Everyone looking forward to Fancy Farm

By RONNIE ELLIS
CNHI News Service

FRANKFORT July 31, 2008 04:21 pm

— Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain will be there, and there’s some question if Kentucky’s two Republican Senators, Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning, can make it. McConnell’s Democratic opponent Bruce Lunsford will be there.

But 10,000 or more are expected at this weekend’s annual Fancy Farm Picnic in the small hamlet in Graves County in far western Kentucky. The annual fundraiser for St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, barbecue and political free-for-all typically marks the kickoff of the campaign season in the state.

Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook, the state House Majority Leader, said he wouldn’t miss it – even if he weren’t master of ceremonies this year.

“It’s a great honor and privilege to be asked to be part of what I think is one of the greatest political traditions in Kentucky,” Adkins said. “It’s one of the great political events in the country. It’s the way politics were meant to be, when candidates face each other eye ball to eye ball and a great opportunity for candidates to do stump speaking.”

Part of Adkins’ job is to keep the program moving on time as several speakers try to make themselves heard over the crowd which sits only feet away, one side full of Democrats and the other with Republicans. Sometimes it isn’t easy for the speakers and sometimes it isn’t easy for the master of ceremonies. In recent years, some complained the crowds had gotten out of hand and for the past couple of years, event organizers and masters of ceremonies have tried to control it a bit more by banning some noise-makers and exhorting the crowd to be civil.

“We’re going to have a good time and the crowd will be involved,” Adkins said. “But we’re also going to be respectful.”

McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer said this week McConnell looks forward to being at Fancy Farm Saturday. Bunning is scheduled to speak on McConnell’s behalf as well. But there is a possibility U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will keep the Senate in session to debate energy legislation. McConnell, as Republican Leader who has made high gas prices the center piece of his campaign against Lunsford, would almost have to remain in Washington if Reid does that.

But Mark Wilson who is organizes the political speaking at Fancy Farm said he expects both McConnell and Bunning to be there Saturday.

“We hear this sort of thing about every year,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t concern us a whole lot. I anticipate they will be here.”

Wilson’s probably right. Last year, when McConnell came to Fancy Farm to support then Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s re-election effort, he didn’t confirm his attendance until the last minute – again because of talk the Senate might remain in session. But the Senate recessed late on Friday and McConnell made it to Fancy Farm. He’s likely to make it this year, too. He has scheduled meetings in Kentucky as early as Monday during the scheduled Congressional recess.

Lunsford said he’s looking forward to Fancy Farm – if not the heat and humidity – and expects “a little bit of political theater.”

Fancy Farm is often the scene of stunts and costumes by candidates’ supporters, from Disney like characters to gimmicks to embarrass or harass the opposing candidate. Lunsford wouldn’t reveal any plans he has along those lines.

“You’ll see some humor, but we have a pretty difficult economy and that stuff is hard to make humor out of,” Lunsford said, saying the economic stress families feel isn’t funny and blaming the “McConnell-Bush team.” He criticized McConnell’s vote on legislation which would have limited doctors’ fees and raised prices for Medicare and Medicaid patients and linked McConnell’s positions on energy legislation to “big oil.”

In June, when Bunning announced he would speak this year at Fancy Farm he said he’d tell the crowd things they don’t know about Lunsford. Lunsford didn’t seem concerned.

“Usually, the more he talks, the more trouble he gets in,” said Lunsford of Bunning who sometimes creates a stir with his public comments. “He’s been known to have a pretty bad case of foot-and-mouth disease.”

Wilson said the weather forecast is for temperatures at or above 95 degrees with high humidity, but that doesn’t concern him. That will just encourage more visitors to the air conditioned Knights of Columbus Hall on the Fancy Farm grounds where loads of barbecue and fresh vegetables make up lunch. Wilson said about 19,000 pounds of pork and mutton will be served over the weekend and about 800 pounds of catfish at Friday night’s fish fry.

He doesn’t think the forecast for hot and humid conditions will hurt attendance because of the “hotly contested races,” headed by McConnell-Lunsford and state legislative races in western Kentucky.

“Let her roll,” Wilson said of the forecast. “We can sell more soda pop and bottled water that way. We’ve got lots of shaded pavilions, lots of shade trees and the Knights of Columbus Hall is air conditioned.”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.