Annual Fancy Farm event is part church picnic, part political theater

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A small Catholic church in far western Kentucky is again becoming the center of the state's political universe.

Both the rhetoric and the weather will be hot at Fancy Farm, which is part picnic, part theater and all important to ambitious politicians.

“Really, it's the kick-off to the political season in Kentucky,” Republican consultant Les Fugate said. “You've had that tradition for a long time.“

The fundraising picnic is a St. Jerome Catholic Church tradition that dates back to the 1880s but has been attracting politicians since the 1930s.

“I think it's really important,” Fugate said. “It's a great opportunity for a candidate to get his or her message out there.”

But that message must be delivered over Fancy Farm's famously unruly crowds.

“It's divided right down the middle,” Democratic consultant Sherman Brown said. “One side yelling at you, and one side cheering.”

Gov. Matt Bevin has been critical of Fancy Farm's free-wheeling atmosphere. In the past, he tried to diffuse the crowd by leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

“It's a wonderful tradition. It really is. It's a great tradition, and it should be an opportunity for people to come with some fun but also with a general amount of respect, be able to hear people,” Bevin told WDRB News. “But it's devolved into something where people just scream and yell and chant and say things that aren't relevant to anything.”

Bevin skipped Fancy Farm last year but will be there Saturday to share the stage with the man who wants his job, Attorney General Andy Beshear, who sees the event differently.

“If you can't go in there and give a speech while people are yelling and screaming, well, look, this work is hard. You prepare for it," Beshear said in an interview with WDRB News. "You get ready for it, and you know that in the end, it's all supposed to be good-natured fun.”

Democrats and Republicans do agree on one thing: Fancy Farm is a chance to see the candidates in the raw.

“It's not just stuffy talking points and things that we see nowadays where it's very controlled,” Brown said.

Fugate said candidates should prepare, go with the flow, but be careful not sound angry.

“I think people really want to hear some kind of a direct message about your plans and to enjoy the fun of the even, and enjoy the tradition that Fancy Farm has offered for so many years,” he said.

WDRB will have coverage of Fancy Farm on the Saturday News at 10, and all day on WDRB.com.