Hillbilly Days is an annual festival that takes place in

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...

. The festival is hosted by Pikeville it can be as early as the 11th of April and as late as the 21st of April. Each year it brings in over 100,000 people, from all across the continent of North America, who line the streets of the City of Pikeville. Each year this festival raises money for the local Shriners Children's Hospital. According to WYMT Mountain News in

Hazard, Kentucky Hazard is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,263 at the 2020 census. History Local landowner Elijah Combs Sr. laid out the town in 1824 as the planned seat of the ...

, this event, "gives hillbillies of all ages a chance to have a little fun.....And it lets them embrace the hillbilly lifestyle." This event continuously grows and according to the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, "Hillbilly Days 2013 will be bigger and better than ever.".

History

Hillbilly Days was first founded in 1977 by a group of Shriners as a means to raise money for the

Shriners Hospital Shriners Hospitals for Children, commonly known as Shriners Children's, is a network of non-profit children's hospitals and other pediatric medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuri ...

. Two shriners from the Hillbilly Clan Outhouse No. 2, Howard "Dirty Ear" Stratton and "Shady" Grady Kinney, decided to start the festival in 1976 after visiting a festival in

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in Scioto County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, Ohio, Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky and just east of the mouth of th ...

. They got a group of shriners together and they began the festival in 1977. It has continued ever since. In 2011 this festival was able to raise $72,000 for the

. Over 100,000 people come once a year experience the event and culture of Appalachia. Participants wear overalls and other rural attire while roaming the streets of Pikeville to help raise money for a cause. The planning committee for this festival usually starts meeting around September and then work on their plans each workday up until the festival begins in mid-April. April 2020 was the first cancellation of its 44-year career; the hiatus was extended the next year. But one man of the area by the name of Daniel Kelly made a push for the legendary festival to get back going in 2022. Without his grit and determination a lot of the locals say the festival would have ended for good.

References

External links

Official Website
{{U.S. Holidays Appalachian culture in Kentucky Tourist attractions in Pike County, Kentucky Festivals in Kentucky Shriners Pikeville, Kentucky

History

See also

References

External links