Kentucky Hidden Wonders

Celebrating Art and Culture on Shelbyville's Historic Main Street

• Kentucky Hidden Wonders • Episode 2

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Shelbyville, Kentucky, boasts a vibrant community spirit through Shelby Main Street, led by Darlene Snow. This episode explores the program's focus on design, promotion of local businesses, current beautification projects, and upcoming events while emphasizing the importance of community collaboration.  

  • Introduction to Darlene Snow and her journey  
  • Overview of Shelby Main Street and its role in the community  
  • The four focus areas of the Main Street program  
  • Ongoing beautification projects and local artist involvement  
  • Exciting events scheduled for 2025  
  • New businesses opening in downtown Shelbyville  
  • The Leadership Shelby program and its impact  
  • Community involvement and collaborative efforts  
  • Information on how to connect with Shelby Main Street

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🎙️ Kentucky Hidden Wonders is presented by ShelbyKY Tourism.

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🎙️ Kentucky Hidden Wonders is hosted by Janette Marson and Mason Warren and edited by Mason Warren.

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Mason Warren:

Welcome to Kentucky Hidden Wonders. I'm Mason Warren and my co-host, janet Marson, is under the weather. Today we're uncovering the secrets, stories and hidden gems of Shelby County, kentucky, from unforgettable places to off-the-beaten-path adventures. Join us as we explore Kentucky treasures and Shelby County's best-kept secrets. Our guest today is Darlene Snow. She's the executive director of Shelby Main Street. Darlene, welcome to the podcast.

Darlene Snow:

Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here.

Mason Warren:

We are very glad to have you here. First, before we get to anything, just introduce yourself. Tell us what brought you to Shelby County and then, eventually, shelby Main Street.

Darlene Snow:

Okay, great. Well, my journey to Shelbyville took place about 12 years ago. My last stop was Texas. Took place about 12 years ago. My last stop was Texas. And when I moved here it was kind of a weird thing. My mom and stepdad came out to visit my aunt and uncle in Simpsonville they lived there at the time and I get a phone call from my mom saying we've bought a house and we're moving to Kentucky. And I said, well, great, I guess I'm selling my house and I'm moving to Kentucky too, and so that kind of is what catapulted us here.

Darlene Snow:

And when I landed in Shelbyville it was like I had come home and I just fell in love with this community. And one of the things that I did when I first got here was really immerse myself in all things Shelby County. I became involved with different nonprofits, I joined the chamber, I took part in Leadership Shelby and just really any way that I could be a part of and help out the different organizations here I wanted to do. My background is in event planning, so any event that needed help I was on board and loved it. So that was really a lot of fun. Gotcha, yes.

Darlene Snow:

And then what happened was it was just kind of a weird thing. I think probably just networking and being involved with people. The position became available for the executive director for Shelby Main Street and I was asked to apply and I was thrilled and scared and nervous and so excited and then when I got the job it was amazing and it just feels kind of like when you get someplace you find that really nice glove because it's been so cold out, you find that glove and it fits really well.

Darlene Snow:

And that's really how I feel about this position and Shelby Main Street. I love it. It is just something that I get to pull all of my passions together and have a lot of fun and impact a lot of different people, so that's exciting.

Mason Warren:

Gotcha. So how long have you been with Shelby Main Street then?

Darlene Snow:

It will be four years in March, so I'm coming up on my four year anniversary.

Mason Warren:

Well, it feels like yesterday. Well, you do a fantastic job and we say all the time that you're the best Main Street director in the whole state of Kentucky. Other people might get mad at me for that, but it's all right.

Darlene Snow:

It have a great team, it's true.

Mason Warren:

So you do. You have a great team, but it starts at the top. So, for people that don't know, what does Shelby Main Street do and what does a Main Street program do? You've talked about a chamber. This is a podcast put on by a tourism office. How is it different from what does a Main Street program do?

Darlene Snow:

Sure, so a Main Street program? Do Sure, so a Main Street program. We're an accredited program, so there are different things that we have to follow different guidelines that we do through the state and then also national. So that's kind of a big thing because all kinds of communities have a Main Street and wonderful shops and stuff.

