The Breathitt County Honey Festival returns this Labor Day weekend to Jackson with vendors, fair food, music and a local honey producer.
The festival is in its fifth decade, and this year's theme is “Red, White and “Bee-autiful!” in honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. It runs Friday through Monday in downtown Jackson.
Co-chair Jamie Mullins-Smith said event organizers always try to have at least one local honey vendor.
“We try very hard to always have a local honey distributor come and be part of our festival, and we have one, maybe two, of those,” Mullins-Smith said. “Then we try to focus on our Appalachian culture and mountain tradition.”
The honey vendor sells out most years, she said, so those interested might want to visit the four-day festival early.
The event offers similar booths each year, with a preference for local and handcrafted offerings, Mullins-Smith said. In addition, corndogs are sold as a fundraiser to help support programs at the extension office.
“If you've never been to the honey festival, we hope you would be pleasantly surprised visiting us, and if you don't like crafts, come check out our food,” Mullins-Smith said. “We've got several good food booths.”
Each musician set to play this weekend is from Breathitt County or has deep ties to the area. In addition, shows and events are slated throughout the weekend, including children’s programming Sunday. There’s also a parade Saturday morning.
Breathitt County has been hit by repeated, devastating flooding in recent years, including in 2022. The area’s economy has also suffered as coal jobs in the region have evaporated, so Mullins-Smith said events like the annual honey festival showcase the community’s resilience.
It’s been a staple since the 1970s.
“We want people to see that we were impacted by three federally declared disasters, and we are so resilient, and we are still moving forward,” Mullins-Smith said.
