Best of Both Worlds
Small
Town Sexy author Huston
relates tips to La Grange leaders
Discover
Downtown La Grange
outlines its plans for 2012
By
Don Ward
Editor
LA GRANGE, KY. (February 2012) Kim Huston
loves small towns. She grew up in one, lives in one and works for one.
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Kim
Huston
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Huston is a Nelson County, Ky., native who resides in
Bardstown, the bourbon-making capital of the world, and where she now
serves as the president of the Nelson County Economic Development Agency.
The agency also houses tourism, Downtown Development, Industrial Development
and the Chamber of Commerce all under one roof but maintaining their
separate identities.
But Huston does more than work to attract new business and industry
to town. As the author of the 2009 book, Small Town Sexy,
she travels the region talking about the merits of living and working
in a small town.
I wrote the book because I was tired of small towns having the
reputation that they were dying on the vines and tumbleweeds rolling
down Main Street. She interviewed 25 people around the country
and discovered that small towns are not dying but rather are alive and
well.
In fact, people are leaving the big cities and moving out to the
small towns. I wanted people to know you can live large in a small town.
She cites small town advantages as having a sense of place, low cost
of living, convenience, opportunity to get involved in community organizations
or serve in local government, and to essentially enjoy the best of both
worlds.
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Bardstown, with a population 11,000, is located on the
doorstep of Louisville, offering residents there the best of both worlds
rural living with the advantages of the big city just a short
drive away. The same could be said for La Grange, just 25 miles up I-71
from metro Louisville. So when Huston was invited to speak to the Discover
Downtown La Grange members on Jan. 24 at their annual State of
the Community meeting, Hustons experiences sounded all too
familiar.
Discover Downtown La Grange is the towns Main Street Program that
works to develop and maintain a vibrant downtown business district.
In her book, Huston, like other economic development-minded officials,
says the heart of any community is its downtown, so it is essential
that it remain strong.
Huston was the guest speaker to about 50 people at the Rob Morris Chapel
meeting room in La Grange and provided a Powerpoint presentation of
the tenants from her book. A 1983 University of Kentucky graduate, Huston
spent much of her career as a broadcast journalist working in TV and
radio. Now an economic recruiter, Huston also serves on
the Kentucky Association of Economic Development Board of Directors,
where she has been named the Economic Professional of the Year.
Bardstown recently completed a $3 million streetscape project and has
developed a strong and active Farmers Market.
During her visit to La Grange, population 8,200, Huston said she was
impressed with the citys potential, especially considering its
close proximity to Louisville and with a rural lifestyle that people
are seeking. DDL Executive Director Linda Goin echoed Hustons
remarks in giving her report on past accomplishments after only her
first year as director and outlining the goals for the next year.
We have had nearly $400,000 in private investment to buy and renovate
our old buildings over the past year, Goin said. Weve
had 61 jobs created by new business openings in the downtown area. As
of right now, we have every storefront rented or filled. And we are
starting to build a sense of community.
Several new events are planned for this year. It started with a very
successful second annual Elvis Birthday Celebration, held in January.
Then the third annual Shop Local Bridal Fair took place in late January.
The Chocolate Crawl is returning for its second year in February. A
car club will brings its car show to town on the fourth Saturday of
each month between April to October. The Blue Hydrangea Progressive
Tea Party is scheduled for April. And the citys weekly Farmers
Market opens in May and runs through October. The Railroad and Antiques
Festival is scheduled to return in September. There are also Ghost Tours
in the fall and the biggest event, the Light Up La Grange holiday event,
in early December.
Goin also announced at the meeting that Karen Eldridge of Karens
Book Barn had been selected as the organizations Volunteer
of the Year and that Cub Bank had been selected as its Business
of the Year. Both were recognized Jan. 25 at the Kentucky Main
Street state convention in Frankfort. Jim Zimmerman, an active DDL member
works at the Cub Bank La Grange branch and helped to create the inaugural
La Grange Railroad Festival last fall.
DDL promotions chair Robin Work reported that the organization hosts
80 events throughout the year, which is quite an achievement. The $200
a year dues all go into the promotions fund this year to help market
those events, she said. One new promotion is an online campaign called
The 52 Faces of La Grange which profiles various people
in the community. Also ongoing is a strategic plan being developed by
University of Cincinnati design students. A final report is due soon.
For more information, visit: www.DiscoverDowntownLaGrange.org.
For more information about Kim Huston and her book, visit: www.SmallTownSexyBook.com.
Back to February 2012
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