Beautify the Bluegrass
Communities are strongest when people step up together.
Kentucky’s electric cooperatives and Kentucky Living, in partnership with the Governor’s office, recognize local efforts that improve public spaces, preserve our state’s natural beauty or help their communities shine.
2026 Governor’s Award Winner & Finalists
The downtown Danville mural project was a collaborative public art initiative that transformed a very prominent wall in the heart of downtown into a vibrant celebration of the community's history and identity. Located on the west facing side of the Coldwell Banker building overlooking the Boyle County Courthouse, the approximately 800-square-foot mural was created by local artist Kirby Stafford and officially dedicated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25.
The mural features iconic symbols of Danville and Boyle County, including the Boyle County Courthouse cupola, Constitution Square, the names "Danville" and "Boyle County," and the city's well-known designation as the "Birthplace of Kentucky." Designed to serve as both a public art installation and a welcoming landmark, the mural provides an engaging backdrop for visitors and residents to capture photos while showcasing the community's unique heritage.
The project was led by the Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau in partnership with the City of Danville, which provided funding and staff support throughout the planning and implementation process. Building owner Nina Kirkland generously granted permission for the mural to be displayed on the building for a minimum of five years, ensuring it would become a lasting feature of downtown.
Stafford worked closely with City of Danville Community Development Director Melanie Crossfield to develop a design that reflects the community's character while creating a visually striking focal point. The completed mural not only enhances the downtown streetscape but also reinforces Danville's commitment to celebrating its history, supporting local artists, and creating memorable experiences for both residents and visitors.
2026 Finalists
Gigi Moffett Community Garden Honors Paula Mullins
Paula Mullins was a Capital Area Extension Master gardener, founding member of America In Bloom: Lawrenceburg and a mentor. When she passed away in 2021, America In Bloom Lawrenceburg members were inspired to honor her by creating a community garden - a place of peace and beauty for all to enjoy. Located in the Anderson County Park, Paula's Garden is just that - a space for people walking by to enjoy the chiming bells, rest on one of the benches and take in the beauty of the seasonal plantings.
City of Union Empty property Becomes Cardinal Park
City of Union- Cardinal Park
Great communities are built one project at a time, and sometimes the best ideas begin with an unexpected opportunity. Cardinal Park is a perfect example of how the City of Union transformed a small, leftover parcel of land from a road project into a park space that brings people together and beautifies our community.
Following the completion of the Mt. Zion Road expansion, the Commonwealth of Kentucky donated remaining parcels of land to the City of Union. Rather than leaving the property unused, our commission recognized its potential to give back to our community. Our city designed a neighborhood park that would add valuable green space and create a welcoming destination along one of Union’s popular walking routes.
Construction on Cardinal Park began in early spring 2025 and was completed in the fall of 2025. From the beginning, the goal was to provide a place where families could pause during a walk along the walking path along Mt. Zion Rd., and residents of all ages could enjoy a connection with nature in the heart of our growing community.
Today, Cardinal Park has become a beautiful and tranquil space. The garden landscaping and inviting atmosphere have made it a favorite stop for walkers, nearby residents, and drivers passing the gardens along their path. Local volunteers and area garden clubs generously give their time throughout the year to help maintain and enhance the park grounds. Their dedication has transformed Cardinal Park into a community project that continues to grow through their care and pride and instills visitors’ appreciation for its maintained beauty.
Cardinal Park reflects the spirit of the Beautify the Bluegrass program by demonstrating how collaboration, thoughtful planning, and community involvement can transform an overlooked piece of property into a lasting asset.
We believe the success of Cardinal Park isn’t measured by the size of green and landscaping space that was added, but by the conversations shared on its walking path, the volunteers who continue to care for it, and the pride throughout our community. It stands as a reminder that even the smallest spaces can make a lasting impact when a community comes together with a shared vision.
Crystal Cox Cumberland Falls State Resort Park Spring Cleanup
When you enjoy the scenic drive to Cumberland Falls, you can thank nearly 300 volunteers who picked up litter during the annual Spring Cleanup at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, which was held Saturday, April 18.
The cleanup brought together 283 volunteers and removed 430 individual bags of trash, plus 13 tires. The bulk of the trash was collected along Hwy. 90, but volunteers also cleaned below the falls.
