SANDHILL— The children of 4-H Camp founder Elmer Boggs celebrated a unique “Father’s Day” Friday evening as county officials dedicated the campground loop in his honor.
McCreary County Tourism Commissioner Sam Perry presented a history of Boggs’ contributions to the community.
William Elmer Boggs was born in Breathitt County in 1915. Following a stint in the United States Army, Boggs married and earned a degree in agriculture from the University of Kentucky.
Boggs ultimately joined UK’s cooperative extension service, where he was assigned to McCreary County in 1956. Though the county was not really suitable for widespread farming, Boggs found his niche establishing 4-H clubs in the county’s public schools. He also worked toward the marketing of finished wood products rather than traditional timber sales, which led to the establishment of the 4-H Mountain Craft Center and 4-H Camp (initially held on Eagle school property).
In 1959, the United States Forest Service offered Boggs a special use permit to establish a permanent campground at the William Spradlin Farm on Sandhill Road. The camp thrived until Boggs’ retirement in 1980.
Boggs passed away in 1995. The camp ultimately fell under county ownership, where it suffered from what Perry called “benign neglect” until the current administration began allocating occupational tax funds to improve facilities. The site, now known as Sandhill Conservation Camp, hosts events such as JROTC Ranger Rendezvous and the Blazin’ Bluegrass Festival — during which Friday’s ceremony occurred.
The ceremony included naming the .4-mile loop accessing the camp’s 40 hook-ups “Elmer Boggs Road.” Magistrate Judy Redden, who also helped organize the Blazin’ Bluegrass Festival, read a proclamation declaring September 18, 2009, Elmer Boggs Day. Copies of the proclamation as well as photographs of the first camp were presented to Boggs’ children — Janie Wilson, Sarah Conatser and Doug Boggs — who had traveled from the Cincinnati area and Mississippi to attend.
“Elmer was a metaphorical road builder,” Perry said. “In naming this road, the memory of Elmer Boggs will be preserved forever.”
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