Community surveys in Nelson County indicated that families wanted more safe activity options in the community. Nelson County traditionally relies on tourism and fall festivals for income and community engagement.  Covid-19 greatly impacted our community's ability to engage in traditional fall festivities. Nelson County 4-H also relied heavily on face-to-face fundraising efforts, in the fall such as candy sales and working events. These efforts to were curtailed due to Covid.

Patterned after a Christian County 4-H Fundraiser, the Nelson County 4-H Bale Trail engaged local farmers and businesses to create fun displays from hay.  Community Partners were encouraged to sponsor displays made from hay to create a self-guided driving tour of the county.  Eight displays were sponsored, bringing revenue into the 4-H program, when many other fundraisers had to be cancelled due to Covid Restrictions.  

The trail was publicized through newsletters and social media, including the Nelson County Cooperative Extension page and local community forums.  Community members enjoyed the trail, shared pictures on social media and tagged friends and family in comments, encouraging them to take a fun family drive to see the displays. 

The location of the displays covered diverse areas of the county were on display for the 2 weeks leading up to Halloween. One family commented that their kids had great family time and it was a fun way to see different parts of the county.  

Sponsors included local businesses, farms, non-profits and Ag Related agencies.   Sponsors of the trail noticed an increase in customer engagement, such as new customers stopping by to see the displays and increased social media traffic.  The winning display won a trophy to keep until next year, and they noted that next year they will defend their championship and help the trail to be bigger and better.