Kentucky Serendipity

Bushels of Fun 7 September 2019

Festivals are big business across the USA in small towns as well as large cities. Festivals can have a huge economic impact on a community as well providing social benefits to both residents and visitors. Compared with other economic projects, festivals are not hard to create and manage, and don’t cost a lot to produce. These benefits are largely due to the significant use of volunteer labor in running festivals. In addition to the immediate financial gains from tourist dollars spent at a festival, a festival can create recurring revenue by encouraging people to return to the area over the years.

Festivals have social as well as economic benefits. A festival can help bond people of the community through working together a toward common goal. Additionally a festival can improve (or create) civic pride within the community.

Of course, all those benefits assume that one’s festival is successful. Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for the tourism division at the Georgia Department of Economic Development has some advice for those who are contemplating hosting a festival: “Do something that’s authentic to the community. Take advantage of something that’s local and something that can celebrate the sense of place of the community.” (Small Towns, Big Impacts) In other words, be yourself.

Kentucky is home to people with rich backgrounds which provide ample raw material for a festival theme or focus. As a result, Kentucky is home to festivals which celebrate everything from bourbon to horses to burgoo to pumpkins to barbeque and all manner of other things (see calendars at Kentucky Tourism and Kentucky Living). Oh, yes, and apples. Kentucky, in fact, is home to five apple festivals:

• Casey County Apple Festival (Courthouse Square, Liberty; 26-28 September 2019)
• Haney’s Appledale Farm (8350 State Route 80, Nancy; open most days from spring through autumn)
• Kentucky Apple Festival (Paintsville; 4-5 October 2019)
• Reid’s Orchard Apple Festival (4818 State Route 144, Owensboro; 19-20 October 2019)
• Trimble County Apple Festival (Courthouse Square, Bedford; 7-8 September 2019)

These events feature a wide range of apple and non-apple related activities. One can dunk for apples, eat apple pie or apple butter, pick apples, pet animals, listen to music, dance, and much, much more. Visit the web sites to get more information on activities and then plan a trip to one of these festivals or one of the many other Kentucky festivals. Whatever your interests, it’s almost certain there is a Kentucky festival which matches. There’s a rich variety of activities across the Commonwealth.