The scene at Fancy Farm was one that I had only seen in movies that portray old county fairs. The main, white shelter had american flag banners hanging from the roof which most of the crowd couldn't fit under. Booths surrounded the main area with southern food, car raffles, and a giant game of bingo.
No one was afraid to wear their affiliation on their sleeve... or prop... or costume. Among the variety of political t-shirts were "NeanderPaul" man (advocating anarchy), a dolphin (accusing Conway of being a "flipper"), a guy with an tin foil fat (hinting that Rand Paul is crazy), and a couple of Grim Reapers (killed by Conway's 'Death Tax.')
Each of the major campaigns also had their own methods for creative insults. Rand Paul supporters handed out Cap and Trade 'flip flops' and carried around several boxes of 'tax code.' The Conway booth (adorned with a Sorry above the Handicap sign) was made to be like a Waffle House that handed out 'menus' that playfully insulted Rand's positions, especially those that had 'flipped.'
Even though the picnic holds dinners, races, and other simlar events, the political speeches were clearly the main atraction. While waiting for the action to begin I asked a man who had been coming for years what to expect the speeches to be like. He chuckled and responded, "you sure don't come here for the Lincoln-Douglas debates."
The only formal rule was that each speaker would be interrupted by the bluegrass band if they went over the 7 minute time limit. The speeches contained so much mudslinging that the crowd often responded in cheers and jeers to support or refute the points, sometimes deafening
the man at the podium. The most memorable remark for me was when a very animated Governor Beshear claimed Rand Paul was just a "pessimist and wanna be prince of cable TV." The republicans didn't back down either, making sure to mention Obama, Pelosi, and Reid as much as possible, hoping to link Conway to their agenda (very reminiscent of the 'Bush' name dropping in the 2008 election).
Overall, I am really proud that Kentucky has an event like this. In today's world politics for many people seems like nothing but talking heads on their TV. Very rarely do candidates have to leave their comfort zones and face the challenges of the public (especially a disgruntled opposition). Granted, most of the people already knew who they were voting for when they arrived. Because of this the speeches were more like those you would see in between wrestling matches than those on a formalized newscast. Despite the speeches lacking the substance that a student of the subject might have looked for, I was very pleased to see an engaged electorate that wanted to make their voices heard in the political process...even if those voices came in the form of a screaming match.