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FRANKFORT Politics in Kentucky are the damnedest, according to the 1902 poem In Kentucky by James Mulligan.

Perhaps thats why so many are drawn to the political speaking at the annual Fancy Farm Picnic in far western Kentucky on the first Saturday of each August.

Kentuckians especially love a good governors race, and although thats not on tap until next year, it will nonetheless this year permeate the pavilion where the political speaking occurs.

For now, we dont know if incumbent Republican Gov. Matt Bevin will attend all he will say when asked is, Well see. We dont even know if he will run next year. He said this week hell make an announcement sometime before next January.

But one Democrat has announced hes running and Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear will be on the speakers stand at Fancy Farm because of his constitutional office. Many going to Fancy Farm this year surely hope Bevin comes so they can see those two square off on the same stage.

This years crowd will include a lot of angry teachers who arent happy about things Bevin said about those who protested a pension reform bill enacted this spring.

Stephanie Winkler, president of the Kentucky Education Association, said there will definitely be more teachers at Fancy Farm this year. She expects teachers from western Kentucky who didnt make the long drive to Frankfort during the pension protests earlier this year to show up next weekend. Many teachers have vowed to take their frustrations out on lawmakers who voted for the bill in this years election.

They, too, are hoping Bevin shows up. Winkler called this years Fancy Farm the kickoff to our Remember in November campaign.

Mark Wilson, chairman of the political speaking event, said organizers follow tradition in determining who will speak but theyve departed from the tradition at times.

We generally have office holders and candidates on that years ballot, Wilson said, but we always leave a little room to adapt the roster if we need to.

Beshear is the son of Bevins predecessor, Gov. Steve Beshear, and has battled Bevin in court over executive actions and the pension reform bill. Bevin has feuded with both Beshears almost from the moment he won election and it often gets personal.

Another potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate is Alison Lundergan Grimes, the term-limited Secretary of State who will also speak.

Shes expecting her first child in December, and shes been coy about 2019. She could also run for Attorney General or she could sit out next years election to stay home with a new baby. Grimes has signaled she wont make an announcement prior to this years election when Democrats hope to make significant gains in the state House.

The other most frequently mentioned potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate is House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins. Adkins faces the same choice as Grimes: does he cede the field and fundraising advantage to Beshear for most of 2018? Or does he alienate Democratic House colleagues by running for governor next year when they want him to focus on House races?

Wilson said some invited speakers declined to speak this year while hes still awaiting word from some others, including Bevin.

U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul havent confirmed, but its not unusual for them to wait until the last minute due to schedules and obligations in Washington. Like Bevin, Paul isnt fond of the raucous Fancy Farm atmosphere where partisans cheer their partys candidates while sometimes hurling insults at speakers from the other party.

McConnell, on the other hand, relishes the event which he has almost single-handedly transformed from a once essentially all-Democratic affair to one increasingly dominated by Republicans.

The emcee this year is Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles. Republican Auditor Mike Harmon will speak as will James Comer, Republican Congressman from the 1st District. But Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton wont be there and Republican Treasurer Allison Ball, who recently gave birth to her first child, will not attend.

The picnic is a major fundraiser for the St. Jerome Parish in the small hamlet of Fancy Farm of less than 600 residents, and the political speaking draws crowds and media from all over the state. This will be the 138th Fancy Farm Picnic but the tradition of political speaking began in the 1930s when Alben Barkley and A. B. Happy Chandler began attending each year.

Volunteers barbecue 19,000 pounds of pork, mutton and chicken, cook locally grown vegetables and bake homemade pies and cakes, all of which attract paying customers. Theres a raffle for a new car or truck, bingo stands and games for children.

Wilson said the event typically draws around 10,000 visitors.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnhifrankfort.

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