Darlene Snow:

But there's a different distinction that goes along with being an accredited program and so through that it is really kind of based on four points, which is a main street program. It focuses on the design elements of downtown and so that could be kind of keeping up with the historic preservation of downtown as well as what does it look like, the walkability of it, you know what?

Darlene Snow:

is what makes the downtown really fun and fabulous, gotcha. And then the other side of it is promotion, and that is not just the events because we have a lot of fun events that we do, but it's also getting people into downtown and to see all of the different shops that we have and the businesses that we have. So we look at it sort of as creating opportunities for people to come into downtown to shop, dine and explore. Yeah, and they love it. The other side is so we've done design. Promotion and economic vitality is the third point and that is really to support the businesses in thriving, also working with other businesses into coming into downtown. So when a space is available it'll be talking with different people about those that are interested and then also going out and looking for somewhere. They might find Shelbyville as their home. And then the other side is the organization and that is looking at the volunteer side. It kind of also incorporates what exactly we do on a day-to-day basis.

Mason Warren:

Gotcha Well, so it sounds like you have your hands full, and so I'm sure there are lots of different committees and things like that that are involved in that process as well. And you talked a little bit about the design. Shelbyville has done a really good job and Shelby Main Street has done a fantastic job of kind of running and shepherding through a lot of beautification projects over the last couple of years. Talk to us a little bit about that. What's that process like? Are you looking for local artists that you want to work with and then what's coming up in the next year or so?

Darlene Snow:

Sure, well, we are really focused on a lot of art. We feel that art is very important into a downtown because it pulls in a different group of people too and it gives people something to look at while they're here. And when you have things that are new and exciting, people go oh, I didn't know that that was here, oh, this is new, or oh, this is coming, and so it's really fun. We have Shelby Main Street has been around for 40 years, so we have been around for a long time and there has been this amazing team of people who have done a lot of legwork to create this wonderful feeling downtown, and that's with the different sculptures that we have. We have the community tile project that we completed not too long ago. Actually, it's been up now two years, I think it's crazy.

Darlene Snow:

It's crazy Maybe it's just a year, I don't know. It seemed like a long time, but it was really. It's a great community art project really is what it was. So there are a lot of different things where we will reach out to local artists. There are several of the sculptures that are downtown were done by people locally and others were commissioned out, and so anytime we do something I'm so much about it's Shelby County. Let's pull in Shelby County people.

Mason Warren:

For sure.

Darlene Snow:

And sometimes they'll want to participate and then other times we won't get as much involvement and so we'll look in at other areas. And so, as far as some of the things that we have going on, well, we are looking at a new mural, which is very exciting. We know that, downtown it being a historic area, we don't want to. Uh, downtown it being a historic area, we don't want to. I'm not, I'm going to use the word what would be a good word. We don't want to plaster murals all over the place because we don't want to lose the integrity of what downtown looks like. And anytime we do something, we have to make sure that if we're putting something on a building, that it's already been painted or that something has already been done, because, again, we want to preserve the historic part of each of the buildings. So one that we're looking at doing is sort of like a welcome to shelbyville and we're hopeful that people will take pictures, they'll tag us and then that will just kind of pull more people into downtown. We're also looking at some other smaller community projects, community murals, where people can again get involved so they can come and see their artwork around town, which is really fun.

Darlene Snow:

One thing that we will be releasing in may is when you come downtown on main in washington you'll see those big banners that are on the side and usually it's welcome to shelbyville or we've got the horses, or whatever. This last several months we have asked for artwork from our community and then they submitted. We sent it out to be voted on and people voted on the artwork that they wanted to see on these big banners. So 13 people will have their artwork displayed on those big banners downtown. Yes, and that's so exciting and it was really great and it's fun to see. Yeah, fun. Yes, and that's so exciting and it was really great and it's fun to see.

