Festivals

Hillbilly Days

A variety of festivals held throughout the year provide entertaining break from daily activities. Nationally known through coverage in the New York Times, Atlanta Constitution, Wall Street Journal and other metropolitan publications, Pike County's Hillbilly Days Festival is held annually on the third Thursday through Saturday of April. Begun in 1976 by local Shriners Howard “Dirty Ear" Stratton and the late "Shady" Grady Kinney, the event is now second in attendance only to the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville. At its roots, Hillbilly Days is a joint effort of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and the local Shriners Hillbilly Clan to raise money for the Shriners Children's Hospital and Burn Center. Over $150,000.00 has been given to the hospitals in just the last four years.

The festival is also the opportunity for local folk to celebrate their mountain heritage and laugh at the old and outdated stereotypes of mountain people. Festival attendees often dress in extravagant garb and cover themselves with souvenir buttons, badges, and memorabilia of past festivals. Food vendors line Pikeville's streets in the central business district and on Hambley Boulevard, the main thoroughfare. All who come near are tempted to indulge in traditional mountain foods, such as funnel cakes, catfish, apple dumplings, and pork skins, or to sample other delicious festival fare such as gyros, egg rolls, pasta and tacos.

Pikeville City Park's gazebo is filled with tents displaying the workmanship of artisans and craftsmen, as well as souvenirs. Both the Park and the County Courthouse Square are venues for continuous traditional mountain music performed by local and visiting artists. Clogging, flat-footing, and square dancing performed by anyone who feels so inclined often take place at the same time. Led by the Shriners, a parade featuring local groups and occasional visitors such as the Budwiser Clydesdales tops off the Festival on Saturday afternoon.

Apple Blossom Festival

Elkhorn City is host for the Apple Blossom Festival, traditionally held the second weekend of May to celebrate the arrival and breathtaking beauty of springtime in the mountains. Festival attendees enjoy vending booths of crafts and delicious foods, and are entertained by a carnival and a parade. Locals as well as former residents and visitors enjoy the warmth and welcome of Elkhorn City during this time of "getting together."

Hatfield-McCoy Reunion Festival

One month after the Apple Blossom Festival, on the second weekend of June, Pike County is host to the Hatfield-McCoy Reunion Festival. For readers unaware: Pike County, KY, and Mingo County, WV, located just across the Big Sandy River, was the scene of the world's most famous interfamily dispute, the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. Occurring during the late 1800's, the news reports of the time were largely inaccurate and did much to damage the image of the genuinely peaceful, industrious people of the era. Currently, the Hatfield-McCoy Historic District, covering parts of both Kentucky and West Virginia, is the only non-contiguous geographic area listed in the National Register for Historic Places.

Originally promoted as a peacemaking get-together for the descendents of the original "feuders," Randolph McCoy and "Devil" Anse Hatfield, the festival quickly gained national attention and was the subject of a feature article in People magazine. It has now evolved into an occasion for good-natured competition between the two families and the counties of Pike and Mingo, and is the perfect time for many families with Eastern Kentucky connections to reunite for a few days to relate stories of their past and to share plans for their futures. The Pikeville/Pike County Tourism Commission coordinates the Kentucky-side festivities.