The St. Jerome Catholic Church Fancy Farm Picnic has everything anyone could ever want: humid weather, thousands of pounds of barbecue, bingo and political zingers flying through the air. Statistically speaking, at least one of those aforementioned things interests most people.
Everyone’s favorite church fundraiser/stump speech extravaganza is returning to the small town of Fancy Farm in Graves County for its 145th year on Aug. 2, 2025. While the picnic itself spans three centuries, the political speeches didn’t begin until a couple decades into the 20th Century.
In a 2015 interview with Kentucky Educational Television, Mark Wilson, the then-chairman of the political speaking for the Fancy Farm Picnic, said it was Sen. Alben Barkley, a Democrat born in 1887 in Graves County, was the first one who “got the ball rolling” on the picnic’s more political side.
Barkley was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, later elected U.S. Senator and ended his political career as the vice president to President Harry Truman.
However, many credit the rise in popularity of political speaking at the picnic to when former Kentucky Gov. A.B. “Happy” Chandler would take the stage. In fact, Chandler and Barkely were oftentimes rivals as Chandler challenged Barkely for his Senate seat in the 1938 election.
That year’s picnic must’ve been a humdinger.
In the following decades, there has been no shortage of political figures to grace the stage of the Fancy Farm picnic. Sen. Mitch McConnell has his fair share of appearances and even Democratic vice presidential nominee Al Gore has made the trip.
Here’s a look at the politicos who have come to Fancy Farm over the years.
Fancy Farm 2016
Phyllis Sparks, of Walton, held up her sign on the GOP side of the audience. John Flavell
Paul Johnson of Florence, a Fancy Farm Picnic regular, added a Donald Trump touch to his “founding father” costume. Tom Eblen teblen@herald-leader.com
Linda Farley of Edmonton came to her ninth Fancy Farm Picnic on Saturday to express her opinions via her decorated car. She was a Ted Cruz fan but said she may reluctantly vote for Donald Trump. Tom Eblen teblen@herald-leader.com
Fancy Farm 2013
GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Matt Bevin sits between U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, left, and state Sen. Stan Humphries Saturday during the Fancy Farm picnic in Fancy Farm, Ky. Photo by John Flavell Herald-Leader
Alison Lundergan Grimes, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell for his U.S. Senate seat next year, sat by her grandmother, Elsie Case, 83, Saturday at the 133rd annual Fancy Farm Picnic in Graves County. Photo by Tom Eblen | teblen@herald-leader.com Herald-Leader
Fancy Farm 2003
The Job Terminator -- a giant head with sunglasses that is supposed to resemble and lampoon GOP gubernatorial nominee Ernie Fletcher -- made its debut at the Fancy Farm picnic in Western Kentucky two weeks ago where that kind of gimmickry is the order of the day. The idea was for Democratic candidate Ben Chandler to slam Fletcher, a Congressman from Lexington, for supporting President Bush’s economic policies, but it has spawned a series of theatrics that Kentucky voters can expect to see through the fall. There is now a Web site, a letter to other governors around the country and, of course, the seemingly ubiquitous Job Terminator character itself -- a kind of a cross between an action hero and a stalker. Herald-Leader archives
Fancy Farm 2007
Attorney General Greg Stumbo walked around with blood hounds at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic held at the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm, Ky., Saturday, August 4, 2007. He said the blood hounds were “hunting for a real U.S. Senator” a reference to Mitch McConnell. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff. 3699 Charles Bertram Herald-Leader
Steve Beshear supporters Jay Lathem and Fluff (cq) Hudson held up signs at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic held at the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm, Ky., Saturday, August 4, 2007. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff. 3699 Charles Bertram Herald-Leader
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, left, spoke as Ky Senate President David Williams, and Ky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, right, applauded at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic held at the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Fancy Farm, Ky., Saturday, August 4, 2007. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff. 3699 Charles Bertram Herald-Leader
Fancy Farm 1998
U.S. Rep. Scotty Baesler, D-Lexington, held a pair of shoes that belonged to retiring U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford that he said he intended to fill if he won Ford’s seat. Baesler, speaking at the Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky on Aug. 1, 1998, was running against fellow U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning, R-Fort Henry. Bunning narrowly defeated Baesler in the general election. Herald-Leader
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, and U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning, listened as Bunning’s opponent in the U.S. Senate Race, U.S. Rep. Scotty Baseler, attacked Bunning’s record in Congress during the 1998 Fancy Farm Picnic. Herald-Leader
Fancy Farm 1992
Democratic vice presidential nominee Al Gore spoke to the crowd at Kentucky’s Fancy Farm picnic, August 1, 1992. About 50 people carrying Bush-Quayle signs stood in front of the speakers stage at the annual political speaking event and shouted taunts at the Tennessee senator. But Gore repeatedly turned down the hecklers’ own words against the, winning over the enthusiastic crowd of Western Kentucky Democrats. The Bush backers chanted “Four more years,” in their support of the incumbent president. Gore said, “I hear this group with the Bush-Quayle signs there saying ‘Four more years.’ Wait a minute. Let’s just have a referendum right here. Do you want four more years of the same old stuff? Do you want four more years of a ‘Read my lips’ recession? Do you want four more years of government for the privileged few?” Photo by Tim Sharp | staff Tim Sharp Herald-Leader
U.S. senator from Tennessee and Democratic vice presidential nominee Al Gore spoke at the annual Fancy Farm political picnic Aug. 1, 1992. Gore arrived by motorcade and made his entrance to the Paul Simon tune “You Can Call Me Al.” He made his way to the stage using double-fisted handshakes with those in the crowd who had pushed their way to the front. The crowd was the largest at a Fancy Farm political picnic in at least the last 10 years. Many of the people, like Judy Chandler of Paducah, came especially to see Gore. Chandler jumped up and down with excitement after Gore hugged her during his exit. “I got to kiss him,” Chandler said. “He’s good looking.” Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who followed Gore to the platform, said that “It’s important to realize that not all change is good change.” Photo by Tim Sharp | staff Tim Sharp Herald-Leader
Fancy Farm 1986
Randle Darnell and Marge Eastin, both of Benton, showed their support for Wendell Ford and other candidates as they waited for the speeches to begin at the 1986 Fancy Farm picnic. Herald-Leader
The crowd waited for the speeches to begin at the 1986 Fancy Farm picnic. Herald-Leader
Andrew is the deputy audience editor for McClatchy’s mid-sized and smaller newsrooms. His home newsroom is the Lexington Herald-Leader and he occasionally writes opinion columns for the paper. He was previously the editor of the Oldham Era and is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Andrew is from Olive Hill in Carter County.
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