KENTUCKY — It’s an annual tradition that started 141 years ago, mixing politics and picnic food into a two-day all-star event and drawing Kentucky’s top politicians and their opponents to stump before thousands.

During this week's episode, we’re recapping one of the premier political events in all of Kentucky: Fancy Farm 141.

Fancy Farm is an actual Kentucky city located in Graves County, which is in far western Kentucky, about 10 miles northwest of the city of Mayfield. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 458.

The very first Fancy Farm Picnic took place in 1881 at Saint Jerome Catholic church and has been held on the first Saturday in August every year since 1956. This signature political event for Kentucky is considered by some as the traditional kick off to the fall political campaign season in the Commonwealth.

This year’s event was quite different as there weren’t thousands of people in attendance, but instead several hundred. The reason being the ongoing coronavirus and the recent uptick in COVID cases as a result of the delta variant.

There are also are no statewide elections in the Commonwealth in 2021, so separate of one announced candidate on stage, the traditional format of campaigns going back and forth.

But, the political speeches and rowdy crowds are not the only part of the annual Fancy Farm event. BBQ pork and mutton are staples of the event. During this In Focus Kentucky segment, multimedia journalist Jonathon Gregg brings us the sights, sounds and smells from Fancy Farm 141.

Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, both Democrats, declined invitations to attend the picnic. Beshear said that with no elections in Kentucky this year, he would take the opportunity to spend time with his family.

He also raised a concern about the potential to spread COVID-19 as the more dangerous delta variant drives up cases. 

But even though the governor was not in attendance, his absence and name were mentioned many times by all of his Republican counterparts in statewide offices.

Here’s some of what they had to say.

"The fact that Gov. Andrew Beshear did not show up today proves that he has abandoned rural Kentucky," said Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner.

"It really is too bad, because west Kentucky needs a governor who cares about the entire state, and not just FancyVille," added Daniel Cameron, Kentucky Attorney General.

"Bob Babbage is the only Democrat speaking here today, and he left office 25 years ago. Now he's got a higher more powerful office, the only one available to ambitious Democrats in Kentucky...Lobbyists," shared Michael Adams, Kentucky Secretary of State.

"So, now the last time I was here, I was actually running for reelection and something happened in 2019. I became the oldest currently serving constitutional officer not by one, not by two, but by almost 10 years. Really the closest to me is Secretary Adams. He's 45, and I think the governor is 43. I'll be 55 in October. So you can imagine being the old guy on the block. I was feeling really just a little bit down, and the other day, my lovely bride of 31 years, Lynn, she comes in, she notices that I'm looking in the mirror and she's like, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'Honey, look, I look so old. I look so tired. Can you tell me just one good thing about myself?' Well, she looks and she thinks and she looks and she thinks and finally she says, 'Well, at least you have your eyesight,'" joked Mike Harmon, Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts.