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In 1998, Gallia County Farm Bureau needed a way to raise more funds to complete program activities in the county. In addition to the extra funds, the county wanted to start a scholarship for area youth.

This grew into the idea of creating a basket to be sold at the Bob Evans Farm Festival in Rio Grande. Contacts were made with festival organizers Ray McKinnis and Gayle Leslie, and the project started in 1998 with 500 baskets sold. Each year, the Gallia County Farm Bureau sells 250 before the festival. Then the Bob Evans Farm takes over and sells its 250 during the festival, which is the second weekend in October.

The tradition has continued every year since. The first two years, Gallia County used a local basket company, The Cherry Basket Company, but in 2000 it went out of business. Since then, the baskets have been made by the Royce Basket Company in Coshocton. In the four years the baskets have been on sale, the Gallia County Farm Bureau has raised about $13,500. The baskets have become quite a collectors’ item. Each year, baskets can be ordered by calling the county office at 740-286-4598.

The Bob Evans Farm Festival attracts tens of thousands for its "weekend of fun for friends and family of all ages." For three days, visitors may enjoy musical entertainment, children's activities, farm contests, traditional crafts and farm demonstrations. The festival features the works of more than 150 traditional craftspeople who display their wares, many made with tools and techniques nearly forgotten today.