McCreary County won the coveted Volunteer Cup, which goes to the county with the most volunteers participating in the event. McCreary County was represented by 143 volunteers, and Whitley County had 124 volunteers. The remaining volunteers were from other counties.
“It was great to see so many volunteers serving their community and enjoying the morning together in such a beautiful spot,” said Kayla Vinsant, Director of Marketing for The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, an event organizer. “The rain held off, and everyone was in high spirits during the cook-out and door prize give-away after the cleanup.”
“We want to thank everyone who volunteered to pick up litter, as well as the partners who made the event possible,” added Crystal Cox, also with The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE.
Ale-8-One Bottling and Pepsi Cola Corbin/Somerset donated drinks for the volunteers.
Door prizes were donated by the City of Williamsburg, McCreary County Tourism, McCreary Fest, McCreary County Chamber of Commerce, Pottery by Mehg, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, United Cumberland Bank, Randy Kidd State Farm Insurance, and Crabtree & Wilson Insurance.
The Whitley County and McCreary County School Boards provided school buses to transport volunteers to cleanup sites along Hwy. 90.
South Kentucky RECC and the Walmart Supercenters in Somerset and Monticello supported the event through their 2026 sponsorship of the regional Spring Cleanup campaign, which is organized annually by The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE.
The Spring Cleanup at Cumberland Falls is a partnership between The Kentucky Wildlands/Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, McCreary County Fiscal Court 109 Board, Whitley County Fiscal Court, McCreary County Tourism, Whitley County Tourism Board, Kentucky Cancer Program, The Center for Rural Development and Operation UNITE.
Lisa Baker Worthington Memorial Park Revitalization
As part of its commitment to serving the community beyond delivering safe, reliable electricity, Jackson Energy Cooperative proudly led the revitalization of Worthington Memorial Park in Annville, Kentucky. Working alongside dedicated community partners, more than 60 employees and volunteers contributed over 400 man-hours to beautify one of Jackson County's cherished recreational spaces. Through this collective effort, we have created lasting improvements that will provide a cleaner, safer and more welcoming park for families, children and visitors to enjoy for years to come.
Over the course of two workdays, volunteers mulched the playground, installed a new sidewalk, erected the park's entrance sign, repaired playground equipment, spread grass seed in the lower ballfield, painted throughout the park and restrooms, installed new restroom stall doors, hung a new handicap-accessible swing and erected support poles for a future overhead shelter over the bleachers. These enhancements have refreshed the park, improved accessibility and created a more enjoyable experience for families and visitors of all ages.
The overall goal of the project was to transform Worthington Memorial Park into a place where families can gather, children can play and neighbors can connect. By combining resources, expertise and volunteer service, Jackson Energy and its partners have made a lasting investment in the community that will benefit residents and visitors for years to come while enhancing quality of life throughout Jackson County.
The revitalization was made possible through the collaboration of Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (PRTC), PraXel Line Services, Jackson County Kiwanis Club, Jackson County Community Foundation, Jackson County Correctional Facility, Gray Hawk Building Supply, Jackson County Development Association, ProtecTerra Vegetation Management and EKPC/Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. This collective effort exemplifies the cooperative spirit and demonstrates what can be accomplished when organizations unite behind a common purpose to strengthen the communities we proudly serve.
Contest Rules
KENTUCKY LIVING’S BEAUTIFY THE BLUEGRASS CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES – NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF KENTUCKY, 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
- How to Enter: You may enter Kentucky Living’s Beautify the Bluegrass Contest by visiting the Kentucky Living website and completing the online entry form and submitting a Submission (as defined below) before July 20, 2026. Each entry must also include entrant’s (“Entrant”) full name, age, address, phone number (including area code), and e-mail address. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, dba Kentucky Living (“Sponsor”) will not verify receipt of entries.
- Submission Requirements: Submissions for the Promotion must consist of: [(i) two to four photos of the Entrant’s Beautify the Bluegrass project (the “Project”); and (ii) a description of no more than [300] words of how the Entrant’s Project contributes to Kentucky’s Beautify the Bluegrass campaign] (collectively, the “Submissions” and each, a “Submission”). Each photo should be in .jpg, .gif or .png format and should be no larger than three megabytes (3 MB). Photo must be uploaded at the time of completion of the entry form; if submitted in any other manner or at any other time, the Submission will not be accepted.
