On Saturday September 7th I had the pleasure of visiting Stamping Grounds, Kentucky, but with a few extra hours in my day I wanted to visit a few more places. My list included Georgetown, Winchester, Paris and Midway. As I made the short drive from Stamping Ground to Georgetown, I felt myself entering a familiar place as I neared my destination. Since I started this website I have visited Georgetown at least half a dozen times. It is in my Top 10 of favorite cities in Kentucky. It is artistic, low-key, the people are absolutely amazing and there is a good variety of food and spirits. But the one thing that caught my eye almost immediately as I came into town was the fact that half of Main Street was inundated with people. There were food trucks, a lady walking on stilts, and great music to be heard. Even though traffic was a bit delayed, it moved along quite well. Parking seemed to be an issue, so I got a little creative. I noticed a great spot, got the owner’s permission (they were outside) and I was off to the races. I was literally three or four blocks from the main drag and where all the action was taking place.
Sometimes when parking seems absolutely scarce you can still hit the jackpot. You’ll never know until you ask; plus asking permission goes a long way especially when they know that you’re a vlogger and that you’re going to bring positive attention to the community. And mind you I don’t give a pitch, but people see me from out of town with a camera at their event and they want to open the doors to the city. This is why I encourage all visitors to always ask whenever possible if they can park even in places that you would think you couldn’t. But as much as I want to tell you where I parked, I can’t because then everybody that reads this article is going to ask that person and knowing how hospitable they are, they’re probably going to say yes every single time.
That’s another thing, when you get into your travels, you want to keep certain gems to yourself. Maybe a place you can park, maybe a gas station that consistently sells gas cheaper, or maybe the 411 on a great food spot that is easy on the wallet but generous on the portions. The more you travel, the more helpful tips you’ll acquire. It’s up to you how much of them you share and how much of them you want others to find out for themselves. That’s not being mean, it’s just letting people evolve on their own. A big party of traveling and exploring, is starting from scratch and finding your own way.
“Exploring Kentucky is an absolute blast. Get to know the state where you live.” – Christian Duque
But let’s get back to the Festival of the Horse. As soon as I saw the Georgetown police cruiser parked in the middle of the street with the lights flashing, I knew that I was at the beginning of the eventl. As soon as I walked in, maybe all of 5-10 feet, I got hit with a dozen or so different scents. There were food trucks preparing food and selling treats from basically all corners of the world. There was Greek cuisine, barbecue, Asian food, ice cream and every alcoholic beverage you could possibly imagine. Whether you wanted it straight, on the rocks, or made into a drink with pineapple wedges and umbrellas – everything was there for you, if you wanted it. They had face painting, bubble machines everywhere, and all sorts of goods and services available to the general public.
I don’t think anybody got bored – even for a moment – and of course who could forget the lovely young lady walking around on stilts. I almost had to ask her if she had a twin because I had seen her four or five times and I could swear they were all at different spots of the festival. I don’t know, maybe she has a doppelganger and doesn’t want anyone to know, but she really worked hard. Let me tell you walking on stilts is no cakewalk plus she had a great personality and I think it contributed to the overall sense of fun in the air at the Festival of the Horse. There were great people all around.
Law enforcement was also out in full force and extremely nice and hospitable. Sometimes police can be a little apprehensive of cameras and public photography, but not here. City officials, law enforcement, and firefighters were all on their best game. They were very interactive with the public and at the same time very alert of all their surroundings. That is probably one of the most important duties that law enforcement are tasked with. They need to know how everything operates normally and then they need to watch like hawks for anything out of place. Because a lot of times if something is out of place, it’s worth checking out. And I have to say that me holding a camera and talking into it did not raise any suspicions. It shouldn’t, but sometimes it does. When it doesn’t, I feel the need to write about it because I feel that it’s very noteworthy. I feel that a city like Georgetown gets an enormous amount of attention on a day-to-day basis given the fact that it’s so beautiful and such a great place to visit. I think they are more accustomed to seeing cameras and people filming, than say smaller communities where that may be more of a novelty.
And one of the fringe benefits of visiting Georgetown during a festival like this is that you get to look at all the beautiful buildings, the architecture, and the choice of paints for the exteriors. When I say that Georgetown is a very artistic city – it most definitely is. There are so many things about it that you will love and I have to tell you, them closing down Main Street and having a festival on it like that was so cool. I very rarely get to appreciate the finer details of the architecture or the way the city is planned out, because if you do that while standing in the middle of the road – you’re going to get run over! The fact that they shut down half the city and everything went off without a hitch is a true compliment to how well-trained and prepared they are. They put a lot of thought into this and they executed it perfectly.
This was my very first Festival of the Horse, and it most definitely will not be my last. I hope to come back next year and see the horses showcased. This time I was simply passing through, but next time I’ll make a day of it. The event is exactly one week after World Fest in Louisville, which will make it easy for me to remember. Many of the food trucks that were at World Fest were all at the Festival of the Horse. But both of events were very different in that they each had their own character. I highly encourage folks to check out this great event. You’ll thank me for it.
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