The sun was shining bright on the west side of Hopkinsville Friday afternoon, which was very fitting, as the community turned out to take part in the dedication ceremony for the Steve Tribble West Side Bridge.
The man of the hour, longtime Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble, was front and center in front of a crowd that numbered well over a hundred folks, doing what everyone knows him to do best—talking to everyone he could, laughing with everyone like old friends. The bridge in question is located on West Seventh Street, right between the Christian County Jail and the current Judge-Executive’s Office, and the signs are up, bearing its new name.
Numerous folks spoke at the event, including Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam, who spoke on the friendship he has had with Tribble for many years. He says it was watching Tribble take joy in working for this county, that he learned that government should always focus on the people.
Representative Myron Dossett and Senator Craig Richardson, both of whom represent Christian County, spoke, thanking Tribble for his years not just as the Judge-Executive, but serving this community before and after that. Richardson says Tribble had a big impact in numerous ways, but especially for the love he has for every person here.
Then, Tribble took the mic, speaking on not just his love for this county as a whole, but the west side in particular. Calling himself a proud ‘West Sider’, he says he couldn’t think of a bigger honor than the renaming of this bridge, as he has traversed that bridge more times than he can count.
He thanked everyone who had a hand in this dedication, particularly Judge John Atkins, Mayor J.R. Knight and the Hopkinsville City Council, who approved the resolution to make it a reality. Tribble pointed out that while the Council is fully Republican, he is a Democrat, and he thinks that’s noteworthy in a time of political division.
Tribble says he thinks people on both sides of the aisle agree on more than they realize, and we could get so much more done if we came together.
Tribble served as Judge-Executive from 1994 until 2023, and now his name and his pride in the West Side and the County of Christian, will live on for generations to come at the bridge that stretches over Little River, right in the heart of the west side of Hopkinsville.
