On Aug. 1 the Fancy Farm community hosted its 135th annual picnic, complete with a 5k run, tons of barbecue pork and mutton, and several national politicians looking to garner support for their nominations.

The Fancy Farm Picnic was first held on July 31, 1880 and was originally just a small gathering of local townspeople in the area. In 1931 A.B. (Happy) Chandler was the first statewide political leader to visit Fancy Farm turning it into a publicized event for the entire state. Chandler campaigned for lieutenant governor and said that after he won in the election of 1931, he felt that the Picnic gave him good luck so he went back every year. Happy was also served as a U.S. senator and Governor of Kentucky.

While most of the speeches at the Picnic go as planned, Fancy Farm is not unknown to having hiccups over the years. In 1914 Augustus Owsley Stanley was running against Edwin (Ed) P. Morrow for the governorship and while at the Picnic, Stanley had too much to drink and puked in front of the crowd while his opponent was speaking. When Stanley took to the stage he said, “That just goes to show you what I have been saying all over Kentucky. Ed Morrow plain makes me sick to my stomach.” Even with such an embarrassing moment Stanley went on to beat his opponent in the gubernatorial election of 1915.

Even though this year’s Fancy Farm Picnic wasn’t as exciting as 1915’s, the Picnic is still as popular. The 2015 Picnic attracted around 15,000 people to eat barbecue and heckle (or praise) the candidates. Many well-known and familiar faces were there, including but not limited to, Senator Mitch McConnell (R), Ken. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), and Ken. Governor Steve Beshear (D). As per usual fashion, almost all candidates on both sides of the isle threw jabs at their opponents. While some candidates briefly mentioned their opposition, and some never even mentioned the competition, many candidates’ speeches were filled with shots against each other. And over the years politicians have gotten creative, with Mitch McConnell even bringing a cardboard cutout of Bill Clinton to fill his absence. While this kind of immaturity wouldn’t sit well with other crowds around the nation, at Fancy Farm these speeches are to be expected. Even though new rules are given every year to try to curb these kinds of speeches, the candidates come every year prepared to be a little more creative. The community looks forward to the Picnic every year and it is the official kickoff of the election cycle every year.