![]() |
Top of Woodford County Tourist Commission's home page |
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
The commission announced its 2021 theme in a Facebook livestream on Friday that included Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and Holly Hill Inn co-owner Ouita Michel.
Vandegrift said this is a “perfect year to focus on Fantastic Fare.”
The commission announced its 2021 theme in a Facebook livestream on Friday that included Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and Holly Hill Inn co-owner Ouita Michel.
Vandegrift said this is a “perfect year to focus on Fantastic Fare.”
He said of Midway, “We are a dining destination” with “world-class-like” restaurants, called Equus Run Vineyards “a wonderful world-class winery just down the road,” and noted that Bluegrass Distillers is relocating from Lexington to the northwest side of the Interstate 64 interchange: “We’re proud to get back into the distilling game soon.”
The mayor also called Michel the “most influential person in Midway.”
County Judge-Executive James Kay called Michel, owner of eight restaurants, including Midway Bakery and Wallace Station Deli and Bakery, a “true treasure and asset to Central Kentucky.”
Michel said she was “proud to be a part of Woodford County.”
The livestream ended with a video that featured some of the restaurateurs, winemakers and bourbon distillers of Woodford County, presented by Emily Downey, the commission’s executive director. Due to technical difficulties, the video was later reposted separately on the commission’s Facebook page.
In 2019, $34.3 million was spent on tourism in Woodford County, according to state estimates, and the industry employs 272 people in the county, Commission Chair Maria Bohanan said during the livestream.
The day before, in a five-hour retreat meeting, the commission discussed rebranding the county’s tourism promotion and ideas for a new campaign.
The seven-year-old “Uniquely Woodford” campaign was driven by Ken Kerkhoff, then a city council member in Versailles, at a time when the commission had little money and no staff of its own.
Before the current logo, which is a horse with a barrel with ‘Uniquely Woodford’ in letters next to it, the Commission had a “horseshoe with bourbon,” Bohanan said. “I want to say it was the horseshoe, bourbon and something else.” The current slogan is “Bourbon, wine and bloodlines,” a reference to the county’s horse breeding industry.
Commission member Cortney Neikirk of Midway said the current logo is “not flashy.” Bohanan called it “stale” and said she was “tired of ‘uniquely’.” Several other members agreed and felt that the wording needed to be “more actionable” by potential visitors.
“I look at it as a nice jumping-off point,” said Aaron Smither, owner of the Jimmy John’s in Versailles. “When we didn’t have anything, this just served us well.” The commission’s budget increased by thousands of dollars a month almost two years ago when Versailles got a Holiday Inn Express, the county’s first hotel in decades.
Bohanan said she wants the logo to have “that Pottery Barn feel,” and Neikirk said she would like something that is “classically timeless.”
In reply to a question from the Messenger, Neikirk said that there wasn’t “anything specific to Midway” that came out of the meeting and “Anything we do is gonna help the county, which in return will help Midway.”
Meanwhile, Vandegrift has tourism-promotion plans of his own.
The mayor also called Michel the “most influential person in Midway.”
County Judge-Executive James Kay called Michel, owner of eight restaurants, including Midway Bakery and Wallace Station Deli and Bakery, a “true treasure and asset to Central Kentucky.”
Michel said she was “proud to be a part of Woodford County.”
The livestream ended with a video that featured some of the restaurateurs, winemakers and bourbon distillers of Woodford County, presented by Emily Downey, the commission’s executive director. Due to technical difficulties, the video was later reposted separately on the commission’s Facebook page.
![]() |
The commission's current promotion includes Heirloom. (For a larger version of the image, click on it.) |
The day before, in a five-hour retreat meeting, the commission discussed rebranding the county’s tourism promotion and ideas for a new campaign.
The seven-year-old “Uniquely Woodford” campaign was driven by Ken Kerkhoff, then a city council member in Versailles, at a time when the commission had little money and no staff of its own.
Before the current logo, which is a horse with a barrel with ‘Uniquely Woodford’ in letters next to it, the Commission had a “horseshoe with bourbon,” Bohanan said. “I want to say it was the horseshoe, bourbon and something else.” The current slogan is “Bourbon, wine and bloodlines,” a reference to the county’s horse breeding industry.
Commission member Cortney Neikirk of Midway said the current logo is “not flashy.” Bohanan called it “stale” and said she was “tired of ‘uniquely’.” Several other members agreed and felt that the wording needed to be “more actionable” by potential visitors.
“I look at it as a nice jumping-off point,” said Aaron Smither, owner of the Jimmy John’s in Versailles. “When we didn’t have anything, this just served us well.” The commission’s budget increased by thousands of dollars a month almost two years ago when Versailles got a Holiday Inn Express, the county’s first hotel in decades.
Bohanan said she wants the logo to have “that Pottery Barn feel,” and Neikirk said she would like something that is “classically timeless.”
In reply to a question from the Messenger, Neikirk said that there wasn’t “anything specific to Midway” that came out of the meeting and “Anything we do is gonna help the county, which in return will help Midway.”
Meanwhile, Vandegrift has tourism-promotion plans of his own.
In an annual report sent to the City Council and the Messenger Monday afternoon, which he will present at Tuesday night's council meeting, he said he would propose in the 2021-22 budget unspecified funding for “signage along [US] 421 at the interstate exchange that better welcomes visitors who may not be aware that beyond that overpass is a bustling little city with many shops and restaurants.”