Beautiful Paducah

29/01/2025

The BBQ on the River Planning Committee is proud to formally announce that the numbers are in, and a total has been determined for the charitable contributions made from BBQ on the River 2024.

$319,387.82 was raised for our local/regional charities & nonprofit organizations!

With 2022’s festival being Beautiful Paducah’s 1st year as the hosting organization, this brings BBQ on the River’s 3-year fundraising total to $1,035,644.53!

As our team begins counting down the days in 2025 until the 31st Annual BBQ on the River, both the BBQ on the River Planning Committee & Beautiful Paducah are honored to have the responsibility and opportunity to continue hosting an event that supported 91 different local/regional nonprofit organizations in 2024. With the help of the City of Paducah, we are committed to the continued growth & evolution of the festival - with even more fundraising opportunities, vendors, and experiences to come!

The dates for BBQ on the River 2025 are as follows:
Thursday, September 25th 11:00am-10:00pm
Friday, September 26th 11:00am-11:00pm
Saturday, September 27th 11:00am-11:00pm

Pre-registration for all new vendors interested in participating in this year’s event will begin online on Saturday, February 1st. Vendor applications for the 31st Annual BBQ on the River will be available beginning Monday, February 24th 2025. The pre-registration form and online application can be accessed on our festival website www.bbqpaducah.com and a link to these online forms will be included on our Beautiful Paducah homepage under the BBQ on the River tab, on the respective dates listed above.

For musicians interested in playing at BBQ on the River 2025, please email your music press kit & audio/video recordings & performance files to [email protected].

As a result of the groundbreaking for the Downtown Paducah BUILD Grant in our festival’s current location, and the Downtown City Block Parking Lot being made fully available for public use - The 31st Annual BBQ on the River will again undergo a change in footprint. BBQ on the River 2025 will be coming home! The festival will be returning to its original location until the completion of the Downtown Paducah BUILD Grant project, with the majority of vendors being placed in & around the Downtown Paducah Farmer’s Market & City Block parking lot.

As always, the mission of BBQ on the River is to cook the best BBQ in the world & raise the most money possible for local/regional nonprofits – all while maintaining a safe, family friendly environment for all in attendance. On behalf of the entire BBQ on the River Planning Committee, the Beautiful Paducah team, and all the charities and nonprofits benefiting from this event -THANK YOU PADUCAH & BEYOND!

16/09/2024

BBQ on the River... More than just good eats, we've got good tunes too!

Don't miss all the amazing talent on the BBQ Main Stage & feel free to bring your lawn chairs for the grassy area in front of the stage or take advantage of our free public seating!

See you on the River!

Barbecue on the River Paducah Main Street Paducah Creative City GT Productions

15/09/2024

BBQ on the River 2024 Official Site Map Coming Your Way!!!

The BBQ Planning Committee will be dropping off printed copies at Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau and will be available beginning Tuesday, September 17th - they will also be available at the BBQ on the River Info Tent & their will be large maps posted at each entry point!

Don't miss the 30th Annual BBQ on the River Festival happening this Thursday, September 19th-Saturday, September 21st in Downtown Paducah!

We'll see you all on the river! 🐷🐔🎶

Barbecue on the River Paducah Main Street Paducah Creative City

26/04/2024

If you haven't made it over to the new website for BBQ on the River - check it out! The website will be edited weekly & new information, festival news, & updates will be posted there!

OUR VENDOR APPLICATIONS ARE NOW COMPLETELY ONLINE!
This simplifies the application process for our team and keeps things moving more efficiently!

Visit the festival website www.bbqpaducah.com
-> select "Applications" & "BBQOTR Applications" from the drop down menu
-> Click the button "FESTIVAL VENDORS: READ BEFORE APPLYING!", download the PDF & read over the ENTIRE document
-> Click the button "FESTIVAL VENDORS: APPLY HERE" & follow the link to the online application form
-> Fill out, submit, and our team will review & reach out to each of you individually if you have any questions!

Here's to the 30th Anniversary BBQ on the River - we look forward to celebrating with you again in 2024!

15/04/2024

BBQ ON THE RIVER 2024 ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

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11/04/2024

Letters & Donation Checks Are Going Out Today - And That's A Wrap For Paducah PrideFest!

