The community of Grayson, Kentucky, in partnership with the City of Grayson and the Kentucky Main Street program announces the newest program in the Commonwealth, the Grayson Main Street District (GMS). One of the 25 programs in locations across the state, Grayson began looking into making an application for approval to begin planning for this new project during the pandemic. After a virtual meeting with KY Main Street Director, Kitty Watson Dougoud (formerly of Boyd County) as a Grayson Rotary Club program, during which she outlined the requirements and procedures in submitting an application, a team was formed to start the process. In late 2022, an application was submitted and Grayson Main Street began informational meetings with the Grayson Creative Community group, as well as various other meetings at the Grayson Gallery & Art Center, a temporary home until a space is obtained in downtown Grayson. The application was approved and the program was instituted in January, 2023.
The City of Grayson will be an ongoing supporter with a small stipend for incidental expenses and operations earmarked for the program during the current fiscal year. All those involved, including Dan Click, GMS Director, are volunteers until full operational funding is obtained. Various grants have been funding the preliminary work of the new organization via several downtown development consultants. Deb Brown of “Save Your Town” was the first visitor to meet with the planning committee, working with a grant obtained by Ruthie Caldwell of Vision Granted and work by the Community Accelerator (a pilot project of the What’s Next Eastern Kentucky?! Network). Teresa Lynch, a former Main Street Director herself who is now working with Main Street America and the National Association of Realtors’ “Smart Growth Grant” (in partnership with the local sponsor, the Ashland Association of Realtors). In the past month, Ben Levenger of Real Estate ReDevelopment completed a downtown redevelopment assessment and plan for implementation. These projects and programs are currently in progress with a focus on Grayson Main Street district. In addition, the most recent funding was awarded by the Carter County Community Fund, a sub-fund of the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, which will enable Grayson Main Street to begin the process of becoming a non-profit, 501c3 organization.
While there have been many local festivals and special events in and around Main street in downtown Grayson, the latest project is a “Peppermint Trail” which will take place in each of the Kentucky Main Street locations. In addition to the already successful Grayson Hometown Holidays event (sponsored by Grayson Tourism) and the annual Christmas Parade (Grayson Area Chamber of Commerce, organizer)which will be taking place on December 1 and 2, this new program will enhance the “shop local” efforts. There will also be a special focus on Colorful Friday on November 24, which kicks off at the Grayson Gallery with art, music and refreshments as well as special sales on original artwork and prints. Next, several merchants who are participating in the Peppermint Trail will have special peppermint-themed items such as soaps, cocktails, cakes and more as part of their offerings on Small Business Saturday. Shoppers are encouraged to look for the large posters in participating storefronts which have a QR code to scan to become registered for prizes. Those who are a bit tech-challenged may fill out paper forms to be eligible as well. There will be local prizes and gift drawings via donations from merchants in the Main Street district and other partners across the city.
For questions about the organization, its projects, programs and volunteering, contact Dan Click, Grayson Main Street Director via email: graysonkymainstreet@gmail.com and look for their page “Grayson Main Street” on Facebook.
