
Bobby Joe Walters as a contestant in the Womanless Beauty Pageant, 1999. |
Corydon Happy Days Festival
The Corydon Happy Days Festival takes place in
Crawford Park, a four-acre site once owned by the Corydon,
Kentucky, pioneering family, the Crawfords. Site of Corydon
baseball games and the Fourth of July Horse Show and Barbecue
for many years, the land was deeded to the city in the early
1990s and transformed into a park through the efforts of many
volunteers and donated equipment. They planted trees and built
a walking trail, but needed additional funds to finish their
work. The idea of an annual festival to raise funds originated
with a barbecue hosted by Chuck Collins, a local citizen, for
the entire town. Observing the success of Mr. Collins' party,
residents indicated in a survey that they were overwhelmingly
in favor of an annual festival.
A plan was drafted, and later a committee was
appointed to take on the responsibility for coordinating the
festival, which was to be called "Happy Days," in honor of Corydon
native, Kentucky governor, and Baseball Commissioner Albert Benjamin
"Happy" Chandler. The first festival broke even, but each
succeeding year has attracted larger and larger crowds, and now
makes a modest profit. The third Festival's proceeds allowed a
$1000 check to be turned over to the Corydon Recreation Commission
for improvement of the park. Subsequent festivals have provided
funds to construct a new softball diamond and additional parking
spaces.
The weekend festival begins Friday with the Ohio
Valley Bank Open House, where attendees are invited to enjoy
hotdogs, popcorn and soft drinks. On Saturday morning, the Masonic
Lodge prepares a pancake and sausage breakfast which attracts not
only local citizens but many local and state politicians. A parade
follows featuring antique cars, mules and wagons, fully equipped
fire trucks and emergency vehicles, decorated floats, and high
school bands. Other weekend activities include the presentation of
a Distinguished Citizen Award by the mayor, performances by a
variety of musical ensembles, a Teen Pageant, basketball games,
horseshoe pitch, pumpkin-decorating contest, auction, chili
cook-off and a Homemakers Contest where embroidery, quilting,
crocheting, knitting and homemade bread are displayed. The famous
Womanless Beauty Contest features men in drag, decked out in
beautiful women's dresses. Befitting its name, each year the Corydon
Happy Days Festival succeeds in its objective in sharing happiness
among the Corydon citizenry.
Project documentation includes a map, deeds of
transfer for the land comprising the original Crawford plot,
Crawfield Field Layout, Phases 1 - 5, a biography of "Happy"
Chandler, newspaper articles, flyers, pageant programs and prize
donations, thirty 8 x 10 color photographs with accompanying
descriptions, and two videotapes of the Corydon Happy Days Teen
Pageant.
Originally submitted by: Ed Whitfield, Representative (1st District).
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