Thank You Again To Our Local LGBTQ+ Community & Beyond For Allowing Us To Be Your Allies & Partner's In Bringing This Amazing Experience To Paducah These Past 2 Years!

Here's To The Next Chapter!
❤🧡💛💚💙💜

10/04/2024

Paducah, we couldn't be more proud of how "X Marks the Spot" Paducah Eclipse Festival went for our community! Thank you!

THOUSANDS of people, both locals & travelers alike, flocked to our downtown to share in the amazing celestial phenomenon & the festival experience! The amount of love & support we experienced during this event from our community, as well as the interactions we had with people from all over the world in regards to how impressed & smitten they were with our small town, let us know just how important this was for our city!
We are forever grateful & humbled by the experience!

If you made it out to the festival, please comment or tag/share with us your photos of your favorite moments at the event - we would love to hear about it & see it!

Beautiful Paducah is a non-profit organization created to organize community festivals & events

05/04/2024

We are so proud & excited to see our beautiful & charming town featured on a national & international platform by NBC News for the upcoming "X Marks the Spot" Paducah Eclipse 2024 Grassroots Festival happening downtown this coming Sunday & Monday! The The New York Times, KET - Kentucky Educational Television, and many other story tellers & media outlets have been out there spreading positivity about this event & once in a lifetime phenomenon that we are so fortunate to experience twice!

Check it out!
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/solar-eclipse-excitement-seizes-us-rcna146193
And then make sure to visit - WWW.PADUCAHECLIPSE - for all your festival/event updates going into the weekend!

Cities and towns along the path of totality are planning viewing events, science talks and plenty of celebratory offerings during the total solar eclipse Monday.

29/03/2024

A final message & farewell for Paducah Pridefest!

22/03/2024

Public Service Announcement:
Please Share!

An excerpt from our Paducah PrideFest Press Release:
"We want to thank our community again for the out pour of unwavering support & love, as well as your continuedpatience as we work to navigate this trying & transitional time in our organization’s history. It has been made very clear to us, in the recent months, which individuals & organizations wish to spread misgivings about our organization, our integrity, and what it is we are actually here to do for our community. And to that we say - we will never feed into the toxic narratives, we will not be bullied into submission, and we will most certainly not give energy to those responsible for these dark & negative outward projections. Beautiful Paducah is, and will always be, an organization that strives for the betterment of our entire community, and in our hearts - we know truth, perseverance, love & light will always win."

22/03/2024

UPDATE: BBQ ON THE RIVER APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24TH ON WWW.BBQPADUCAH.COM

Last but certainly not least...
Announcement #3 for BBQ on the River 2024!

Vendor & Musician applications for this year's festival will be officially live Monday, April 1st on our website - and we are going electronic!!! (Don't worry - we will still have hardcopy/manual options for those who need it!)
More info on this to come!

Although this is the end of our 3-day BBQ on the River announcement series, it also marks the beginning of consistent updates on all of the important details & developments we are working on for the festival!
So as always, stay tuned in for your exclusive festival updates & news!

20/03/2024

Back again for BBQ on the River Announcement #2!
We are so excited to release to you the total charitable contributions that were made as a result of BBQ on the River 2023!
At the end of the festival, we require our vendors fill out & return to us a charitable contribution sheet as well as a simple P&L in order to better validate & report to you the philanthropic impact this event has annually!

We are so proud to announce that BBQ on the River 2023 was able to raise $308,849.76 for our local/regional nonprofits & charities bringing the combined total raised in 2 years to - $716,256.71!
Our goal for 2024 is to see that 3 year total hit $1,050,000.00!

In addition to these numbers, some notable figures & info we would like to highlight & share with you include an increase in the amount of BBQ vendors participating in 2023 by 37.5% & and an increase in the amount of Food/Drink vendor participation by 20%!

We implemented a baby changing & breast feeding station for all the moms out there at the festival, we offered a free localized trolley to pick up patrons from various downtown parking lots and then to transport them to the festival grounds, we partnered with the National Quilt Museum to offer a handicap/elderly/pregnant drop-off zone near the heart of the festival, and organized & staffed 2 large passenger golf carts to transport those who needed the assistance maneuvering within the festival boundaries!

