Paducah Receives Several Reader's Choice Awards

In February 2012 the Paducah Sun newspaper asked people to nominate people, places, etc. for specific categories.  Paducah won several awards including Best Bike Path for Noble Park (finalist was Greenway Trail); Best Place to Jog for Noble Park (runner-up was Greenway Trail with Downtown as finalist); Best Local Holiday Tradition for Lights in the Park at Noble Park (Christmas Parade was runner-up); Runner-up for Best Playground at Noble Park; Paxton Park runner-up for best golf course and finalist for best driving range; Stuart Nelson Park runner-up for Best Place to Hike with Noble Park as a finalist; Best Annual Festival for BBQ on the River (Dogwood Festival was a finalist); Best Entertainment Value for Noble Park; and of course, Paducah was the winner for Best Town to Live.

Paducah Receives Kentucky Cultural District Certification

In a presentation in Frankfort on February 9, 2012, Paducah received the Kentucky Cultural District Certification award presented by First Lady Jane Beshear and Madeline Abramson, wife of Lt. Governor Jerry Abramson on behalf of the Kentucky Arts Council.  The certification of Paducah and four other communities in Kentucky were selected by an independent panel of reviewers from a pool of 26 applicants.  The Cultural District Certification program, administered by the Kentucky Arts Council, is designed to encourage community engagement and partnerships that facilitate the stimulation and promotion of local cultural, economic, community, tourism and social assets.  Paducah Renaissance Alliance spear-headed the application process.  PRA News Release >>     KY Arts Council News Release >>

Commonwealth's Top 10 Festivals & Events for Spring 2012

The Kentucky Tourism Industry Association (KTIA) selected the 28th Annual Quilt Show and the LowerTown Art and Music Festival as two of the Commonwealth’s Top 10 Festivals & Events for Spring 2012.  The Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) nominates the City’s festivals through a quarterly submission process.  In addition to bragging rights, winners enjoy the added publicity and media exposure provided by KTIA, which includes an article in Kentucky Monthly magazine announcing all of the season winners.  CVB News Release >>

 Your City at Work Receives Silver Medallion Award

West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) is the recipient of several awards from the National Conference for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR).  One of the awards is for the City of Paducah television program Your City at Work.  The episode Your City at Work: Barkley Regional Airport received a Silver Medallion Award from NCMPR, the second highest award in the College Video Program category.  News Release >> 

 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Paducah has been awarded the 20th consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).  The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.  The award recognizes the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).  This 20th award recognizes the CAFR for the fiscal year that eneded June 30, 2010.

 Paducah Named One of Best Communities for Young People

On October 12, 2011, Paducah officially achieved national recognition as one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING.  The competition recognizes communities across the country that focus on reducing high school dropout rates and providing service and support to their youth.  News Release >>  To read more about Paducah's achievement, click America's Promise.

WKCTC Named One of Top 5 Community Colleges

In April 2011, West Kentucky Community and Technical College was selected by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program as one of the nation’s 120 best community colleges, the top 10 percent in the country.     News Release >>   But it gets better.  In September 2011, WKCTC was named one of the ten finalist community colleges by the Aspen Institute.  News Release >>  Don't stop reading, there's more.  In December, WKCTC was named as one of the top 5 colleges.  News Release >> 

Governor's Awards in the Arts for National Quilt Museum and Steven Curtis Chapman

In August 2011 the National Quilt Museum of the United States received the Community Arts Award through the Kentucky Arts Council's Governor's Awards in the Arts.  The award recognizes a Kentucky individual or organization that has made a positive impact on the community through the Arts.

Paducah native and contemporary gospel musician Steven Curtis Chapman received the National Award.     News Release from KY Arts Council >>

Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber of the Year Award

In August 2011, the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce received 2011 Chamber of the Year award.     News Release >>

Paducah Selected as One of Top Retirement Cities

In August 2011, Paducah was selected by "Where to Retire" magazine as one of eight top retirement towns.  The article "8 Enticing Money-Saver Towns" is in the September/October issue of the magazine.

Paducah Named a Time Warp Town 

Paducah is one of nine "Time Warp Towns" in America. The announcement was made Friday, March 18 on Yahoo! Travel and provided by CNBC. Time Warp Towns are those out-of-time discoveries that make for road trip gold such as downtowns with antiques booth malls, town squares, monuments, cobblestones, and/or apple pie! The focus is to pick spots where the buildings where the local history was made are still standing and the town has enough points of interest to merit a visit.     News Release >>

2011 Distinctive Destination and Fan Favorite  

On February 15, 2011, Paducah, Kentucky was named a 2011 Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation®.  Paducah was nominated by the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau for its rich heritage, vibrant historic districts and its commitment to celebrating its past and culture.     News Release >> 

From February 15 to March 15, votes were accepted at the National Trust for Historic Preservation® website to select Paducah as the Fan Favorite.  Paducah won thanks to a wonderful turnout of online voters.  News Release >>  

One of Five Most Romantic Main Streets

On February 10, 2011, Paducah was named one of the five Most Romantic Main Streets as the result of an online photo submission contest conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.     News Release >> 

Enterprise City Award 

On September 17, 2010, the Kentucky League of Cities honored Paducah with an Enterprise Cities Award for its Tree Voucher Program.  The program, implemented after the January 2009 ice storm, allowed city residents to obtain a voucher for $25 off a tree from participating nurseries.     --News Release--

Pictured from left to right:  KLC President Elaine Walker, Planner Ben Peterson, City Commissioner Gerald Watkins, Planning Director Steve Ervin, and KLC Acting Executive Director Neil Hackworth.

Golden Eagle Award 

On September 17, 2010, the Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services division presented Paducah with the Golden Eagle award for receiving a perfect loss control law enforcement scorecard of 100%.     --News Release-- 

Pictured from left to right: KLC Acting Executive Director Neil Hackworth, City Commissioner Gerald Watkins, KLC President Elaine Walker, Police Chief James Berry, Captain Brian Krueger, and KLC Law Enforcement Specialist Mark Filburn.

Risk Management Award

On September 17, 2010, the Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services division presented Paducah with an award for receiving a 100% score on its risk management scorecard.  This score can lead to a lower insurance premium cost.     --News Release--

Pictured from left to right:  KLC Acting Executive Director Neil Hackworth, City Commissioner Gerald Watkins, and KLC President Elaine Walker.

Kentucky Health Hero Award

On September 14, 2010, Commissioner Gayle Kaler accepted the Kentucky Health Hero award for the City of Paducah.  The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky recognizes Paducah for its efforts to help people stay fit and active through programs and projects such as the sidewalk and bike plan, Bikes on Broadway, employee wellness plan, and the Farmers' Market.     --News Release--

Photo is from Bikes on Broadway.  

Great American Main Street Award

A public reception was held May 7, 2010 at the downtown Paducah gazebo to honor ten prominent community leaders who made it possible for the Paducah Renaissance Alliance to be awarded a 2010 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA).  The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented the national award to Paducah on May 4 at the National Main Streets Conference.  The award was based on the accomplishments made in revitalizing the historic downtown and the LowerTown Arts District since Paducah's Main Street program was established in 1989.  Gallery of photos from public reception >>     News Release >>     Downtown-LowerTown Video >>

Pictured:  Monica Bilak former Development Manager with Paducah Renaissance Alliance