Garrard County sees who’s quickest with the tobacco hatchet

Foggy mornings, the return of school days and the yellowing of fields of burley across Central Kentucky — all signs that autumn is almost here. For 35 years, the sweaty, hard work of bringing in the tobacco crop has been celebrated through the Garrard County Tobacco Cutting Contest. On Thursday, fifteen aspirants came to a farm owned by Jared Ayres near Lancaster to see who could outwork everybody else. The contestants from all over central Kentucky were going for cash prizes, including $500 for first place, and no doubt a bit of pride. Local businesses helped coordinate the event, and to make sure hunger wouldn’t slow anyone down, a hamburger lunch was served before the contest.

Dean Holt

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Garrard County sees who’s quickest with the tobacco hatchet."