We are here to continue working every year to bring a better experience for all involved and we are honored to do so for our community! We look forward to sharing with you some additional dates & details for this year's festival - stay tuned for tomorrow's announcement!

19/03/2024

In honor of today being exactly 6 months until BBQ on the River 2024, we have decided to use the next three days to share some announcements - including some recap details for BBQ 2023 and the kick-off of this year's festival season with some important info & dates for BBQ 2024!

That's right - BBQ on the River 2024 will be returning September 19th - September 21st! So mark your calendars, prepare your stomachs, and get your wallets ready to not only enjoy some delicious food - but help our local community nonprofits while doing so!

Announcement #1:
For the first time in BBQ in the River history, we were able to collect the data necessary to give an accurate count of just how many people showed up & showed out in 2023!

49,700 people made their way to Downtown Paducah last September!!!
This data was collected using cell phones, and 49,700 is the amount of unique cell phone pings that were registered on the festival grounds! That doesn't include that a vast majority of these cell phones were pinged at the festival multiple time! THIS IS HUGE! When hosting a free, non-ticketed community festival - it is really hard for us to gauge just how many people are coming and going! Our organization originally estimated 30,000-35,000, and needless to say this was an AMAZING surprise!

So now that you all know 2024's festival dates & just how many people came out to this event - stay tuned in tomorrow for the next announcement of just how much funds have been raised for local charities & nonprofit organizations in the past two years!

Beautiful Paducah is a non-profit organization created to organize community festivals & events

18/03/2024

STAY TUNED IN PADUCAH!
Tomorrow will kick off our 3 day announcement series giving you all some recap details on BBQ 2023 as well as BBQ on the River 2024! We are beyond honored to be of service to our community again for the third year to bring this amazing community experience & gathering to WKY, to enjoy some incredible BBQ & festivities, and most importantly - to help offer a space for our brothers & sisters in the community to be able to raise the most funds possible for their nonprofits/charitable organizations!

For now, we are excited to make the formal announcement that beginning in the month of April, we will be re-opening our office doors for the 2024 season!!! Being that we are predominantly a volunteer ran organization, our Beautiful Paducah HQ will be set up "By Appointment Only" in terms of public use while our team dives straight into the planning season behind the scenes!

We want to thank you all again for your continued love, support, and kindness - we can't wait to share with you all that's to come!

Beautiful Paducah is a non-profit organization created to organize community festivals & events

16/03/2024

Sharing on our account the announcement made earlier today by Paducah PrideFest. It really took us a moment to gather our words - at this time, we would love to share with our Facebook Family our story & perspective of this journey and what it has meant to us!

Paducah Pridefest started with a group of AMAZING humans within Paducah's LGBTQ+ communty who had a vision to bring a Pride festival back to our area! In the early month's of 2022, Beautiful Paducah's Co-founders Whitney & Tyler Wallace fatefully crossed paths with this group during the infancy & early stages of establishing BP as an organization, and conversations started flowing on how we could make this vision a reality with them! With one of Beautiful Paducah's proposed key 5 pillars of civic engagement being to support "Diversity", and with our hearts full of love & support for human equality - it was a no brainer that we needed to step-up & stand next to our LGBQT+ brothers & sisters as their allies and advisory board to help in the planning & logistics process that comes along with making something like this happen!

So. Much. Blood. Sweat. And. Tears. Went into planning the very first PrideFest event and we were all so floored at the community's response to what we created together, and the overall energy that filled the air that day, all the way from sun up to sun down! It was pure magic! The outward display & the feelings of love, unity, and togetherness that was shared amongst our PrideFest planning committee and beyond will go down as one of the best moments in our organization's history! All of this wonderful energy & momentum carried into 2023 and our PrideFest committe came together to create another very successful event for our community!

But with success & growth must also come failures, and 2023 brought with it several challenges. We witnessed divides & cracks begin to form in our steadfast Paducah Pride community & leadership team as a whole, and by the end of 2023 - our PrideFest Comittee chairs made the executive decision to step down & allow space for the community to heal and move forward without them.

In January of 2024, meetings began with the remaining members of the PrideFest team, and we all worked very hard to put our heads together to find ways to delegate the work load efficiently, in a short amount of time, so that we could make this happen for our community!

