Marshall County Republicans and Democrats are ready to host annual pre-Fancy Farm events in the county.
Marshall and Calloway County Republicans will host their 15th annual Night Before Fancy Farm dinner and speaking event beginning at 5 p.m. today at the new South Marshall Middle School cafeteria. The First District Republican Committee will host a round table discussion with Republican Party of Kentucky (RPK) Chairman Mac Brown prior to the dinner at 4 p.m., followed by a slideshow presentation of previous Night Before Fancy Farm events.
The program for the evening will begin at 5:45 p.m., with the pledge to the U.S. And Kentucky flags, as well as the National Anthem and singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” led by SMMS band director and music instructor Ryan Weldon. The meal will begin after opening prayer, followed by a presentation to honor those who have been instrumental in building the party as well as current GOP leaders in the community. Those who have already declared intent to run during the 2018 election cycle will also be recognized at the event.
Keynote speakers for the evening include Congressman James Comer, Kentucky Speaker of the House Jeff Hoover and Brown.
“Our RPK Chairman Mac Brown, who will be one of our three featured speakers this year, Mac’s got a lot of information on what’s taking place and the reorganization we just went through statewide and things that they are working on through RPK to help out some county parties,” said Danny Holt, president of the Marshall County Republican Party. “So, it’s good information he’s going to bring to us there. … We’ll, of course, recognize our veterans and our law enforcement, as well, in attendance; we will then proceed to allow our Marshall County and Calloway County elected Republicans, that are there, we’ll give them a chance to speak.”
Those officials in attendance will include 5th District Rep. Kenny Imes, state Sens. Stan Humphries and Danny Carroll and Marshall County Judge-Executive Kevin Neal.
Holt said while he expects attendance numbers to be down slightly due to an off election year, participation should still be strong.
“We expect them to be down, we have a lot of things that we’re competing with this year,” Holt said. “There’s a big event taking place in Murray this weekend that starts Friday night, that’s going to be something that’s going to detract from there. There’s always, becoming more and more, activities centered around the Graves County area with the Fancy Farm Picnic. … It being an off year, we think it’s going to be down; the ticket sales are a little off this year, but they’re holding pretty good. We’re actually in the black already and have been all week long. You never know how many will show up that night.”
Marshall County Democratic Party President Susanna French said she, too, expects a strong showing at this year’s 22nd annual Mike Miller Democratic Ham and Bean Dinner.
“Since there are no elections on the ballot this year at all, I do think that crowd sizes at all of the events will be down, and I think that’s reflected in the speaking lineup that you see at Fancy Farm,” French said. “… We still see large crowds typically on off election years because that’s when people start planning and engaging. What I’m seeing this year is that there’s more involvement in politics than ever before. Because people are finding that what they do does make a difference, and when they don’t do, it makes a difference. I think it’s a little bit of carry over from women’s marches and town hall rallies when people are seeing that when they are out and they’re active it makes a difference. So I think we’ll still have a good crowd because of that, because so many people, frankly, are mad now. … They are just angry at the current state of affairs with politicians and they want to do something about it.”
The event, hosted by the Marshall County Democratic Party, will begin with a silent auction at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. tonight in the Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park Convention Center.
The program for the evening will kick off with the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation, followed by awards and recognitions at 6:45 p.m. Organizers will host memorials and recognition to those influential party affiliates who have passed and their families. This year’s memorial tributes will honor Tim Hawkins, Karon Edwards, Jim Conner, Hazel Hill and Nell Collins Groves.
Sholarship awards for the Young Democrats of the Year will be presented to this year’s recipients Dalton York and Samantha Lueke.
Tiffany Carlson and Randy Gray will also be honored as Democrats of the Year. This year’s keynote speakers will include state Rep. Will Coursey, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, Kentucky Democratic Party Chairwoman Sannie Overly, Congressman John Yarmouth and 6th District nominee Rep. Rocky Adkins. Secretary of State Alison Lundergran Grimes will speak via video address.
It’s an event that French said serves as much as a homecoming as a political precursor to the Fancy Farm picnic.
“I think locally, as far as the bean dinner goes, I think we’re going to have consistent crowds and people who don’t go to Fancy Farm but still support the local candidates and the local party,” French said. “And it’s a bit of a family reunion of sorts. You have Democratic elected officials from all across the state who come to western Kentucky this weekend, so I think a lot of people come because of that social engagement also.”
Holt, too, said GOP participants enjoy the social component of the evening as much as the chance to rally support.
“It’s not about sitting there and just listening to a bunch of hot air,” Holt said. “But it’s actually getting together and being able to have a personal time with many of our elected officials in the state. … It’s a good time, a time to be happy about the progress that we’ve made so far. … It’s a rally time to bring the people together to have some fun and get to know each other and help move the party forward in a positive way.”
It’s a chance for citizens to engage in a personal experience with local leadership and those hoping to fill those roles, Holt said.
“I would encourage anyone to get involved in some way,” Holt said. “If you’re involved and go, you can actually meet a lot of these candidates and spend a little time and speak to them. I see that important in two ways: First and foremost, it lets them know that there are a lot of us out there that need to hear from them, and it lets them know that we’re not just a number, and we need to be listened to.”
That experience, French said, could provide the foundation for informed decisions at the polls, regardless of party affiliation.
“It’s important for you to know who you support and why you support them,” French said. “And if you don’t get out and meet them, we like to bring those candidates and elected officials to the voters, and so if you have an opportunity where you have a big group of your constitutionally-elected officers, you should make every effort to get out and meet them and hear what they say to have an educated opinion about why you support them or why you don’t.”
More active participation at the local level and beyond is something both parties have seen in recent years. Holt said GOP numbers had seen a significant increase in the county, and it’s momentum on which he hopes to build. Holt said the GOP had grown by about 2,000 registered Republicans in the county since 2014.
“In our reorganization that we had in March, we had an election for our county party, and we had 32 that were elected to our county party,” Holt said. “We were excited about that. We have set up several committees in our party to work on helping boosting everything. We have a committee for our finance area for raising money and helping in that respect … it’s called the Coleman Riley Society, and we’ll be doing more things with that in the future as well. We have a candidate campaign committee to look at possible candidates and help those that are interested in maybe fulfilling some dream that they may have of running for office and serving in that respect. We have an events committee and we have a very active Marshall County Women’s organization. People are getting more involved, and we’re seeing a lot more interest in doing that sort of thing.”
French said she’s noticed a shift in her own party’s participation and drive, particularly among women. Even in the off years, it’s something she encourages among voters.
“People at a local level are becoming more active than ever before,” French said. “It’s not enough anymore to just go cast your ballot and your vote, it’s important to rally and support the candidates that support what you believe in. … When you have one party that is in control of a legislature or a governor’s mansion or a White House, you see more activity and engagement with the opposing party, and I think that’s pretty common.”
Tickets for both events may be purchased at the door, as well as in the hours prior to event start. For more information or tickets to the Night Before Fancy Farm event, visit the NBFF tab at kentuckylakegop.com. For more information about the Democratic Ham and Bean Dinner or ticket information, contact any member of the Marshall County Democratic Executive Committee.