A modern take on a classic Bowling Green tradition arrives this summer with the first-ever Duncan Hines Days.
Named after the man behind the cake mix and his legacy of eatery curation, the week of festivities celebrates food, travel and entertainment. It won’t be the first event to take inspiration from the Hines legacy.
“Bowling Green for years had a Duncan Hines festival that was downtown around the Fountain Square area, it moved to the Kentucky Museum on WKU’s campus for a few years then eventually moved to Chaney’s Dairy Barn 10 years ago or so and got smaller and smaller as the years went on,” Telia Butler, the city’s downtown development coordinator, said.
She said this shrinkage was mostly due to other events popping up throughout town.
A businessman by trade, Hines was always in search of a decent meal when on the road. He kept a diary of the eateries and hotels he’d visit on his travels, eventually publishing his findings in 1936 as the first of many Duncan Hines “Adventures in Good Eating” books, marking the beginning of travel guides.
“By the 60s there were over 140 items with his brand and label on them,” Butler said. “Not just the recipe and guide books, but also your cookware, bakeware, dining room sets, your barbecues and grills.”
He became a trusted household name, with families depending on his guide books to find clean hotels, fun attractions and good food on vacations. Hines went so far as to rent out “recommended by Duncan Hines” signs to businesses to show off his mark of approval.
Butler said conversations about a revamped Duncan Hines celebration began last year after she found a 1986 Daily News poster commemorating 50 years since the publication of Hines’ first guide.
“With this we thought, how can we take the old festival and name and turn this into something that celebrates more than just the man behind the cake mix, and more of the heritage and culinary and travel and adventure-seeking nature that he had,” Butler said.
She said the week-long celebration is a way to bring a more unifying event to the city, as many of its most well-known attractions mainly serve particular interests.
“Ultimately Bowling Green is on the map with Corvette, Mammoth Cave, Beech Bend and WKU,” she said. “All of those things are valuable assets to the community that each tell their own story and have tremendous value, but at the same time they’re all very niche.”
The events kick off on June 5 and will run until the conclusion of the Duncan Hines Restaurant Week on June 11. Musical acts will be announced on March 24.
Folks can make reservations to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner on the Historic Railpark & Train Museum’s Duncan Hines Dining Car throughout the week.
The Bowling Green Hot Rods will wear special team jerseys and hold baking items giveaways at their June 6 home game.
The Uncle Duncan’s Walk ‘n Wheels Parade will circle downtown on June 8, with parade participants encouraged to decorate their non-motorized parade vehicles in a Duncan Hines theme.
After the parade, SoKY Marketplace will host an old-fashioned ice cream social reminiscent of a sock hop featuring a live performance from Bueller’s Day Off and a Dolly Parton kids pageant judged by Dolly Parton lookalike Natasha Neely.
A disc golf tournament at Phil Moore Park is scheduled for June 10. That same day, a Duncan Hines Duck Paddle will see participants float down Barren River and take part in a block party after the race.
Butler said she hopes the festivities will give former Bowling Green residents and WKU alumni a reason to return home and bring the city a bit more attention as a whole.
“The Duncan Hines idea and concept provides food, entertainment and adventure, a little something for everyone,” Butler said.
