Fall festival season is upon us, and while we’re all for the standard litany of pumpkin patches, hay rides, and Halloween towns, we also invite you to take a walk on the wild side this season. And by “wild,” we mean embracing the cute, furry, cuddly unofficial mascot of fall in Kentucky… the woolly worm! (Bet you didn’t think we were headed there, did you?) In Beattyville, Kentucky, the Woolly Worm Festival is an annual fall festival that’s the pride and joy of the town, not only providing a big boost of tourism but also a captivating and, admittedly very cute, claim to fame.
In Central Kentucky’s Lee County, Beattyville is a small town located at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Kentucky River.
Brian Stansberry/Wikipedia
Home to less than 1,500 residents, Beattyville is most certainly a small town, but every fall, it puts on an annual festival that’s one of the best, albeit weirdest, in Kentucky…
Beattyville Main Street aka Downtown Beattyville Alliance/Facebook
…the Woolly Worm Festival.
Beattyville/Lee County Tourism
Far from your typical pumpkins-and-hayrides fall fete, the Woolly Worm Festival is a beloved tradition rooted in Lee County’s culture.
Beattyville/Lee County Tourism
You see, the woolly worm is believed to forecast the weather for the coming winter season. A woolly worm’s body has 13 segments – each corresponding to a week in winter. If a segment is light brown, that means the week will be mild. If a segment is black, that means a harsh, cold week.
Christy Frink/Flickr
The worm acted as a weather predictor for many old time farmers who would harvest crop and cut firewood in preparation for the upcoming winter; and, in fact, there are many “Woolly Worm” festivals held throughout the U.S. each fall!
glichfield/Flickr We think these guys are much cuter than groundhogs, anyway.
But Beattyville’s Woolly Worm Festival takes the cake. There are parades and car shows. There are woolly worm races and contests.
Beattyville Main Street aka Downtown Beattyville Alliance/Facebook
The whole town shows up to celebrate the humble woolly worm, a beguiling creature that’s often underestimated.
Beattyville/Lee County Tourism
This event, now in its 35th year, is a huge boon to the local economy, bringing new business, opportunities, and tourism to the area. In 2021, 91% of attendees reported attending the festival at least once before, demonstrating the strong pull and local appeal of Beattyville’s Woolly Worm Festival.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr It’s the weirdest, most wholly, whoolly wonderful, fall festival in Kentucky!
Weirdest fall festival in Kentucky? Absolutely. A must-visit? Absolutely! Visit the Beattyville website to learn more about the annual Woolly Worm Festival, which, for 2022, happens Oct. 21-23 right along the town’s Main Street.
Brian Stansberry/Wikipedia
Beattyville Main Street aka Downtown Beattyville Alliance/Facebook
Beattyville/Lee County Tourism
Christy Frink/Flickr
glichfield/Flickr
We think these guys are much cuter than groundhogs, anyway.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
It’s the weirdest, most wholly, whoolly wonderful, fall festival in Kentucky!
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Address: Beattyville, KY 41311, USA
