With just under two weeks until the 145th annual St. Jerome Picnic in Fancy Farm, the lineup of speakers is coming into focus and the emcee is busy writing her opening remarks.
Tabbed in May to host the traditional Graves County political speaking event, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce CEO and president Ashli Watt is set to become the first woman to fill the emcee role.
Watts, who will be attending the Fancy Farm gathering for the first time this year, said she is excited for the chance to make history – and to finally take in the event in person.
“Any thoughts that I had or any doubts in my head about it when I heard that I could kind of meet that milestone. I knew I needed to do it,” she said. “I hope that, as a woman, I can bring kind of a different viewpoint to it. I'm going to be, hopefully, funny [and] lighthearted. And also … as a mom of two, I'm used to keeping crowds under control and keeping people quiet, so hopefully I can bring a little bit of that to the stage, as well.”
The first-time Fancy Farm attendee said her strategy going in is to keep it “light-hearted” and “fun,” and plans to make zingers at the expense of both Democrats and Republicans.
“I tend to think I'm pretty funny. This is a little different, though, having to be funny and kind of the expectation that you're going to be funny and kind of witty and, also, really, I try to be a pretty nice person,” Watts said. “At the end of the day, I still work with everyone on stage at the Chamber of Commerce, and so I want to make sure to have fun with them, but also, you know, not go ‘too deep.’”
Fancy Farm emcees have traditionally included Republicans and Democrats, though in recent years organizers have attempted to bring in emcees they believe both sides of the aisle would support. In 2023, Kentucky Venues CEO David Beck emceed and, last year, Lexington priest Jim Sichko took over the role of master of ceremonies for the event.
Organizers’ decision to bring in Watts as emcee was met with some consternation by a state union group’s leadership, who are calling for a boycott of the Graves County event. In a statement, the treasurer for Kentucky’s chapter of the AFL-CIO said that Watts and the chamber “work strictly with Republicans” and that her group far outspent all other lobbying groups in the last legislative session.
In response to the boycott, Watts said that the chamber – though it makes endorsements in races and takes stances on policy – is a nonpartisan organization.
“It is no secret that, in the policy arena, sometimes the unions and the chamber [are] on opposite sides. It's disappointing, though, because we felt like we've always been able to work with them,” Watts said. “To boycott a picnic that’s 145 years old, that really is about politics and is kind of about those fiery speeches and having those civil disagreements but being able to walk off the stage and still be friends … but still walk away with some jokes. It's been disappointing.”
In the past, Watts said she’s watched the event on KET, which had announced late last week that it would not be broadcasting live coverage of the annual picnic for the first time in decades due to cuts to Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. On Tuesday, the public media outlet put out a release saying it had "revived" its plans to broadcast the political speeches live during the event after receiving a "generous donation" from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The amount of the donation was not disclosed by KET.
The yearly event has typically attracted high-profile politicians and officials from across Kentucky, especially in election years.
Though western Kentucky was once a stronghold for Democrats, Fancy Farm has primarily featured Republican speakers in recent years as the region has shifted to deeper and deeper shades of red. That’s not due to a lack of trying by its organizers, who perennially invite all state executive leaders and candidates for state and federal office in Kentucky – regardless of party – to attend.
The list of confirmed speakers, at this point, includes only one Democrat: John “Drew” Williams, a Marshall County resident who is challenging Republican Representative James Comer in next year’s congressional election.
Organizers have confirmed that two other Democrats, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and U.S. Senate candidate Pamela Stevenson, have declined to speak at the picnic on Aug. 2. However, both of them plan to speak at the McCracken County Democrats’ annual Alben Barkley Dinner in Paducah just two days before the picnic. Gov. Andy Beshear has not responded to his Fancy Farm invitation.
Watts called Coleman’s and Stevenson’s decisions “disappointing” and added that Fancy Farm provides a valuable venue for civil discourse.
“It's just been a time honored tradition that, if you are running for office, one of the must-stops is Fancy Farm picnic,” she said. “It's probably more important than ever for both sides of the aisle to come to picnics like this, talk to other constituents, and talk to the people of Kentucky about the issues that matter to them and their party.”
Comer is among the GOP officials and candidates planning to attend. He’ll be joined by the three Republican candidates vying for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s seat in Washington: former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, current U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Lexington businessman Nate Morris. Also set to attend are Kentucky State Treasurer Mark Metcalfe, the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell sitting Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, state Sen. Jason Howell and state Rep. Kim Holloway.
The St. Jerome Picnic in Fancy Farm is set for Aug. 2. A schedule of the day’s events, as well as others in the community surrounding the picnic, is available online.
