County, Kentucky - for a festival to raise money for Shriner's
Children's hospitals and burn centers. Quicker than a rabbit pen
gets full, folks crowded Pikeville each year by the tens of
thousands.Twenty four years ago, in the
spring of 1977, all Hillbilly Clans throughout the nation
gathered for the first time in one place - Pike
County, Kentucky - for a festival to raise money for Shriner's
Children's hospitals and burn centers. Quicker than a rabbit pen
gets full, folks crowded Pikeville each year by the tens of
thousands.
Hillbilly Days 2001, the 25th anniversary festival, is set for April 19-21. As jonquils bloom and the wild dogwood and redbud dot the hillsides, folks from nearly every state and several countries will descend upon the former stomping ground of the Hatfields and McCoys, ready to rejoice in the springtime air and the mountain fellowship.
The inspiration of Howard "Dirty Ear" Stratton and "Shady" Grady Kinney, Hillbilly Days improves each year. Pikeville's central downtown business district, transformed into an outdoor festival, features a gazebo bandstand and dance floor in the city park.
Superior artists and craftspeople demonstrate their talents and sell their handiwork amidst mountain music, clogging, and square dancing. Clusters of men, women, and even youngsters pick and grin and try to outdo each other in their hillbilly outfits.
Come, join us in Pike County! Bring your camper or motor home or enjoy a stay at one of our local motels. Include the children or grandchildren; they'll have a ball! Plan a few extra days to visit some interesting landmarks in the area - the famous Pikeville Cut-Thru, Dils Cemetery (where Randall McCoy is buried), and Breaks Interstate Park, which features the largest canyon east of the Mississippi as well as seasonal whitewater rafting.
We're anxious to give you a big hillbilly welcome, this year and every year!
For more
information, please call:
1-800-844-7453
or send us an e-mail:
tourpikeco@se-tel.com