If you are selected as a prospective finalist or winner, you will be required to execute and return releases and additional documentation supplied by Sponsor in accordance with Sponsor’s instructions or such prospective winner will be disqualified. Incomplete and/or late Submissions will also be disqualified. Completed Submissions that are created and received within the guidelines contained in these Official Rules shall be referred to herein as “Eligible Entries”. Submissions that are not your original work and/or illegible/corrupted/garbled or incomplete entry forms will not be accepted. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any Submissions that it deems, in its sole discretion, to violate any of the policies of Sponsor’s customary standards and practices.
Limit of one (1) entry per eligible person during the Promotion Period. If multiple entries are received, only the first entry will be accepted, and additional entries will be disqualified. Multiple participants are not permitted to share the same email address. Any attempt by you to obtain more than one (1) entry by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations or logins, or any other methods, may void your entries and you may be disqualified from the Promotion. In the event of a dispute as to any online entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the Entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Potential winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holders.
If Entrant’s Project involves the access, use or beautification of any property that is not owned by the Entrant (i.e., another person’s or entity’s property or public property) Entrant is solely responsible for obtaining all necessary consents and/or permissions to access, use and alter such property. Sponsor shall not be responsible for any damages or liability arising out of (a) Entrant’s failure to obtain such consent and/or permission or (b) any violations of law by the Entrant. It is the Entrant’s sole responsibility to confirm that his/her participation in the Promotion is in full compliance with all laws and to obtain all necessary permissions from applicable parties and property owners prior to undertaking the Project and entering the Promotion.
In addition to complying with the above, the Project and Submission must not include: (a) content that violates any third-party rights, including, but not limited to, copyrights or trademark rights (Submission should not refer to or depict products by brand name); (b) defamatory language; (c) threatening language; (d) language that is sexually explicit, obscene, or indecent; (e) language or content that promotes alcohol, tobacco, or drug use or any illegal activity; (f) any language or content that is disparaging to any of the Promotion Entities; or (g) any other language or content that Sponsor determines is not reasonably related to the Promotion.
- Representations and Warranties: By submitting a Submission, you represent and warrant that: (a) the Submission is an original work created solely by you; (b) you own all rights to the Submission; (c) the Submission complies with all requirements of these official rules; (d) you have obtained all necessary consents and permissions to undertake the Project; and (e) you understand that other Entrants may submit Submissions that are identical to yours and that you shall not have any claim against any other Entrant or Sponsor or its designees arising out any such similarity (as applicable) or be entitled to any compensation because of any such similarity (as applicable). You further represent and warrant that the Submission includes a truthful, accurate photo of the Project; and, without limiting the preceding, the image of the Project in the Submission photo was not edited, re-touched or otherwise altered in any manner.
- Eligibility: This Promotion is open only to legal residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky who are 18 years of age or older as of the Promotion start date. Employees and members of their households and immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, children and each of their respective spouses) of the Promotion Entities are not eligible.
- Privacy: In connection with the Promotion entry process, Sponsor will be collecting personal data about entrants on the Website in accordance with its privacy policy. Please review Sponsor’s privacy policy located at: https://www.kentuckyliving.com/privacy-policy. By participating in the Promotion, you hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of your personal information and acknowledge that you have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy. When you enter at the Website, you may be asked to consent to receive promotional emails and reminders for upcoming promotions and information about Sponsor. Consenting to receive such emails is optional and does not have to be agreed to in order to be eligible to enter the Promotion and does not improve your chances of winning. Except where prohibited, participation in the Promotion constitutes your consent to Sponsor’s use of your name, likeness, entry, and state of residence for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.
