Tasty Fort Harrod Beef Festival

Beef: it’s what’s for summer—at least in Mercer County the weekend of June 5-7. The fourth annual Fort Harrod Beef Festival celebrates Kentucky’s beef industry with a bigger and more varied festival than in the past, making it the perfect summer family outing.

The festival kicks off Friday night, June 5, with Baby, Tiny, and Little Mr. and Miss Pageants, monster truck rides, a wine and cheese tasting, and the first Itty Bitty Burger Battle, in which area chefs compete in making multiple tasty, tiny burgers from 1 pound of ground beef.

Roll out of bed early Saturday, June 6, for a steak and eggs breakfast (7:30-10:30 a.m.) and the Stampede & Poke Along 5K run/walk through downtown Harrodsburg.

Most events will take place at the Mercer County Fairgrounds, including the breakfast, which had been held previously at Fort Harrod State Park.

On Saturday, there will be music and a battle of the bands, an agricultural and farm equipment display, volleyball tournament, grilling demos, truck pull, and a grill-off competition for both amateur and professional chefs. Grill-off categories include brisket, steak, and burgers, and activities for kids.

On Sunday, June 7, a non-denominational church service will be held at 11 a.m. with a gospel sing from 2-4 p.m. There will also be a cornhole tournament and an antique and classic car cruise-in.

For a complete schedule of events, directions, and entry forms to all the competitions, go online to the Fort Harrod Beef Festival Web site at www.fortharrodbeffestival.org
. Some entry deadlines have passed, but you can still enter the 5K, cornhole or volleyball tournament, or truck pull. If you can’t find what you need online, call (859) 734-5546.

—Carol L. Spence, UK College of Agriculture