Poke Sallet, Horses, Beef and Yard Sales
By: Natasha Collier
School’s out for the summer. The kids are growing restless and everyone in need of something to do. What’s the solution? Enjoy the start of festival season, of course! This weekend is packed full of exciting events; you could practically visit one each day! Visiting Kentucky festivals (and the historic sites nearby) are perfect mini-vacations for the family and they often offer local fare including that festival staple… funnel cake. I can’t guarantee funnel cake will be present at all of these, but bear with me folks. Don’t shoot the messenger! So, what is there to do this weekend? Check out some of these events and note some other things to see and do while you’re there. Be sure to check out museums and historic sites while you’re there as well!
Like garage sales? You’re in luck this weekend because the annual 400 Mile Sale along Highway 68 begins June 4th and lasts until June 7. Sixty communities from Paducah to Maysville and small towns in between are participating in this annual yard sale-esque event. Each community participating has different events and guidelines for their sale, so check out http://400mile.com/com-info.html for specifics. Lexington neighbors Harrodsburg, Nicholasville, and Paris are participating and are just a short drive. But don’t just go for the rock bottom prices, there is plenty of history to be had as well. Historic Paris Bourbon County/ Hopewell Museum is hosting an Attic Sale, June 4th and 5th, which is coinciding with the Highway 68 sale. While you’re there, check out their newest exhibit Waco and the Bybees: Central Kentucky Art Pottery, 1900 to 1935. There is plenty history to see in Paris and Bourbon County as well. Duncan Tavern, built in 1788, was visited by frontiersmen Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton. Tours are conducted Wednesday, Friday & Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Thursday at 1:30 p.m. only.
The sale goes for miles and so does the fun, excitement and history. Multiple vendors will be set up along Lexington Street in Harrodsburg so you can get your yard sale fill, but also check out the Fort Harrod Beef Festival which runs June 5th-June 7th. A schedule of events can be found here http://www.fortharrodbeeffestival.org/new/eventsschedule.php so you can plan your day accordingly. But, and I’m serious, there HAS to be some funnel cake around there… right? ….Right? Surely. Nearby historic sites include Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and Fort Harrod — founded in 1774 and is Kentucky’s oldest settlement. So plan your schedule so you can visit all three!
In the South-Eastern portion of the state you can sample the traditional southern delicacy known as Poke Sallet at the annual Poke Sallet festival of Harlan from June 4th – 7th. What’s Poke Sallet, you ask? It’s a green, leafy vegetable. Native Americans used it medicinally, but now it is proper to eat a mess with some Vidalia onions and some bacon. And if bacon grease laden vegetables aren’t your taste, sample the traditional festival food. No doubt there will be funnel cake. (I saw a picture from the festival in years past and there definitely was a stand.) Visit the festival site to get more information on events. http://www.harlanfestivals.com/poke_sallet.htm While you’re in town, go see the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum or head on down to the Pine Mountain Settlement School, which was founded in 1913 by Katherine Pettit, native Lexingtonian.
If you want to stay in Lexington, just head on out to the Kentucky Horse Park for the Family Fun Fest June 6th – June 7th. This event, sponsored in part by Ale-8-One, was “created to bring the whole family together for a day of special activities, without having to drive far or spend much money. “ Special activities bound at the Family Fun Fest: coloring contests, train rides, prizes and special give-aways, and the first 100 families will receive a free six-pack of Ale-8-One! You can’t beat that! You can share the rest of the Horse Park with your family as well. The site of the 2010 World Equestrian Games, the KHP features the American Saddlebred Museum and the International Museum of the Horse, perfect for any horse lover AND museum lover.
Needless to say, this weekend is jam-packed full of neat stuff to do. Most important, however, is getting out in the community. Visit the historic sites, festivals, and museums that are the backbone of our cultural heritage.
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