Fall festivals are happening around the Commonwealth this season. Kentucky Tourism Commissioner Mike Mangeot admitted he doesn’t have hard figures, but said the state ranks right up there nationally in the number of fall festivals. While this past weekend’s Bourbon on the Banks event in Frankfort enticed visitors from places like New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles, Mangeot said bourbon is not the sole attraction.
“When you look around this weekend, we’ve got the Tobacco Heritage Festival coming up in Russellville, we’ve got the Trigg County Ham Festival down in Cadiz, Mount Sterling Court Days. And you can go on and on on all these different festivals that are happening that aren’t bourbon related. It’s really about focusing on the heritage of that community,” said Mangeot.
Mangeot said Kentucky Tourism doesn’t have specific dollar figures for the economic impact on individual counties. However, he points out that the ripple effect of spending for lodging, food, and gas often extends well beyond the festival site.
Many communities in eastern Kentucky are working to recover from flooding and many in western Kentucky from tornadoes. Mangeot said the fall festival can be an event to further emotional rebounding.
“I guess a good way to say it is I think it’s a point of local pride to put these festivals on. As we have seen throughout all this, Kentuckians are resilient, I think if there is any way they can hold their local festivals, they’ll do it,” said Mangeot.
Mangeot noted Kentuckians continue to deal with the ongoing effects of coronavirus. And, although attendance at some festivals may be down some, the tourism commissioner added that's the situation these days. Mangeot said vaccination and, if preferred, mask-wearing can increase participation in fall festivals.
