Visitors walk through downtown Russellville during the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Grain may have replaced tobacco as Logan County’s cash crop, but the annual festival celebrating the tobacco harvest is projected to be as lively as ever in its 80th year.

The Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Fest is expected to match its record 25,000 attendees, some traveling from as far as New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Tennessee for the fall homecoming event, said Polly Steenburgen, Logan County Chamber of Commerce executive director.

The festival officially began Sept. 22 with the Queen’s Pageant, and has continued with smaller events including a 5k run and walk, a golf scramble and historic homes tours in the two weeks ahead of the main event Saturday, Oct. 8.

On Saturday, the fun begins at 9 a.m. with the craft show and flea market and doesn’t stop until 10 p.m. with a grand finale concert headlined by The Jimmy Church Band, Steenburgen said.

In between, attendees can try their luck at karaoke, watch over 70 parade floats featuring local businesses, nonprofits, sports teams and pageant winners competing to take home the prize of “biggest and best float,” take a horse and carriage ride and bear witness to the Jesse James Bank Robbery, a reenactment of an infamous 1868 Russellville burglary.

During the day, there will be about 120 vendors dispersed through the area and in the afternoon, country singer Cort Carpenter will entertain the crowds with some live music.

2022 is the first year that the festival’s 25-event schedule has been full since the pandemic. It was canceled in 2020 and modified in 2021 to exclude some of the events that could endanger more at-risk populations, Steenburgen said.

“I think the Tobacco and Heritage Festival speaks for itself,” she said. “It’s just like another holiday here in Logan County. You look forward to the Fourth of July, you look forward to Christmas and Thanksgiving, and you look forward to the Tobacco Festival. It’s just an ushering in of the fall season.”

The festival is Logan County’s largest community event, far from its humble beginnings as a 1941 gathering of county farmers to celebrate the tobacco harvest season. It used to be the unofficial launch of the Christmas shopping season, like Logan County’s own Black Friday.

The planning for the event is extensive – “It never stops,” Steenburgen said. After the festival’s close, the planning group led by Logan County Chamber of Commerce will take a two-week break before evaluating the festival’s success and getting back to work on the 2023 edition.

Steenburgen said that those in the region who haven’t already added the festival to their calendars are missing out on a “really good time that’s just down the road.”

“It’s just a fun-filled, great day. You’ll see so many people from so many walks of life gathering together,” she said. “It’s a time to remember where the community came from and where we’re going in the future.”

For up-to-date information, visit the Logan County KY Tobacco & Heritage Festival Facebook Page.