Mason Warren:

Yeah, well, you talked a little bit about the events earlier. Sure, one of the things that I think the Shelby Main Street program does a great job of is planning events that try to reach everyone in the community. What are some of the events you've got coming up in 2025?

Darlene Snow:

We have about 20 different events that will be taking place again. One thing that I'm really excited about is May. So we do our Wild About Shelbyville Arts and Music Festival and that happens. It will be May 10th this year. It's the weekend of Mother's Day, so it's a great reason to come on out. But we have live music downtown. We have different vendors, but it's a focus on the artists of all areas in Shelby County and that includes our bourbon bacon butter bake-off, which is fun.

Darlene Snow:

But some of the things that we're incorporating is, instead of just having the focus on our local artist on one day, we are spreading that out throughout the month. So we will be doing a family art night where we will have we're actually doing some putting together some puzzles that have the different scenes of Main Street on there and then we'll frame those and that will become a part of our gallery hop, which is going to be later in the month. And then we're also looking at having Lego displays and more painting. But we really want to pull people together. So it's family-oriented events, they are free and that's a lot of fun. So throughout the month of May there will be all kinds of things live music, again, focus on arts and art is anything from the theater, it's from painting, writing, music, of course, baking, cooking, anything that it is, because I think anything that you do, it is in a form of art and I think that that's great. So that is going to be a lot of fun.

Darlene Snow:

We also will have live music on Sixth Street. So instead of we're doing a little bit of a shift, instead of doing concerts in the evening, which all of our businesses are closed in the evening so it doesn't really benefit them, we said, well, why don't we shift it? Let's try doing a Saturdays from three to five, when the businesses are still open, and we'll just have live music on Sixth Street. So it's not necessarily a concert format, but it will be live music, where it will create some additional fun energy downtown and people can stop and listen in all of that. But it'll be different, but it will. Again, it's creating those opportunities for people to shop, dine, explore downtown. So that'll be fun. And then we'll have our. We do our Jubilee Breakfast, we will do our Jeep Invasion, which will be fun. In September, we do a John Prine tribute and then, of course, celebration of Lights which is fabulous, and for people who don't know what is Celebration of Lights Celebration of Lights is a fabulous tradition here, where it kicks off the holidays.

Darlene Snow:

So we start a little bit earlier because it will be the it's the second Saturday in November and we it's all surrounding the lighting of the Christmas tree and the lights downtown which kicks off the holiday season or the Christmas season. But with that we had 164 vendors last year. We have food trucks, so it's vendors, food trucks, music. We have different choir groups and dance performances. We have a wonderful Santa's workshop and Santa's there. It is just a magical time for people to come into downtown and really get a sense of not just community but really kicking off the holidays, the spirit of the holidays, so that'll be November 8th this year, I believe right, yes, November 8th, All right.

Mason Warren:

Well, mark your calendars November 8th 2025, being Shelbyville Kentucky. Yes, so where can people get more information about these events? Are they on your website?

Darlene Snow:

Yes, so you can go to shelbymainstreetcom and you can also follow us on Facebook. So it's Shelby Main Street and we post a lot of different things there actually pretty much everything, as well as all the different shops and different businesses that are there. But we are really good about keeping up with the events that are going on, and then we also have an event calendar on the website and that is for any organization in Shelby County. They can post the events that are going on so that others in the community can see not just what Shelby Main Street is doing, but what others are doing as well.

Mason Warren:

Gotcha Sounds like a great resource there. Yes, again, we wrote these questions in advance, but they kind of follow your, your four points that you were talking about earlier. So, uh, kind of switching that economic vitality, uh, model Shelbyville is fortunate for a smaller community of our size to have really a bustling main street with, uh, lots of businesses that are you know long uh Main Street with lots of businesses that are, you know, long-standing members of the community but also some new ones that pop up. Are there any more new businesses that are coming that you can talk about? Or you just say you know what kind, or anything like that. Whatever, you can tell us.

