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Nicholasville has showcased its community pride for over ten years through its Paint the Town event which was recently held.

Residents are invited to paint banners every June and have complete creative agency. Then, in the late summer, those banners will be hung up around Nicholasville and Wilmore’s respective main streets.

Jessamine County Magistrate Justin Ray has been keeping the event going for the last seven years – including the two years the event was not held due to the COVID pandemic.

Ray said these banners, painted by residents of all ages, are meant to beautify the main street and allow locals to express their art skills.

“I think it brings a sense of ownership, community, and pride to our downtown. There’s nothing cooler for my kids anyway, and me personally, I’m not going to lie,” Ray said.

 The day is always a hectic one, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m.

“Fortunately, we have some good volunteers that help me out starting on Monday,” Ray said.

Multiple volunteers who work for the county came out that day, including; Executive Assistant at the Jessamine County Fiscal Court Sydney Hunt, County Administrator Kelly Woolums, secretary Tiffany Shewmaker, and Todd Johns with Revive Ministries.

“We get there, open all the cans, open all the brushes, and get ready to go. There are two waves – 9 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. That allows us time for a break and lunch and time for that first side to dry so we can flip (the banner) over and paint the backside.” Ray said. “The whole community aspect drives us all to do it and do it again next year.”

Eddie Clements, the project manager at Hayden Company, created the Paint the Town event around ten years ago as part of a downtown initiative launched by the city of Nicholasville. Although this organization didn’t last, the event has and continues to evolve today.

The annual event is free for any resident who wants to flex their creative muscles. The tentative date for next year is June 20, 2024, since it is always on the third Thursday of June.