Main Street Winchester continues to take steps to improve downtown Winchester, and those efforts continue to be recognized at the state level.

MSW took home three state awards in Covington Tuesday.   

Each year, Kentucky Main Street, a program of the Kentucky Heritage Council, recognizes the best in Main Street programs across eight categories.

This year, Winchester’s downtown received honors in three categories: Best Downtown Beautification for the Courthouse clock tower reconstruction, Best Main Street Event for the Beer Cheese Festival, and the Spirit of Main Street was awarded to former chair Graham Johns.

The winning tradition for Winchester began in 2009 for Best Economic Restructuring and gained momentum in 2017 with honors for Best Promotional Event coming from Better Block: ReMain North.

Main Street Winchester, in partnership with the City of Winchester and other local community partners, has focused heavily on redevelopment efforts in historic downtown Winchester.

In recent years we’ve been proud to see the Clark County Fiscal Court take steps to reconstruct the deteriorating courthouse tower. The new tower, which was installed late last year, is a beautiful addition to the downtown landscape.

We’ve praised the project in the past and are glad to see the court and MSW get statewide recognition for the project.

Much praise also goes to sixth district Magistrate Robert Blanton who helped spearhead the project.

Clark County is home to some great local festivals, none better than the Beer Cheese Festival hosted annually downtown for more than a decade. The festival draws thousands of people from around the state and further to enjoy Clark County’s popular culinary treat. The festival continues to be a great place to not only enjoy and vote for beer cheese, but to build community connections.

What began as a fundraiser for the local Main Street program has developed into a catalyst for other projects, programs and improvements. Local retailers report record sales during the event and proceeds generated from the one-day annual festival have been used by MSW to leverage further investment in downtown through partnerships and matching grants totaling over $400,000.

But perhaps the most well-deserved award this year went to the late Graham Johns.

The Spirit of Main Street is awarded to individuals who play a much-needed role in their community, for commitment shown, for admirable leadership skills or for courage to overcome personal challenges. Graham Johns received this award posthumously having lost his short battle to cancer in June 2018.

Johns served his community his whole life. He sat on the board of Hospice, coached Little League for over 20 years, volunteered at his church and served on committees with the Chamber of Commerce. He led the local Toastmasters club, emceed charity events, participated in productions at Leeds Theatre and played Santa Claus.

When Johns retired, he turned volunteerism into a full-time job and focused his efforts on downtown. Joining Main Street Winchester in 2014, he quickly took over the role of chairman which he continued until his unexpected death last June.

Graham was a committed local citizen who touched many lives through his work on various boards and with multiple local groups. He was passionated about all he was involved in and his efforts on the MSW board certainly contributed to making downtown Winchester a better place. He had a heart of gold that showed in all he did and no one deserved the Spirit of Main Street Award more than he did.

We celebrate Graham and all that the others who work tirelessly on the MSW board for what they do for our community.

Our downtown continues to make visible improvements year after year. While we know the volunteers do this work because of their passion for the community and downtown, and not for awards, we are proud to see the work celebrated by others around the state.