Sixteen years ago, then-vice presidential candidate Al Gore strode onto a wooden stage in far Western Kentucky to verbally spar with a rowdy crowd of political junkies.
And between jabbing at President George H.W. Bush and deflecting heckles, Gore took a moment to explain why he personally delivered the presidential campaign to the annual St. Jerome Parish picnic and the political craziness that comes with it.
"Fancy Farm represents something very special in the American political tradition," Gore said. "Isn't it remarkable that a community like this one for 112 years has been able to play a key role in shaping the future of Kentucky and sometimes the future of this nation?"
Indeed, Saturday's 128th Fancy Farm picnic will continue the tradition of being Kentucky's most high profile political event, which kicks off the election season.
But Kentucky's role in national politics is far less significant now than it was when Gore made those remarks in 1992.
Read the complete story at kentucky.com.