World Chicken Festival continues amid wild weekend weather

LONDON, Ky. (WKYT) -The World Chicken Festival is off and running in London.

First responders and vendors say they are ready for bad and possibly dangerous weather this weekend.

Staying covered and inside as much as possible, even though the World Chicken Festival is a major outdoor event, is key for some.

“We are just kind of measuring out right now to see how much space we have for an extra tent, so people can say under that to stay dry,” said vendor Harley Roberts.

There are 180 vendors set up all around the downtown area. There’s also carnival rides and nightly concerts.

“All about making sure your stuff is off the street. Water can get through, water is going to where it wants,” said Dave Bettendorf, who traveled to Kentucky from North Carolina with his sauce tent.

Police say they’re making sure vendors know the forecast.

“All the vendors have been made aware, that everything has to be tied down and weighted,” said London Police Officer Hobie Daugherty.

A lot of the vendors are in tents, but some people have to actually work out in the weather, for long periods of time.

Gavin Smith says he could be outside a lot during his 15-hour shift.

“Jackets, ponchos, whatever we can to keep warm, keep dry,” said Smith, who is assisting traffic control, parking, and other security work.

If the weather gets really bad, an emergency plan can be activated.

“And part of that is if the (severe weather) , rain starts, individuals seek shelter in their cars, in buildings, and then once the coast is clear and that announcement is made by our emergency team then the festival will resume,” said Travis Shortt with the London-Laurel County Tourist Commission.

“You got to have a real good canopy, weight it down, weights on canopy are 50 pounds each,” said Bettendorf.

The festival proceeds benefit about 50 non-profit organizations and people say it’s very important to keep it going for them.

The festival runs through Sunday. You can see a schedule of events below:

World Chicken Festival • London, Kentucky

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