The so called fancy farm of Northern Kentucky is light on the politics, heavy on the relish.

John Stickles, Pickles and Wiener Fest was once a fundraiser for the former state senator.

Republican candidates still show up in Glad Hand at the event, but the tradition now focuses on a nonpartisan cause.

This event started as a fundraiser for myself for the Kentucky State Senate many, many years ago, and when I retired from the Kentucky State Senate three years ago, everyone wanted to keep the pickle and Winter feast going because we were having so much fun.

So we decided to make it a charity event for Special Olympics.

If it wasn't for Special Olympics, my son wouldn't be who he is today.

Softball is fun because you can hit a ball for the by and you get, you can take your finger on the ball.

He was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.

He was very withdrawn to people or any kind of function.

He did not do sports in school, so was very shocked that he eventually did the sports.

He's now in to like 7 or 8 different events.

I've been in Special Olympics for 24 years now, and I got a family out of it because I used to be shell person that didn't get out and talk to anybody anything.

But due to Special Olympics, I now have this brother and this brother from different mothers.

But you know, we still are brothers and I call the families.

I don't really call friends even though we aren't friends, but we're a family.

And we've been very successful raising over half the budget for the Northern Kentucky Special Olympics, over $60,000 last year.

And we hope to break that record this year.

The idea for the Pickle Feast actually started at the Boone County Jail when I was a county jailer, and we had a jail guard, and we grew many cucumbers more than we could use.

So we made the pickles, and then they started calling them pickles because I was the jailer.

That's where pickles.

Pickles started.

Then after I was elected to the Kentucky State Senate, we thought, we need a catchy idea for a fundraiser.

So we thought we'd have Shekel Pickle Feast.

But you just can't have pickles.

So we added wieners.

And so now to shekels, pickle and Wiener Feast, which brings a grin to everyone you talk to.

Now, this isn't a fundraiser, but this is a political event.

We call it Northern Kentucky's fancy farm without speeches.

Now, what I have here, all the way from Gal Run Farms where we got the cafe, is a world famous gal run farms, farm house, pickles.

Now, I'm the official food tester there, and I can tell you they're real dadgum good.

We're going to have a host of Northern Kentucky officials here, both people in office and running for office, because we have some very hotly contested local races here in Northern Kentucky, and we love it.

It's a time for everyone to get together and have good political dialog, but more importantly, have a good time and raise money for a good charity.

Two years after his exit from the Kentucky Statehouse, John Schickel is running this year for a seat on Boone County's three person commission.