Honoring the legendary founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sanders Park is a brick-paved memorial garden that features a life-sized bronze statue of Colonel Harland Sanders, created by Louisville sculptor Raymond Graf, and informational panels about the Colonel’s life. Directly connected to Sanders Park is the Secret Recipe Garden, which might just have some of those famous and mysterious 11 herbs and spices of the Original Recipe. Wander nextdoor to Sanders Alley, which features picnic tables and murals from local artists.
Contact for organized use of the park: Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission Director, Emily Roberts
Legacy Brick, Pavers, and Plaques: This very special supply of Legacy bricks, pavers and plaques are a wonderful way to honor someone special in your life as well as contribute to the Colonel Sanders statue fund. They will be permanently located at Sanders Park in Corbin, KY, the original home of Sander’s Café.
Click here to access the Legacy Bricks, Pavers, and Plaques PDF form.
History of Sanders Park
In 2009, Suzie Razmus, chairperson of the Tourism Commission at the time, envisioned a tourism attraction on Main Street where one of Corbin’s most famous citizens could be honored, and where guests and citizens alike could take in all that downtown Corbin has to offer. The Friends of the Colonel, Inc was set up that same year as a 501 C 3 charitable organization that would raise the money needed to commission an artist to create and sculpt a life-size bronze statue of the Colonel. They received grants as well as generous donations from private individuals, organizations and corporations, and raised most of the funds needed for the bronze statue through the sale of memorial plaques, bricks and pavers, which are all on display at the park today.
In October of 2010, the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission purchased property on Main Street to begin the development of the park. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the park was held in March of 2011, and the “Secret Recipe Garden” was also installed at this time. Several of the bricks, which make up the foundation of the park, were installed by students from the masonry technology program at Somerset Community College in 2012.