Local Fall Festivals and Events

Among many fall offerings at the Casey County Produce Auction.

There is so much to do in and within an easy drive of Casey County––in fact, all of Kentucky––in the autumn months. So many offerings celebrate the season and agricultural bounty of Kentucky while others are fun, historical or just a great reason to be outside with your family. September and October provide a perfect opportunity to enjoy the region in the cooler, more temperate, months, before a quieter winter. With higher gas prices, too, what better way to 'get away' than by doing something in your own backyard?

An early autumn scene along South Fork Creek in Casey County.

Here are some highlights of several fall festivals and events, with links where available. Make sure you click on those for additional information or ways you can help [If you know of other related agritourism events or activities in the next few months, please let me know and I'll include them here]:

• September 10, Fall Heritage Festival, Homeplace Farm, Campbellsville
• September 16, Apple Cook-Off Contest & Ice Cream Social, Casey County Extension Building
• September 16-17, Kentucky Mule & Donkey Association State Championship Show, AG/EXPO Center
• September 17-24, Casey County Apple Festival (37th annual), downtown Liberty
• September 17, Kentuckians Reading Kentucky, Janice Holt Giles House, Adair County
• September 17, Autumn Fest at Bear Wallow Farm, Nancy (open weekends through October 30)
• September 23-25, Harvest Fest–50th Anniversary Celebration, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg
• September 24-25, National Alpaca Farm Days, Barnett's Creek Farm, Liberty [email or call ahead]

The annual Galilean Children's Home Benefit Quilt Auction brings
in handmade quilts from around the country and region each year.

Penn's Store is undergoing an extensive restoration after the
devastating May 2010 flood which impacted much of Casey County.

• October 1-30, Autumn Fest at Bear Wallow Farm, Nancy
• October 1, Art and Craft Festival, Janice Holt Giles House, Adair County
• October 8, Great Outhouse Blowout, Penn's Store 
• October 13-14, Galilean Children's Home Benefit Quilt Auction (22nd annual)
• October 14-15, Forkland Heritage Festival (40th annual)
• October 15, Special Consignment Auction, Casey County Produce Auction
• October 21-22, Casey County Heritage Festival (3rd annual), AG/EXPO Center
• October 29, Fall 501 Mennonite Benefit Auction & Sale (Hwy 127 & 501)

All manner of livestock are auctioned each year
at the 501 Casey County Benefit Auction and Sale.

Some of the many homemade Mennonite baked goods that are always available
at the 501 Casey County Benefit Auction and Sale, held this year October 29th.

Additional events and happenings are listed at the Liberty-Casey County Chamber of Commerce website. You can also check the excellent Tour Southern and Eastern Kentucky calendar for more information on fun things to do not too far from home.

We will also be updating our GROW Casey County Facebook page with other events as they might come up. If you're on Facebook, consider Friending GROW Casey County for more regular updates, links and interesting bits of agricultural and local food-related information.

~ Also, a note that the Casey County Produce Auction has returned to their regular Monday, Wednesday and Thursday schedule through September: 2pm on Monday and Wednesday and 5pm on Thursday ~ October will have a further altered auction schedule: please check above link.

Field to Fork Festival

There's a lot going on this weekend. For starters, I'm supposed to sing and dance at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill on Saturday (but my new, cooler costume isn't ready) and Steve Earle will be highlighting the Master Musician's Festival in Somerset that evening.

This afternoon I just found out about the Field to Fork Festival up in Paint Lick, near Berea. Organized by farmer Deborah Messenger of Halcomb's Knob Farm, the festival will feature eight workshops on green and sustainable farming practices and will include many vendors showcasing their agricultural products. [Our favorite Amish butcher, Joe Yoder of J&V Slaughterhouse will be there, as will many others.]

Workshops are as diverse as beekeeping, cheesemaking, mead making, selling beef for small markets, raising lamb or chickens, various methods of growing plants and preventing pests, herbs and many other topics.

I will not be able to attend the festival this year, but certainly next. I just learned about it and wanted to pass along the information here.

The festival will be held, rain or shine, from 9am-6pm at Halcomb's Knob Farm in Garrard County. Preregistration for $35 has closed but participants may be admitted at the gate on Saturday, with possible limited access to workshops, for $50. Check their website for more information.

See you at the Fair!

There is nothing like a county fair to scream summer––whether it is the carnival rides, the squeals of children, the nicely scrubbed animals or the beautiful produce offerings and craft, canning or baking competitions. And let's not forget the lemonade, assorted fried goodies and corn dogs! Every fair has its own atmosphere and some are more agricultural than others. But there are always certain and reliable fixtures to count upon.

Kentucky has 120 counties and that's a lot of fairs! The Casey County Fair isn't as old as most but it's one of the earliest in the season. This year it will be going on through Saturday, June 11. You may have missed the many beauty competitions and tractor pulls, but there are still more events over the next few days. You can find more information about it here: www.CaseyCountyFair.com

Yesterday's editorial in The Casey County News encouraged the fair to be more local in its participation. That's the whole idea of this blog, too: Eat Local, Buy Local, Be Local!

See you at the fair!

NOTE: These photographs were taken at the Hopkinton Fair in New Hampshire in 2007––the annual state fair back where we used to live. I will try to add Casey County Fair photos for next year. And yes, the Tilt-A-Whirl remains my favorite ride of all time.