The city of Versailles’ new entertainment district is in full swing with a newly unveiled gathering space, bringing “that festival feeling” to its historic downtown corridor just in time for fall, Mayor Brian Traugott said.
The city passed an Entertainment Destination Center (EDC) ordinance in 2019, Traugott said, and then began the process of securing licensure from Kentucky’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The entertainment district designation enables Versailles and other cities that pass similar measures to allow patrons who purchase alcoholic beverages in to-go cups from licensed establishments to consume those beverages within the EDC’s boundaries during designated hours.
For instance, Frankfort has an Entertainment Destination Center called The MIX, established in June 2021. Elizabethtown’s The HUB was established in June 2023, and Fountain Row in Bowling Green launched in 2022. Paducah, Ashland, Danville, and other cities have also established entertainment districts.
“Any business with an alcohol license that is within or adjacent to the district boundaries can sell alcoholic beverages that can leave their facility,” Traugott said, referring to an area that encompasses most of downtown Versailles.
Midway is another local town with its own EDC. Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said its ordinance passed shortly after Versailles’, using the Versailles ordinance as a guide, though the two are not identical.
“Ours operates all the time, and we have our boundaries marked by signage,” Vandegrift said. “Anyone can purchase a drink from a licensed restaurant downtown or from an approved vendor during festivals—the drink just needs to be in an opaque cup.”
Vandegrift said with such a walkable downtown, people have enjoyed strolling with an alcoholic beverage without concern, and he feels it “adds to the fun nature of our city.”
“I’ve also noticed that husbands will take advantage of it while they’re waiting for their wives to finish shopping, and sometimes the other way around,” he said. “It benefits our restaurants and creates a great vibe during events or even on a regular evening. I compare it to the vibe you get in other ‘hip’ cities that have similar laws.”
Adding to the momentum of Versailles’ EDC, a $3.68 million downtown revitalization project has been completed. It has been a cooperative effort between city and county governments, private partnerships, and the farmers’ market board.
New permanent signage proclaiming the area “Versailles Downtown Market & Entertainment District” has been erected, complete with stonework and horse racing graphics.
Beyond this is a spacious gathering space for people frequenting the downtown area to enjoy, which was unveiled in recent months. There’s a stage for music, space for farmers’ markets, and more.
Ken Kerkhoff, a member of the Versailles City Council and chair of the downtown revitalization committee, said the primary objective of the downtown revitalization effort was to support significant recent private capital investments downtown.
“The objective was to create a first-class, inclusive, public gathering place for residents of and visitors to Versailles and Woodford County that will include an event stage and a separate covered pavilion for a farmers’ market, concerts, and other events, a water feature celebrating bourbon history, and an ADA-compliant walkway providing access to Big Spring Park,” he said.
The effort was substantially complete late this summer, he added, with the exception of a few punch-list items, giving people a place to “celebrate, socialize, and share our history and arts while enjoying local food and entertainment.”
During a recent outdoor event, this area and downtown’s sidewalks bustled with activity, many stores stayed open and displayed merchandise on tables outside, and food trucks and vendors gathered.
As with Versailles, Traugott said he’s heard “nothing but success stories” from cities that have enacted their own EDC ordinances, adding that state law provides for private entities to establish their own EDCs under certain circumstances.
“We were one of the first few municipalities to do it, and I got advice from the city of Maysville about how theirs had worked,” Traugott said. “We wanted to make it easier for people to come to downtown events and patronize multiple businesses without the anchor of an expensive beverage tying them down to just one place.”