Our Toby Gibbs gives us a look back at the history of Fancy Farm, including the story behind the town's interesting name.

The story really begins in the 1820s, when settlers from Tennessee, Virginia and other parts of Kentucky first arrived in present day Graves County.

Many were Catholic and they founded St Jerome's Catholic Church in 1836.

A series of family reunions turned into a regular series of picnics.

And by 1880, the picnic had become a fundraiser for the church.

But it wasn't political at first.

My grandfather was the one who really popularized the political aspect of the fancy farm picnic, and that was in the 19.

Thirties 1931.

Specifically.

That's the year A.B.

Happy Chandler spoke while running for lieutenant Governor.

He went on to win that race.

And Fancy Farm became a place for old school political speechifying.

We think of Fancy Farm as being the first Saturday in August.

That wasn't always the case.

In fact, for most of its history, it wasn't.

It was in July until 1956, when Kentucky's primary was in August.

When the primary moved to May, Fancy Farm was pushed back and became the unofficial kickoff to the fall campaign.

Some big national names had turned up at Fancy Farm.

Governor George Wallace spoke in 1975, one year before his fourth and final campaign for president, and three years after he was paralyzed by a would be assassin's bullet.

He was up at the podium to speak, and that's when the photographers had the old style cameras that had the exposed flashbulbs on them.

Well, a photographer went to take a picture and then it popped like a gun.

And Governor Wallace flashed.

He didn't say anything.

So he went on and proceeded with his speech.

The photographer reloaded the bulb, took another stills shot of a minute, pop like a gun.

Governor Wallace flinched again.

He says in his Alabama accent, You'll have to excuse me, but I'm still just a little bit gun shy here.

Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas was there in 1988 as a candidate for vice president.

But he couldn't swing Kentucky to the Dukakis Bentsen ticket.

Senator Al Gore of Tennessee stopped at Fancy Farm four years later.

He was more successful.

Clinton and Gore carried Kentucky that November.

Senator and Vice President Al Gore and Barkley spoke at Fancy Farm multiple times.

It was familiar turf for him.

The Jackson purchases favorite son was born in Graves County.

The food has also made the history books.

When picnic goers put away £15,000 of mutton, pork and chicken at the 1982 picnic, it made the Guinness Book of World Records.

You might be asking, how did the community get that name?

The story is in the 1840s, when the area wanted its own post office.

A visiting postal inspector stated a farm that made quite an impression on him, so he named the area Fancy Farm for it.

I'm Toby Gibbs.

Thank you, Toby Gibbs.

Another interesting fact prior to 1968, speeches weren't given under a covered pavilion.

Speakers often spoke from the bed of a truck parked under an old tree in front of the church building.

Glad things have changed.