrett also revealed that engineers from the Nashville District were meeting Wednesday with engineers from Treviicos Soletanche JV, the Italian-French companies that have a $341.4 million contract to insert a concrete wall through the earthen section of Wolf Creek Dam.

According to a previously announced schedule, Treviicos Soletanche JV is supposed to begin a four-year project this fall that will permanently repair the seepage-plagued dam.

For those who love golf as much as boating, the refurbished golf course at General Burnside Island State Park is the place to be.

“It’s fantastic ... everybody loves it,” said Ron Roberts, golf professional. He said the golf course will be busy during the holiday and added that the park’s camping areas are booked solid.

SomerSplash, Somerset’s magnificent water park, is also bracing for a big crowd of holidayers.

“Of course, we expect a big crowd,” said Stephen Sims, manager of the park. “Every time our doors open, we expect a big crowd.”

SomerSplash will be open Saturday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.; Sunday from 12:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.; and Monday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

        

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