- Limitations of Liability: Sponsor and any other participating sponsors (collectively with Sponsor, the “Promotion Entities”), their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent, advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees and agents, and any and all Internet servers and access provider(s) are not responsible for: any violation of law arising out of an Entrant’s Project, any incorrect or inaccurate entry information; human error; technical malfunctions; failures, omission, interruption, deletion, or defect of any telephone network, computer online systems, computer equipment, server providers, or software, including any injury or damage to your or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation in this Promotion; inability to access the Website; theft, tampering, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries; transactions that are processed late or incorrectly or are incomplete or lost due to computer or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site; printing or other errors; and any entries that are late, lost, incomplete, misdirected, stolen, mutilated or illegible, or any combination thereof. Proof of online submission is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. By entering, all you also agree to release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless the Promotion Entities and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, their respective representatives and agents, advertising and promotion agencies, promotion partners and prize suppliers, and all of their respective affiliated companies, employees, officers, directors and shareholders, from and against all claims and damages or liability arising in connection with your participation and/or entry in the Promotion and/or your receipt or use of any prizes awarded in this Promotion or due to any injuries, damages or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prizes or participation in any Promotion-related activity or participation in this Promotion. Any and all warranties and guarantees are subject to the respective manufacturer’s terms. Except where prohibited by law, an Entrant’s entry and acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for the Promotion Entities to use said Entrant’s name, photographs, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and city and state addresses on a worldwide basis, and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation. No more than the advertised number of prizes will be awarded.
- How Winner will be Determined: At the end of the Promotion Period, a panel of judges selected by Sponsor will evaluate all Eligible Entries and select five (5) finalists (each a “Finalist”) based on the following judging criteria: (a) [30%] based on Community benefit; (b) [25%] based on Photo documentation of project; (c) [25%] based on Written documentation of project; and (d) [20%] based on Participation (the “Judging Criteria”). In the event of a tie, ties will be broken based on the Community benefit criterion score and if a tie still remains, the tie will be broken based on the Participation criterion score.
Public Voting Period
Each Finalist’s Submission will be posted to the Website and voted on by the public. The public voting period for Finalists will be from 11:00 a.m. ET on August 20, 2026 [1] until 11:59 p.m. ET on August 25, 2026 (the “Public Voting Period”). However, by posting a notice to such effect on the Website, Sponsor reserves the right to modify the Public Voting Period, without liability of any kind. The Finalist whose Submission receives the highest number of votes during the Public Voting Period will be the Beautify the Bluegrass “Winner.” In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken based on which Eligible Entry had the higher/highest score in the prior judging round.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Finalists who are not the Winner will not receive any prize in the Promotion.
Only votes submitted by the public during the Public Voting Period will be used to determine the Winner. A visitor may vote one (1) time per day (12:00:01 a.m. ET – 11:59:00 p.m. ET) during the Public Voting Period.
Finalists are prohibited from soliciting votes, and voters are prohibited from soliciting votes on behalf of Finalists, by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes, payments or other inducements to members of the public (including, without limitation, offering to trade votes), as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, and all associated votes may be void and such Finalists disqualified. All results are unofficial until verified by Sponsor.
Entrants agree that if their Entry is selected as a Finalist: (i) their Submission as posted may differ from the photo and description submitted by Finalist as his/her Entry due to technological, programming or other limitations/malfunctions/errors or like causes; (ii) Submissions may be posted by Sponsor in any order, pattern or sequence and such order/pattern/sequence may or may not be rotated one (1) or more times during the Public Voting Period by Sponsor in its sole discretion; and (iii) Sponsor will identify Finalists’ Submissions in a manner of its sole choosing (all Finalist Submissions will be identified in the same manner, however). Sponsor expressly disclaims any and all liability in conjunction with the preceding.
- Prize Conditions: Each prospective Finalist will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability and publicity (where permitted), and return same, properly executed, within five (5) days of issuance of prize notification. If Sponsor is unable to contact the prospective Finalist within three (3) days from first notification attempt, if the prospective Finalist fails to complete and return all requested forms by the specified date, or if the prospective Finalist fails to comply with any of the requirements, his/her prize will be forfeited, and an alternate prospective Finalist shall be selected by selecting the next-highest scoring Submission.
Prior to selection of the winner, Entrants and/or their Submissions may be featured on the Website; however, in no way shall such promotion influence the selection of the winner. The winner will be selected in the manner outlined in Section 7 (“How Winner Will Be Determined”) above. Any winner will be personally notified by email, telephone, and/or overnight mail delivery on or around the dates specified in these official rules. RELATIVE TO SUCH POSTING (AS WELL AS THE POSTING OF FINALISTS’ ENTRIES), ENTRANTS’ SUBMISSIONS REPRESENT SOLELY THE VIEWS/OPINIONS OF THE APPLICABLE ENTRANTS AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS/OPINIONS OF SPONSOR. SPONSOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SUCH POSTING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LIABILITY FOR MONITORING/MODERATING/REVIEWING ANY POSTED CONTENT. SPONSOR WILL NOT EDIT OR MODIFY ENTRANTS’ SUBMISSIONS BEFORE POSTING THEM.
