The Friends of Clarks River has partnered with the Marshall County Fiscal Court, Mike Miller Park, Community Financial Services Bank, Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kentucky Lake Chamber of Commerce and Murray State University to host the first ever Wildlife, Heritage and Outdoor Festival (WHO Festival) on Oct. 20-21 at Mike Miller Park in Draffenville. The event will focus on bringing local communities together to celebrate and promote the outdoor legacy unique to western Kentucky. The goal of this festival is to create a family-oriented event that celebrates community assets, opportunities and traditions that have contributed to a long-standing outdoor heritage in western Kentucky. Through this festival, organizers hope to create a culture that celebrates and values outdoor heritage, and plans accordingly to maintain this heritage into the future as communities grow.
Festival activities will include a big buck professional scoring exhibit; the Ducks Unlimited wildlife calling contest with the Murray State University Wildlife Society; live music, including Garret Todd, the Liberty Boys, Jennifer Knight, Jenny and Jamie Jameson and the Badgett Theater Performers and Band; wildlife photography contest with Marshall County Photography Club; youth fishing derby with Crappie USA; family bike ride; guided bird walks; wildlife exhibits; Clarks River family float with the Jackson Purchase Foundation; hunter education range day with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; archery tutorials with Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge and various educational seminars. Events should serve to attract a broad audience of outdoor enthusiasts to the community. Public land managers, organized community groups, outdoor recreation supply vendors and food vendors have been invited to contribute to the attraction and goals of the event.
This festival is the first step toward promoting and enhancing the unique outdoor recreational opportunities available on both public and private lands in western Kentucky and the associated economic benefits of these opportunities. The festival is an opportunity to highlight Marshall County’s connection with nature and our outdoor heritage, and the various ways residents can contribute to the conservation and sustainability of the area. Additional family activities at the festival will include:
- Jumping Like Wildlife in Bounce Houses provided by the Friends of Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
- Animal Olympics with the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge
- Pumpkin Painting with Hutson, Inc.
- Duck Hunt Simulation with Ducks Unlimited
- Rocking Painting
- Wildlife Furs with Murray State University Wildlife Society
- Snakes with the Murray State University Wildlife Society
- Petting Zoo with Kara’s Creatures
- Bowfishing Simulation
- Face Painting
- Wildlife Costume Contest and Trick or Treating
- Smokey the Bear with the US Forest Service
- Get Your Goose on with Puddles and the US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Bee Keeping with Andy Todd
- Youth Photography Contest with the Marshall County Photography Club
- Illegal Wildlife Trafficking with the US Fish and Wildlife Service
For more information about the festival and its events, visit www.kentuckylake.org or contact the Friends of Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge at 270-493-6196. To become a vendor at the festival and sell/display wildlife, heritage or outdoor themed products, contact the Friends of Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge at 270-493-6196.