Darlene Snow:

Yes. So I can tell you that we have a lot of new businesses coming, and several of them are going to be restaurants. It'll be a really great variety. So the ones that are coming are not the same, which is really. I think it'll add so much to the downtown as well. So we have one that should be opening up in February, early March, one that will be, and I think that there will be two or three that will be in the spring, and then we have one, I think, that will be by the end of the year. So there is four right now, potential restaurants down here.

Darlene Snow:

We also have a couple different businesses that are moving in, and then we have some that are already expanding. So that's really exciting too. What I love about this community is they really do show up to support our small businesses, and that's great and that allows these businesses to come in and maybe have a smaller space, but then they need more because they outgrow their current space. So it's sort of like incubator you kind of go in, let's test it out, let's see, and then it's huge and it's a wonderful growth and they're able to expand into something different. Right now we only have two vacant spots that I am aware of, we have upper story space, but those are not necessarily available, and so out of the spaces that are available, there's two, and those are for retail or not really restaurants, but commercial space.

Mason Warren:

And if someone wants to learn more about that, is it on your website also.

Darlene Snow:

It is. It's certainly connecting with me to see as far as what might be available. We are not realtors, so I want to make that clear. We get a lot of people saying, oh well, can you show us a space? No, we can't, but I can connect you who it is, that's on the sign in front of the window on things.

Mason Warren:

So that's what they you wear a lot of kind of different hats, it feels like, and so can you talk a little bit. You mentioned Leadership Shelby earlier. Yes, what does Leadership Shelby do, and you know what kind of program is that?

Darlene Snow:

Sure Leadership Shelby is a leadership development program in Shelby County and it's open to anybody who lives in or works in Shelby County and it is a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in our community. So it is a nine-month program and you commit to one day a month and on those days you'll go behind the scenes. So let's say it's a tourism and arts day, and so we spend that day going to different places within the county and sharing kind of how it works with those that are in the class. So it could be going to a horse farm and it's kind of seeing what's going on, but you're talking to the owner and you're getting to see and ask questions with them that you wouldn't normally get to do, and that's in all of the different areas. So whether that is agriculture, education, industry, education, I mean there's just there's a lot of different areas that we focus on and we're getting ready to, we're accepting applications now actually.

Darlene Snow:

Thank you for that opportunity to say that I don't know that that will be good, but I am also the executive director for Leadership Shelby and so I love that as well.

Darlene Snow:

So I am all things all about Shelby County and being able to share what our amazing community has to offer. And Leadership Shelby is one of those programs where, even though we've had so many people who have been through the program, who have lived their entire lives and they'll go through going, I had no idea that this was here and that is a wonderful thing. So, whether that's again touching on justice or government or whatever it is, but you're getting to see things that people wouldn't normally see. And then you also are able to see that you can really talk to our government leaders. You can go and you can talk to our leaders and it's just like we're having a conversation. Now you know it's really wonderful and not everybody understands that, and in a smaller community we are blessed to have so many, this wonderful relationship with everybody who is here, and I think that that is something very unique to Shelbyville and Shelby County.

Mason Warren:

Absolutely. We're all about you hidden gems, the hidden wonders on the show, and so it sounds like a great opportunity to see lots of those. Is there kind of a favorite story or favorite moment just from the years of being involved with Leadership, Shelby, from your different excursion days? I know this might be asking like pick a favorite child or a favorite dog or something like that, but anything like that.

Mason Warren:

I would have to say you know, I really don't know Anything that sticks out, just as either it was impactful or meaningful or funny or just something that just some kind of moment.

Darlene Snow:

Yes, so Ag Day is always fun. I'm sure, I love Ag Day. I love all of the days. Let's be very clear on that. They're all amazing, yeah, but I remember it was several years ago. We had a class and at the time we were able to go to a dairy farm and the class was in the room with the cows and it was interesting and let's just say it was a very memorable experience from that and it was just such.

Darlene Snow:

It was such a surprise and as I'm reliving this now, I'm seeing it very clearly in my head, but it was hilarious and so what it is is. It's just you're on a farm. This is what goes on.

Mason Warren:

And so that was Part of the process.

