This past year has brought one hardship after another to the small town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. The worst was on February, 13th 2016, when tragedy struck the small town, their General Store had suddenly caught fire turning the nearly 200-year old building to ash and smoke. It is still unknown what caused the store to catch fire. However, this Old Timer's Day has been a beacon of optimism for the years to come. This year, the town was filled with people from around the country, including my father and myself.
Rabbit Hash General Store before fire.
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| Picture of Rabbit Hash General store after fire. (Photo By Warner Allen) |
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| Construction of the Rabbit Hash General Store so far. |
What exactly is Old Timers Day? According to the Rabbit Hash website, Old Timers Day was, "Originally created to thank the General Store patrons and to openly appreciate the "old timers" for what they do for us around here." This is still the main point of Old Timers Day, hence the name. This year hosted the 37th annual Old Timers Day, complete with live music, election shenanigans and games for the kids.
http://www.rabbithash.com/
Rabbit Hash is about a half-hour ride from Fort Mitchell, through the winding, country roads. The land around Rabbit Hash is mostly forests and farms containing fields of wheat and herds of cattle. From the car, I could hear the birds and the rustling of leaves the further away from the city we got. The last few years it had rained on Old Timers Day, making it difficult to celebrate. However, this year the air was refreshing and had a slight chill, perfect weather for a celebration.
Country road leading to Rabbit Hash.
At 6:05, when we arrived, my dad had to spend a few minutes looking for a spot to park on the crowded road leading to Rabbit Hash, the only road through the town was blocked off after we parked. It was a five minute walk to the center of town, where the general store once was. The first thing I noticed were the amount of dogs running around, playing fetch with their owners, or sleeping on the side of the road, there were at least thirty of them. Luckily, none of the dogs fought with each other the entire time I was there.
Soon after I arrived in town, there was an announcement for the beginning of the mayoral election. I learned that the previous mayor, Lucy Lou, would not be running for mayor this year, she had served her two terms and was stepping down. In Rabbit Hash, people don't run for mayor, their pets do. This year there were many new runners; a donkey named Higgins, and a chicken named Betty were the strangest, the rest of the runners were various types of dogs. Bourbon, a brown and white border collie, was in the lead with 127 votes. In last place was Higgins, with only three votes. My dad and I voted for Watson, the tan dachshund.
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Rabbit Hash election posters.
On either side of the main road, there were venders tables, and an voting station. The venders sold various crafts and knick-knacks. There were wooden sculptures made into lamps, handmade soaps and candles, and strangest of all, Juju Dolls (dolls for luck or protection). There was a shaved ice cart, fresh popcorn and corn dogs being sold inside the small shop down the road. There were also two food trucks parked off of the road opposite of the construction site. One was a French Fry truck and one, strangely, was a waffle truck. While I was there, I was able to sample some French fries, they were very fresh and hot but not as crispy as their fast food competitors.
At 6:45 the Keshvar Project began playing their music. They had set up their equipment in the right lane of the main road. The band consisted of four belly dancers and five musicians. The Keshvar Project is a local bluegrass/middle Eastern mix of culture and music. They used drums, electric guitar and violin, a trumpet, and a clarinet to blend the two genres of music together. The belly dancer's routines were well choreographed and unique. I was amazed at how beautiful the music was and how well the dancers moved to the rhythm of the music. The dancers wore colorful, loose pants, and colorful crop top shirts. They also had colored hair and their clothing had sequins, flowers, and bells attached to them. http://www.keshvarproject.com
Keshvar Project Video at Rabbit Hash by Melanie Stock
At 7:30 the Keshvar Project finished their last song. The next band to perform was Hickory Robot. Hickory Robot is a country-centered band from Cincinnati. They have played over eighty shows around the country and have been nominated for the Best Bluegrass Band in the CEA, Cincinnati Entertainment Award, for three consecutive years. My dad and I watched from a bench on the hill behind the stage. All of the seats in front of the stage were filled to the brim, some people were even sitting on the tables.
Hickory Robot performing their song Georgia Peaches at Chuck Land Show.
After the band was finished, my dad and I walked back to our car to go home. Although Old Timers Day didn't end until eleven that night, we had to leave around nine-thirty because it was getting dark. The night was slightly chilly and offered an impressive view of the stars.
This past Old Timers Day was a fantastic experience. It was interesting to see so many different types of people have fun and care about a town so much. I had a great time listening to the music and watching boats go by on the Ohio river. If you ever find the time, take a trip to Rabbit Hash, you won't regret it.
Sunset at the Ohio river in Rabbit Hash.
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| Alicia Lueke-Senior |
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