The Fancy Farm Picnic is known through the state as the place where political candidates come to stump, kiss babies and encourage the eating of pounds of meat. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, and numbers in the state spiking uncomfortably high, politicians won’t speak at the picnic this year.

How are politicians campaigning differently this summer? And what will Fancy Farm be like without the rhetoric and heckling? This week, we talk about the history and legacy of the Fancy Farm picnic, and how it went from a simple fundraiser for St. Jerome Catholic Church to an important milestone on the Kentucky campaign trail.

Our guests are:

• Cynthia Elder, author, “Fancy Farm Living is the Life for Me,” editor, “The Catholic Settlement: A History of St. Jerome Catholic Church 1836-2011“
• Andy Hayden, Fancy Farm picnic organizer
• Al Cross, veteran Kentucky political journalist

We also have updates on the LMPD's response to Louisville protests, and coronavirus testing availability in Kentucky, from KYCIR's Jake Ryan, and WFPL's Ryan Van Velzer.