Country Rock Superstars Little Texas Headline Marion County's Country Ham Days

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Aug. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- Ham, glorious ham – 4,000 lbs of it, to be exact. When Marion County Country Ham Days get underway Sept. 22-24, Lebanon will sizzle with a two-day feast that does the pig proud. A "Kentucky Top-Ten Event," this family-friendly festival returns with hot air balloon events, including the sunset Yellowstone Hot Air Balloon Glow and the sunrise Limestone Branch Hot Air Balloon Lift-Off; live music featuring Little Texas; a Classic Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show; arts and crafts; hog calling contests; carnival rides and more – not to mention heaping helpings of delicious country ham. Click here (http://marioncountykychamber.com/) for details. A full schedule of events is here (http://marioncountykychamber.com/ham-days/ham-days-schedule)

Ham Days highlights

Chow down on the festival's legendary country ham breakfast, served from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Join the crowd for the PIGasus Parade, which makes its way down Main Street at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Grab a seat near the Main Stage at 3 p.m. to hear Paul Childers and The Black Tie Affair, a band from Nashville lead by Childers, a Lebanon native and guitarist. Carnival rides swing into action in advance of the festival on Friday evening.

Good old-fashioned fun

Marion County Country Ham Days has activities for everyone: Pokey Pig 5K Race; Antique Engine and Tractor Show; Market Place booths; arts and crafts booths; Jr. Farmer and Little Miss Ham Days; Children's Parade; a corn hole tournament; Champion Ham Auction; Pedal Pull, Hay Bale Toss and more.

Sure to be favorites will be the Yellowstone Hot Air Balloon Glow on Saturday evening and the Limestone Branch Hot Air Balloon Lift-Off on Sunday morning. Both balloon events will take place at Graham Memorial Park. In addition, "This is Marion County" returns to Ham Days to feature all things Marion County, including factories and the products they produce.

Throughout the festival, musical groups will perform on the Main Stage and include such well-known bands as Magnolia Vale, Crew 3:30, Ann Courtney Thompson and The Honeysuckle Stringband and Crew. Cloggers will also entertain. Additionally, country rock superstars Little Texas will present a special concert at 7:30 p.m. at Johnston Field at Centre Square on Friday evening.

In addition to lots of delicious country ham, there will be beans and cornbread, pork sandwiches, hot dogs, brats, rib-eye sandwiches and gyros, not to mention sweets like ice cream, fried Twinkies, funnel cakes and more.

Make a weekend of it

There is plenty to see and do in Lebanon to fill out your Ham Days weekend. Hike the scenic 3-plus mile Gorley Naturalist Trail with its 47 bridges. Go canoeing at Fagan Branch Reservoir. Fish for largemouth bass and other fish at Sportsman's Lake. Tour and taste at Limestone Branch Distillery and Maker's Mark Distillery – where you can see "Chihuly at Maker's" large-scale glass art installations through Oct. 7 – then grab a selfie at the Maker's Mark water tower. Sample the European-style wine at Jesters. Or pop into the Marion County Heritage Center to see the world's largest collection of J.W. Pepper Instruments in the Don Johnson Musical Instrument Collection.

Overnight in a charming guestroom at the 1833 Myrtledene Bed and Breakfast or a cabin overlooking Rosewood Golf Course. Lebanon has a variety of lodging choices for every budget. Visit the Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission (http://www.visitlebanonky.com/) for more information.

Marion County Country Ham Days, Lebanon, KY

Festival website: www.HamDays.com, 270-692-9594

Date

Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 22-24, 2017

Ham Breakfast: 7-11 a.m. Sat.; 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sun.

Friday evening events include: Little Texas performing at 7:30 p.m. at at Johnston Field at Centre Square. Opening of carnival rides.

Saturday events include: PIGasus Parade 1 p.m. Paul Childers and The Black Tie Affair concert 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Hot Air Balloon Glow, 8-10 p.m.

Sunday events include: Hot Air Balloon Lift-Off, 7:30 a.m. The Honeysuckle String Band, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Cloggers, 1 p.m.

Place

Downtown Lebanon, KY 40033

Cost

Free (parking also free)

HamBreakfast tickets: $10/adults, $8/children.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nena Olivier, Executive Director, Director@VisitLebanonKy.com, 270-692-0021

Lebanon Tourist & Convention Commission, www.VisitLebanonKy.com

HI- and LOW-RES photos available.

ABOUT MARION COUNTY COUNTRY HAM DAYS (http://www.hamdays.com/) | Country Ham Days is a "Kentucky Top-Ten Event" hosted by the Marion County Chamber of Commerce along with an army of 500 volunteers and a number of sponsors: Kentucky Lottery, City of Lebanon, Marion County Fiscal Court, Farmers National Bank, Maker's Mark, State Farm Insurance/Erica Barnes Agent, Spring View Hospital, Kentucky Cooperage, The Lebanon Enterprise, Passport Health Plan, MIKE 100.9, Channel 6TV and Angell-Demmel. The festival welcomes over 40,000 visitors, serves up 4,500 pounds of ham and acts as an agent for community empowerment. Facebook.com/Marion County Ham Days (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marion-County-Country-Ham-Days/145808055430518)

ABOUT LEBANON (http://www.visitlebanonky.com/), KY | Lebanon is located in the Heart of Bourbon Country, at the epicenter of Kentucky barrel and bourbon making. Attractions include Maker's Mark Distillery, Limestone Branch Distillery, photo op stop Maker's Mark/Lebanon Water Tower, the Kentucky Cooperage and Jesters Winery. For outdoor enthusiasts, Gorley Naturalist Trail presents challenging hiking and biking and the scenic splendor of 47 bridges. Fagan Branch Reservoir and Sportsman's Lake beckon canoeists, kayakers and boaters (non-motorized boats) and fishers and anglers for waters stocked with rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, crappie and hybrid bluegill. Lebanon is on the Civil War Discovery Trail and is part of Kentucky's historic Holy Land, with sites including the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse. Visual and performing arts and pop culture and historic treasures are found at the Marion County Heritage Center, Stillhouse Art Museum and Angelic Hall at Centre Square. Facebook.com/VisitLebanon (http://www.facebook.com/VisitLebanon)