NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Four days of fun kick off in Jessamine County on Wednesday with the start of the annual fall festival.

Petting zoos, live music from local bands, plenty of food, and carnival rides—there is fun for the whole family.

But it goes deeper than that, however.

Since the festival started in 2016, organizers said it has grown like wildfire. Fueling that fire is the support they get from their community.

It’s an opportunity to come together for a good time, something organizers said the community needed. Their goal is to celebrate all that Jessamine County has to offer and to ensure the festival offers something for everyone who stops by.

With the help of a number of local businesses and organizations involved, they can make that happen free of charge.

“Have a family fun day, do events, and not have to worry about, ‘Am I going to be able to afford groceries after I take my kids out to this festival?’ If you just stand back and pause for a second, which a lot of us don’t, don’t get a lot of time to do, and just kind of look around and see the smiling faces, the kids that have their faces painted, and the joy and just the laughter that’s happening,” Kristyn Abler, festival committee member, said.

Part of what makes the festival so special as well is the work it does for the community, even after the four days are over. After all expenses are paid, festival organizers donate any extra funding to charities and non-profits in Jessamine County.

Partnering with the Jessamine County Homeless Coalition and the new Center for Growth and Hope, they pick two other charities every year to share the donations with.

This year, they’re partnering with Stable Recovery and the Jessamine County Food Pantry.

“Not only to get them out here and get them in the community and maybe earn a little bit of money, but to get them involved so we can bring some recognition to them,” Johnny Templin, Jessamine County Homeless Coalition executive director, said. “That it’s such an awesome thing. It’s not nothing. You know, we see it throughout the community, but the region. But in this area, with this festival, that didn’t happen before. So, it’s quite awesome.”

The festival is located at the City/County Park Fairgrounds in Nicholasville.

For more information, visit jessaminefallfestival.com.