New Events and an Old Favorite Join Harrodsburg, KY's Lineup of Fall Fun

HARRODSBURG, Ky. - Aug. 3, 2016 - PRLog -- Three new events come to Kentucky's oldest town this fall: WoodSongs Front Porch Gathering takes place at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill on Sept. 23 and 24; the Jazz & Arts Festival happens at Old Fort Harrod State Park on Sept. 24 and 25; and Oktoberfest is planned for downtown Harrodsburg Oct. 14 to 16, 2016. After a year's hiatus, History Underfoot, returns on Friday, Sept. 16 – along with a half dozen or so of Harrodsburg's dearly departed. See Harrodsburg's Calendar of Events (http://harrodsburgky.com/wtd_calendar.html) for details on these events and others.

Rock out on the front porch

Pick and play with artists from around the world, including Pat Flynn of New Grass Revival, Banana of the Youngbloods and others. Join the audience at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill for the WoodSongs Front Porch Gathering, a music festival presented by The WoodSongs Front Porch Association (WFPA). A two-day celebration of front porch music and the artists who make it, WoodSongs is an international assemblage of songwriters, banjo players, writers, poets, families and fans who love organic, simple music.

Besides providing open showcase stages for WFPA member artists to share their talents, there will be plenty of jamming, concerts, lectures and films. This event also includes the WFPA-member conference held in partnership with Michael Johnathan's Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour. The festival is included in admission to Shaker Village and is free to WFPA members. Details at www.Woodsongs.com and www.SongFarmers.org. Watch a two-minute video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oarUp935WV4&feature=youtu.be.

Jazzy festival

World-class jazz in a rugged fort setting: It's the free-admission newly renamed Jazz & Arts Festival, taking place Sept. 24-25 at Old Fort Harrod State Park. New artisans from all over will gather to display museum-quality artwork and new musical acts will be performed. Meanwhile, outstanding jazz music will fill the autumn air. Bring your lawn chair and spend the day listing to live music in the beautiful park setting at Old Fort Harrod and enjoying a variety of food from vendors. Details at http://parks.ky.gov/calendar/details/fort-harrod-jazz--art-festival/21299.

Noch ein bier, bitte ('another beer, please!')

Pull on your lederhosen or dirndl and answer the call of the oom-pah to raise a stein to Harrodsburg's newest event: Oktoberfest. Presented Oct. 14-16 by the Arts Council of Mercer County, this festival is a celebration of German beer, music and food. Also part of the fun will be national and regional juried artists, who will display, discuss and sell their work.

Harrodsburg's Downtown Historic District will be lined with booths selling bier, wurst and more in an atmosphere of gemütlichkeit, that is, peace, comfort and acceptance, which is what the Oktoberfest celebration is all about. Guten Appetite! Details at http://artscouncilofmercer.com/oktoberfest

History returns from the dead

After a year's hiatus, Harrodsburg's popular History Underfoot Cemetery Tours return on Sept. 16 and 17. Sponsored by the James Harrod Trust, the tours, which take place at the historic Spring Hill Cemetery as dusk settles over the gravescape, offer visitors a chance to meet a number of historical figures, now residing six feet under. Bringing them to life will be historians dressed in period costume to portray some of Harrodsburg's earliest citizens.

As Kentucky's oldest town and the first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains, you can bet there were plenty of colorful characters as the townsfolk set about carving a civilization out of a frontier. A half dozen of these graveyard denizens will return to life for the tours and talk about the role they played in helping to shape the Harrodsburg of today. Details at http://HarrodsburgKy.com/wtd_Calendar.html.

Other fall fun in Harrodsburg: HarvestFest (Sept. 10-11), Halloween festivities (Oct. 21-22) and Boo Cruise (Oct. 22) at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill; Haunted Frontier, Oct. 27-29, at Old Fort Harrod State Park; and Devine's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch/Zipline will host its annual Field of Horror on Oct. 28-29. This year's theme features "Election 2016," replete with donkey and elephant logos and a big "vote" symbol. Devine's is also the place to find your Halloween pumpkins, weekends Sept. 9-Oct. 29, and zipline adventures.

Visit www.HarrodsburgKY.com for more information about these fall events.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Karen Hackett (mailto:khackett@harrodsburgky.com), Executive Director

Harrodsburg/Mercer County Tourist Commission (http://www.harrodsburgky.com/)

800-355-9192 or 859-734-2364

HI- and LOW-RES photos available.

ABOUT HARRODSBURG, KY (http://www.harrodsburgky.com/)|Sitting amidst four National Register Historic Districts in the heart of Kentucky's famed Bluegrass region, Kentucky's oldest town is one of the coolest places in history. Harrodsburg is surrounded by the bourbon and craft distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and the Brewgrass Trail, and within a short drive of more than a dozen wineries. There are horseback riding trails, backroads and byways for bicycle enthusiasts, and outdoor water sports from kayaking to skiing. Overnight options include Beaumont Inn, the state's oldest family-operated country inn and Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, America's largest restored Shaker community and a founding member of Discovery Destinations, a collection of distinct, independent destination properties. Commemorating the first permanent settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains is Old Fort Harrod State Park with full-scale replica fort. Providing an up-close view of one of the most unique ecosystems in the country, the geologically ancient Kentucky River Palisades, is the authentic 115-passenger Dixie Belle sternwheeler. Harrodsburg is one of "the 10 Most Beautiful Towns in Kentucky" (TheCultureTrip.com); one of Best Choice Reviews' "50 Best Small Town Downtowns in America"; Smithsonian Magazine's "20 Best Small Towns to Visit"; one of BBC NEWS Magazine's "Five hidden US Travel Destinations"; and one of the "10 Most Beautiful, Charming Small Towns in Kentucky" (OnlyInYourState.com). Authentic, affordable, family-friendly – and full of the unexpected. facebook/Harrodsburg (https://www.facebook.com/pages/HarrodsburgMercer-County-Tourist-Commission/260238942507)