Since 1977, Pike County has been celebrating Hillbilly Days. This nationally known annual event is a fundraiser to benefit the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Held in Downtown Pikeville, April 20 - 22, this is one festival you've got to see to believe!

Started by Howard "Dirty Ear" Stratton and " Shady" Grady Kinney, two Shriners with the Hillbilly Clan Outhouse No. 2 in Pikeville, The festival is attended by over 100,000 folks and continues to get bigger and better each year. Mr. Stratton says that for about as long as he can remember both he and Mr. Kinney wanted a festival in Pike County. They got the idea for Hillbilly Days in 1976 while going to another festival in Portsmouth, Ohio, and upon returning they started their work. In 1977, they got all Hillbilly Clans together in one place, Pike County, Kentucky. Mr. Kinney has unfortunately passed, but his memory lives on in every hillbilly heart. A monument honoring Mr. Kinney has been placed in the Pikeville City Park.

To read more about the founders and the festival, click on the links below

Hillbilly Heaven: Kinney's life benefited Pike, crippled children

Goodbye, Grady: Hillbilly Days co-founder, 75, dies

Stratton details the founding of festival

Remembering Grady - Monument unveiled for festival co-founder