- Ownership of Submissions: By submitting a Submission, you acknowledge and agree that: (a) Sponsor is the sole and exclusive owner, in perpetuity and throughout the world, of all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission, including, without limitation, all copyright, trademark, and other proprietary rights in and to the Submission (and all renewals and extensions thereof now or hereafter provided by law) and all the rights therein and thereto; (b) ownership of the Submission shall inure to the benefit of Sponsor from the date of conception, of creation, or of fixation in a tangible medium of expression (whichever occurs first), of such Submission; (c) your Submission is a “work made for hire” (as that term is used in the United States Copyright Act of 1976, as amended); (d) to the extent that your Submission is not a work made for hire, you hereby assign to Sponsor all right, title, and interest in and to the Submission and all copies thereof that you may have or obtain without any further consideration, free from any claim, lien, balance due, or rights of retention thereto, on your part; (e) you waive all claims to any and all moral rights in the Submission including, without limitation, your right of attribution and integrity; and (f) Sponsor may exploit the Submission (and all rights therein) in any manner throughout the world without restriction of any kind, or payment to, or consent from, anyone. Sponsor reserves the right to modify or edit the winning Submission for content including all copyrights and trademarks, and Promotion Entities or their assigned agent(s) will have the right to reproduce, publish, adapt, modify and/or revise the Submission, in its sole discretion, in any manner or form throughout the world, in perpetuity. Sponsor will own all rights to the winning Submission.
- Conditions of Entry: Entry materials that have been tampered with or altered are void. If, in the judge’s or Sponsor’s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or non-electronic tampering with any portion of the Promotion, or if computer virus, bugs, unauthorized intervention, fraud, or technical difficulties or failures compromise or corrupt or affect the administration, integrity, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Promotion (including, but not limited to, the Public Voting phase of the Promotion), the judges reserve the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and void any entries submitted fraudulently, to modify or suspend the Promotion, or to terminate the Promotion and proceed with the judging process, as outlined in the “How Winner will be Determined” section to award the Finalist Prize using all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the termination date. Should the Promotion be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, notice will be posted on the Website. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the winner based on an e-mail address, the winning entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT/INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
- Prize: The Beautify the Bluegrass Winner will win a commemorative plaque or certificate. ARV of each Winner Prize: $75.
The specifics of all aforementioned elements of the prize in the Promotion shall be solely determined by Sponsor. All costs, taxes, fees, and expenses associated with any element of any prize not specifically addressed above are the sole responsibility of the respective winner. All federal, state and local taxes on prizes (except as specified above) are the prize winner’s sole responsibility.
Prizes cannot be transferred, substituted, or redeemed for cash except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize, or portions thereof, with a prize of equal or greater value.
- Disputes/Governing Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these rules, or the rights and obligations of any entrant or the Promotion Entities in connection with the Promotion, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions which would cause the application or the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Any action or litigation concerning this Agreement shall take place exclusively in the federal or state courts sitting in Franklin County, Kentucky, and you expressly consent to the jurisdiction of and venue in such courts and waive all defenses of lack of jurisdiction and inconvenient forum with respect to such courts. Any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with this Promotion, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. You agree to service of process by mail or other method acceptable under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. ANY CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND/OR AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERING THIS PROMOTION. YOU (HEREBY WAIVE ANY RIGHTS OR CLAIMS TO ATTORNEY’S FEES, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ENTRANT, IDENTIFIABLE PERSONS, OR THIRD-PARTY PARTICIPANTS, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR NOT AND WHETHER BASED ON NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE.
- Winner List: Beginning on or about October 1, 2026 you may obtain the names of the Finalists and Winner by going to the Website.
Sponsor: Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, dba Kentucky Living, 1630 Lyndon Farm Court, Louisville, Kentucky 40223