Welcome to History - Pineville/Bell County Kentucky; Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival

Welcome to Bell County and to the Gem City, Pineville, Kentucky! This weekend the City of Pineville is filled with first time visitors, family members and friends that have returned to celebrate the 85th Annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. This years theme is: "Elegant Traditions" There is no other festival in Kentucky like the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. No other city is filled with princess and queen candidates that are escorted everywhere they go for this one of a kind unique event. It is easy to spot a queen this weekend. If you see a beautiful lady arrayed in the colors of springs with a gentlemen escort that is a queen more than likely. If she is wearing a big beautiful hat and if she performs a curtsy then without a doubt, she is a Queen! The Queen Candidates were selected by their college or university selection committees and are here representing their alma maters hoping to be crowned the 2015 Queen at the Coronation Ceremony held at the Laurel Cove Amphitheater. The Laurel Cove itself is a historical spot of beauty nestled in the heart of the mountains at Kentucky's First State Park, Pine Mountain State Park. The beauty of the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival is not reserved only for Queens but the KMLF is also filled with the beauty of Princess Candidates who represent the areas high schools. One of the Princess Candidates will be selected from among them and will be crowned Princess of the 2015 Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. Our new Princess will be riding in a specifically designed and decorated float in honor of her and the event. Her float will be covered in the colors of the festival, pink, green and white on Saturday's parade event. Our visitors should know that we residents take a great deal of personal pride in this historical event. Our Gem City is decorated and spruced up. Our homes lawns have been manicured and without a doubt you are seeing pink and green nearly everywhere you look, and that is just the way we like it. Each of the local business owners also take pride in the event you are experiencing this weekend. When you are the second oldest festival in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, second only to the Kentucky Derby, and the Governor is always here, then that is something you can be thankful and proud to host. Welcome to Bell County, home of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the gateway to the West. With all the events of the festival, the parade, downtown concessions, tea's, receptions, carnival rides, concerts, dinners, cook-outs, family reunions and awards that will be given out to candidates, businesses, participants and home owners, there is much to do and experience in one weekend. Allow me to be the first to invite you to come back and visit our area again. On that trip plan to go to Martin's Station just over the Cumberland Gap and begin your journey of seeing the 'Warriors Path'. Cross the Gap, visiting the sights, hiking the trails and seeing what is only in Bell County, Kentucky. Our sister the City of Middlesboro was formed from a meteor and sits in a crater. Bell County is home of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College which holds a unique history in Bell County and its servant students are serving the world over in ministries, churches and missions. Pineville is home to the 'Narrows' and the 'Chained Rock'. If those names alone don't cause you to want to visit then you need to just trust me. The journey of your next visit continues all the way to Barbourville, Ky., and to the Dr. Thomas Walker State Park. By the time you get there you will understand his journey and just how historically special this place we call home is to us and the value she holds in the development of this state and nation. There is much to see and experience! Welcome to the Gem City of the Cumberlands, Pineville, Kentucky. Until then