Darlene Snow:

Yes, or being out in the field and the cows are coming right up to you. It's just, and people who I'm not from a farming family, I'm not, as we're coming from, a city girl, I'm not a city girl but others who are not at all used to being in a field and the cows are coming up to them and the look on their faces, it's priceless, it's just priceless. So Well, good.

Mason Warren:

Yeah, so you've talked a lot about the community and like teamwork involved, so who are? So who are some of those people and what kind of contributions are they making?

Darlene Snow:

Awesome, Yay, we cannot do what we do without so many. Shelby Main Street is me as the full-time person, and then I have an assistant and she is part-time, and then we have a board. But outside of that we have so many people that make what we do possible. And of course we have the support of the city and the county and then also with tourism on that, and the relationships extend. For when we do events. Public Works is huge.

Darlene Snow:

I cannot say enough about our Public Works team and how absolutely amazing they are Rock stars, all caps, they are just amazing. And so they are out there, have an idea on something. It's like do you think we could do this? And I've never heard them say no. And so it's wonderful and just that partnership that we have.

Darlene Snow:

But also when we have events and the police department is out there, and so if we have to shut down the road or just for safety with people crossing, that's a wonderful relationship as well. And then you look at when. So when we have the police department out because the road is shut down and we have public works out there doing things, well, for the first responder side of things, that then has to everything has to get rerouted. So you're looking at fire is impacted, the dispatch has to know what's going on. You have EMS has to be, you know I mean things are rerouted if Main Street is shut down. So it is this wonderful collaboration that we have with so many that allow us to do the things that we do, and without them, without everybody, in all of the different areas we just couldn't do what we do.

Mason Warren:

And without them, without everybody in all of the different areas, we just couldn't do what we do. Well, it sounds like there's a lot of moving pieces. It is, and it's fun, and it's so fun, so grateful. You put board walking down the street, your vest on during the events.

Darlene Snow:

Yes, and it's always pink. It's always pink, yes absolutely.

Mason Warren:

But, like you said, it's a great community and everyone works well together, and so that definitely helps. Yes, like you said, it's a great community and everyone works well together, and so that definitely helps, yes. So again, if someone wants to learn more about Shelby Main Street, what's the website or how do they get a hold of you?

Darlene Snow:

So it's ShelbyMainStreetcom, and I also want to say when they go there so to get more information. But we also have a list of all of the different businesses that we have downtown. So there's a map and a listing of those, because a lot of people will say, well, there's nothing to do downtown and I'm going to take this and go. Yes, there is. I beg to differ, and so you can just kind of take a look at all of the different things that we do have available. Of course, they can email me directly, call, have a conversation. I'm happy to go have coffee with you. I'll tell you all things Main Street. I love it so much and I love when people have questions and just want to learn more.

Mason Warren:

Yeah, well, your enthusiasm for Main Street is infectious. So thank you for coming on the show, and is there anything else you want to add?

Darlene Snow:

I just want to thank you for this opportunity. Anytime I can talk about the fabulous of our downtown. It really is and it just it's wonderful and I hope that people will come out. If you haven't been downtown recently, please come down and see all the amazing things that are going on and the amazing businesses that we have.

Mason Warren:

Well, thank you for coming on the show.

Darlene Snow:

Thank you so much.

Mason Warren:

This has been Kentucky Hidden Wonders. Thank you to Darlene Snow for coming on the show to talk about all the exciting things happening on Shelbyville's historic Main Street and thank you for listening. If you've made it this far, make sure you subscribe and leave us a review. It means the world to us. We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new Kentucky Hidden Wonder. Bye everyone. We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new Kentucky Hidden Wonder. Bye everyone. Kentucky Hidden Wonders is a Shelby KY Tourism production. Your hosts are Janet Marson and Mason Warren. To learn more about Shelby KY Tourism and to start planning a visit, head to visitshelbykycom.

People on this episode

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Janette Marson

Host
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Mason Warren

Host
Contributor

Darlene Snow

Guest