Donovan Smith, mayor of the Hardin County town of Vine Grove near Fort Knox, plans to start a political tradition that he envisions eventually becoming another Fancy Farm. He may be right, but since Fancy Farm has a 129-year head start on hosting political rallies, the mayor should not expect any immediate comparisons between Vine Grove’s political stump speeches that the mayor says will become part of the city’s Autumn Daze celebration and the annual picnic at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in the western Kentucky village of Fancy Farm.
Without upstaging Vine Grove’s efforts, we offer our own suggestion for something of an eastern Kentucky version of Fancy Farm: The annual Labor Day weekend celebration in Catlettsburg.
This was attempted a few years back, when organizers of Catlettsburg’s popular Labor Day celebration reserved an area where candidates for office could speak. Unlike the Fabcy Farm speeches, the speches in Catlettsburg did not draw a large crowd. In fact, far more people were busy enjoying the corndogs, Belgian waffles and other goodies sold by festival venders and taking part in other activities than those listening to the political speeches.
But the politicking was not well publicized in advance and a lot of people were unaware of it. But with more publicity and with the leaders of the two political parties actively encouraging their candidates to participate, we think Labor Day and politics would be a good mix for Catlettsburg. After all, the event already is by far the most popular annual event in the Gate City and attracts numerous candidates who work the large crowds in search of votes. What better time to launch the fall campaigns for office than during the Labor Day weekend?
We’re not naive. Fancy Farm is such an entrenched part of Kentucky politics that even candidates who hate the event show up for it. Nothing — not Vine Grove or Catlettsburg or other Kentucky community — is going to match the popularity of Fancy Farm. But it is hundreds of miles from Fancy Farm to Catlettsburg, and that’s more than enough distance to justify another similar political event.
This is an excellent year for Catlettburg to again make politicking an integral part of its Labor Day celebration. With virtually every county and city office on the ballot plus races for the U.S. Senate and the U.S, House of Representatives, there is no shortage of candidates for office. With more organization and publicity, we think many people would come to Catlettsburg to meet the candidates and hear what they have to say.
