Thousands make their way to Edmonson County for ‘Redneck Rave’

EDMONSON COUNTY, Ky. (WBKO) - For the second year in a row, the ‘Redneck Rave’ which is marketed as “the biggest country party you’ll ever go to,” is taking place through the weekend at Blue Holler OffRoad Park.

“It’s five days of mud music and mayhem. People from all across America, we gather here it’s like a it’s like a big family,” Event host and founder Justin Time said.

Though fun events like concerts, side by side racing and a demolition derby are on the agenda, law enforcement officials are preparing for a busy weekend with so many people gathering in one place.

“Last year, we just weren’t prepared. We didn’t know, it was a first year for this event, and we just weren’t prepared to deal with that influx of people,” Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle said.

This year other local agencies like Kentucky State Police, fire stations and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife are all coming together to help ensure everyone’s safety. Both Edmonson Co. Emergency Management and KY Regional Emergency Management have arranged for a 24-hour command post to be set up in the event area, with advanced communication equipment.

“There are issues that not necessarily are criminal in nature, just a lot of traffic congestion issues, you know, medical emergencies that people can’t really control on top of the misbehavior,” Doyle explained.

The Sheriff’s Department said there is going to be a zero tolerance policy for riding ATV’s on the road and any alcohol related offense. “We will make an arrest, we will take them to jail,” the sheriff said when talking about alcohol related offenses.

Last year, there was a fatal ATV crash at the park during the time of the Redneck Rave. Event staff is enforcing security measures like a 5 mph speed limit and helmet wearing. They also partnered with Verizon to ensure there is good communication in case of an emergency.

“Because accidents can happen at the blink of an eye, and we just, you know, we don’t want that to happen,” Time said.

Several local vendors are set up at the event and with an influx of people in the county, it makes a good moment for tourism.

“We’ve got a lot of deals with local hotels, motels, stores,” Kevin Nelson, the co-owner of Blue Holler, said. “We keep everybody local.”

For more information about the Redneck Wave you can visit their website.

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