2023 marks the 74th year of the Warren County Prime Beef Festival, which kicks off Saturday, September 2nd with the Princess Pageant at The Crossing in Monmouth, livestock shows on Monday before ramping up the following Wednesday with the annual parade down Broadway and daily events at the Monmouth Park for the remainder of the week. Prime Beef Festival Committee Member Aubrey McVey shares this year’s theme and the history behind the long-standing tradition:
“The theme this year of the Prime Beef Festival is ‘The Carnival of Cows.’ Quite literally, the Prime Beef Festival is The Carnival of Cows. Our history started with agriculture, specifically within the livestock and cattle industry, dating back to 1948 when we were originally founded. The first Prime Beef Festival was hosted because of Monmouth’s and Warren County and the surrounding area and their accomplishments within the cattle industry. When you think about the Prime Beef Festival theme, it represents the year, but it also plays a big part in the parade and how people build their floats. So, when we are envisioning ‘The Carnival of Cows,’ we are thinking about a cow that is riding a zipper that is riding down the middle of Broadway. The ideas and creativity is really endless and we feel that within the county, agriculture and cows specifically is something that a lot of people can take part in and really make it their own.”
Additionally, Dorothy Oaks has been named Grand Marshall of the Prime Beef Festival Parade. For a complete detailed list of events at the 2023 Warren County Prime Beef Festival, search them on Facebook.