But the truth is, morale was low and the energy that is necessary, as well as the human resources/manpower required, to put on a festival of this magnitude was too great for the remaining members to take on, and starting over with an entirely new group this late in the game just did not feel realistic to the collective.

As a result of the adversity our PrideFest Comittee was faced with on both an internal & external level after 2023's PrideFest - Beautiful Paducah had already began internally working through the process of what it would take to come together with our members of the PrideFest Comittee to help them begin their own non-profit and for us to pass along the torch & resources for the event to be sustained entirely by the LGBTQ+ community going into 2024, this was well before any changes in leadership had occurred. This "changing of the guard" so to speak is what we had always envisioned was our part to play in Paducah PrideFest. To help create it, help build it up, streamline processes & make sure it was stabilized, and then put back it back in the hands of the LGBTQ+ to continue the experience for generations to come.

That may not be exactly how things have panned out, but we don't regret this journey for a moment & we don't feel our work here is done with the Paducah Pride Community!

Our goal going forward will be to help consult with LGBTQ+ groups interested in starting their own non-profit - whether it is to put on a festival to celebrate your freedom & community during Pride month, to create a much needed community outreach based organization to provide mental & emotional support for children and/or adults, to spread awareness & to educate, or to help stop bullying and the degradation of basic human rights! Whatever unity looks like to you, we would love to help you shine your light in a world that needs it more now than ever!

All in all, we couldn't be more proud of every single member of the PrideFest leadership comittee, and every single member holds a special place in our heart! Each of these indivuals selflessly stepped up in such a big way to give a piece of themselves to make this happen for two amazing years for our community! We couldn't be more grateful for the volunteers, vendors, and sponsors that helped make this event possible - and most importantly all of you who showed up and showed out! It wouldn't have been possible without you! THANK YOU!

Truly, it has been an absolute honor and we will always stand beside & with ALL of our brothers & sisters - no matter your race, color, religion, s*x (including gender identity, s*xual orientation, and pregnancy), and national origin... Because it is each and every one of you unique humans that makes Paducah, beautiful.

Thank you again for allowing us to be a part of your community, and remember - love will always win!

13/03/2024

Hello Facebook Family!
It has been quite the long hiatus from both social media & being in the public eye, as a whole!
For the past several months, we have been dedicating our energy to navigating both personal and organizational related transitions! We are now slowly settling in to what the next chapter has in store & we are preparing to share with you all what 2024 holds for our organization! So please stay tuned in, throughout the remainder of March we will be sharing news and updates on all of the events/festivals and projects we have completed in 2023, and what to expect for 2024!

For now, we are so excited to formally announce our partnership with Paducah Main Street and Wildhair Studios' Rock Shop to bring our community a two day grassroots-style street fair and festival Sunday, April 7th from 12:00pm-9:00pm & Monday, April 8th 10:00am-4:00pm!
This event was created to bring both travelers and locals alike together to celebrate this "once in a lifetime" celestial phenomenon that our city is lucky enough to experience twice in less than a decade!

Paducah Eclipse 2024 Festival will be held on the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd block in our historic downtown - with activities & vendors running down Broadway St.
This event will include science demonstrations & workshops with Jason Lindsey aka "Mr. Science" with Hooked on Science and our friends at Inland Waterways! There will be eclipse art activities for adults & children, live local artist/artisans, designated eclipse themed educational/reading areas, yoga & meditation stations, guided star gazing, a psychic fair, retail/shopping vendors, food/drink, live music, and games/activities for all ages!

If you are interested in being a part of this festival - whether as an artist, vendor, or volunteer - on either or both of the days... Please follow the links posted below or connect with us via email [email protected] - we still have limited space & availability for the event!

Follow along here, through Paducah Main Street, or the festival FB page & website!
https://www.paducaheclipse.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090383443049...
Food/Drink & Retail Vendor Application & Info:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Jd6yQsinlcoJ7ypJUlD2u0RMMU_gIREIWDHMixXltMA/viewform?pli=1&chromeless=1&pli=1&edit_requested=true

Volunteer Sign-Up:
https://signup.com/go/fFCryPP

Artist/Artisan Participation:
Please email us!