Henry County Harvest Showcase
Annual Showcase connects
community with agriculture
Fun and games planned for 20th annual event
Henry County Harvest Showcase |
NEW CASTLE, Ky. (July 2019) – For the past 20 years, Henry Countians have proudly showcased their agricultural community with the annual Henry County Harvest Showcase. This year marks 20 years for the festival, designed to educate and entertain while exhibiting the best the county has to offer.
For many it evokes fond memories. “I’m almost 21 and it has been going on for as long as I’ve been alive,” said Jakob Beckley, the Marketing Chairperson of the event.
Like many other locals, Beckley got involved because “it’s a great county event that everybody loves.” He is part of an all-volunteer 10-12 member group in the community that wants to see the festival continue for many years to come.
“The Henry County Harvest Showcase is a fantastic agricultural festival that uniquely showcases Henry County farmers and artisans. And this is our 20th year. We are so proud of this milestone.”
Beckley went on to say that “it started at the Henry County Courthouse with one or two tents and has grown to fill the whole fairgrounds. A lot of festivals don’t make it that long.”
He added that organizers also depend heavily on sponsors such as The Berry Center and the Henry County Cooperative Extension Service.
“There is a great deal of pride in our richly rural and agricultural community,” said Melissa Blankenship, Showcase Chairperson. “Our farm families, craftspeople and artisans work very hard to provide quality products, but they also enjoy sharing their efforts with others, preserving our farming heritage and educating people about farming and best practices. It’s important to them.”
The Harvest Showcase “provides a perfect outlet for them to accomplish this. Plus, it’s a free event that people of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy.”
The 20th annual Henry County Harvest Showcase will be held from 9 a.m. - 3p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Henry County Fairgrounds, located on Hwy. 421 in New Castle. As in the past, the day will kick off with a live TV broadcast at 7 a.m. with Reed Yadon, WHAS meteorologists. This will be followed by the Henry County Chamber of Commerce Country Ham & Eggs Breakfast, served at 7:30 a.m. for those early morning risers.
At 9 a.m., things swing into high gear with the Henry County Marching Band. They will perform along Farmers Market Row. For the duration of the day, the Henry County Farmers Market, Craft Market and local businesses will have displays set up for the public to view. The Craft Market features locally made hand crafted products such as jewelry, belts, quilts, brooms and soap.
Ongoing activities throughout the day include petting farm, livestock exhibits and demonstrations at the Ag Arena, hayrides, children’s activities and games, Kentucky Kate, 4-H Club Exhibits, Antique Tractor Show and parade, and Celebrity Milking Contest. Lunch at the Farmers Market will be available featuring locally grown and prepared meats, produce and fruits.
There will also be musical performances throughout the day, including the Ronald Rose Band featuring Patrick Henry Hughes, Reid & Joey Moore, Jordan Bales, Josh Martin and Wade Oliver. The County Kicker will perform at 11:10 a.m.
“We generally estimate attendance by the number of vehicles we park,” said Blankenship. “Last year we had about 3,500 people in attendance.”
The local crowd “enjoys reconnecting with their friends and neighbors each year,” she said. “Our visitors from out of town love taking a step into our farming community – seeing tractors, petting livestock, taking a turn on the hay wagon.”
The crowd is usually a mix of Henry Countians, people from surrounding counties and even visitors from Lexington and Louisville. “Everyone is treated and feels like a local,” Blankenship said.
Everyone who attends “loves the variety of products offered at the event from the local produce to locally raised meats, crafts and the food. The food, which is local beef, chicken, pork, vegetables and fruits, is fantastic.”
This year’s Showcase is special in that it has a theme is “Home is Where the Harvest Is.”
“At Harvest Showcase you’ll feel at home,” she said.
At 10:55 a.m. a 20th Anniversary Ceremony is scheduled. Henry County Judge-Executive John Logan Brent is “one of the people responsible for the creation of the event will provide a history of the event-its origins, its mission, how its developed over the years and what kind of positive impact it has made on the community,” said Blankenship.
In addition, she said all those who were initially involved in the first Harvest Showcase 20 years ago will be recognized. They’ll be referred to as the “Founding Folks.”
Brent said that the Showcase has continued for so long “because of its uniqueness. “There’s not another festival like it in the state of Kentucky, to my knowledge.”
He said the focus “has always been on Henry County grown foods and products.” The organizers have “taken great pains to keep the focus on that. It’s a true one-of-a-kind event.”
Although he has given up the organizational role of the event after 15 years, Brent is still involved with the event. “Local citizens take a lot of pride in this event. I always hear great things about it. They are proud of their rural roots and the fact this is still a farming community, though it is a changing farming community.”
The event began as a way to “help promote Henry County farmers and their products. The idea was to recruit and encourage folks from the Louisville and surrounding counties to come and make the connection from farmer to consumer.”
The Showcase began as an “exclusively Henry County event, meaning that all the items offered to the greatest extent possible, were either raised, produced or created in Henry County by Henry Countians,” Blankenship said.