Midway, Kentucky

[seicer]

I found myself wandering around Midway, quite suprised by its recent streetscape renovations and its downtown resurgence. When I first went to Midway in 2004, it was dead - little in the way of shops, restaurants, and pedestrians. The streetscape was barren - no sandwich boards or flags hanging, nothing ornate or different. Many buildings were not renovated and some were in very poor condition.

Boy was I suprised when they started renovations on the streetscape in 2005. A building was demolished - which at first I thought was a horrible idea because I was imagining it being replaced with a parking lot. I was glad I was wrong, because it now holds a successful restaurant in a very nice new period structure.

I also met an artist couple while there. They own a shop along Main Street and were very nice. We walked for over a mile to a horse farm and around Midway and then back to his studio. I gave them a few pointers on their shop (they are struggling some as they just moved from Las Vegas) and they said they are committed to making improvements to their studio. Some of these tips included a freshly painted "hours" sign (they have none currently), a unique sign for their studio, and so forth. If you go there, its in a white building, has purple shutters (with flowers on the ground floor), a red peaked roof, and is slanted. Worth a visit at least for the chat

See the American Byways Towns & Cities Guide for Midway, Kentucky! (Text coming very soon)

[Lexy]

Excellent pics! I used to live in Versailles and absolutely loved it there. Very charming place.

[LexKY]

Excellent pics! I used to live in Versailles and absolutely loved it there. Very charming place.

I grew up in Versailles and am also greatly impressed with Midway's progress. Thank you for the pictures.

Unfortunately, their industrial park out by the interstate is still nothing but empty roads and grass having failed to attract even a single tenant. It is probably for the best, though, because I don't know how it might change Midway for the worse to have an Industrial Park just a mile from its picturesque downtown.

Lexy, it sounds like you should really move back! Nashville is a cool place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Any city that grows that big, that quickly is going to be a pain for the next couple of decades (but lots of fun too). Around here, things are very nice, but also slow and steady as far as great new developments and jobs. Maybe slow and steady will win the race, though. We'll see.

[seicer]

I grew up in Versailles and am also greatly impressed with Midway's progress. Thank you for the pictures.

Unfortunately, their industrial park out by the interstate is still nothing but empty roads and grass having failed to attract even a single tenant. It is probably for the best, though, because I don't know how it might change Midway for the worse to have an Industrial Park just a mile from its picturesque downtown.

Ugh. No kidding. It's like the development just east of Versailles that was condemned because of a lack of progress and work! Perhaps they should do that to the Midway industrial park.

[LexKY]

Ugh. No kidding. It's like the development just east of Versailles that was condemned because of a lack of progress and work! Perhaps they should do that to the Midway industrial park.

You are correct, the Versailles development (or lack thereof) is a true disaster. The sign announcing the devlopment originally said "Coming Summer 2004." What a joke. I have an acquaintance on the planning and zoning commission in Versailles and he told me the following.

The plan was to have a new urbanism development with street level shops, apartments above the retail, other mixed uses, parks, sidewalks and all of that good stuff. The problem: The largest building allowable was too small to hold any of the big boxes. I think the commission had the right idea (keep the buildings small and attractive), but ignored the reality that, without a big box, you have no development in this type of suburban area. So, no major tenant, no development. I am quite sure that the developer wanted to get to the point of a big eyesore (where it is now) and use the leverage created by said big eyesore to get the commission to adjust their requirements so that a big box (read Wal-Mart) would go in. The commission didn't budge, the developer probably had no intention of budging and that is why the roads and sidewalks have been leading to nowhere for atleast three years now.

I applaud Versailles for sticking to its guns and even starting the condemnation process (touche), but it is very said to me to drive past the fields every time I visit my parents. Alas. What can you do. I wonder if keeping tight restrictions on the appearance of the building (like the Mejiers on Reynolds Road) was the right answer.

Of course, the cynic in me thinks that the K-Mart and Kroger lobby forced the commission to come up with the maximum building size restriction so they could keep their discount/grocery monopoly in effect in the little hamlet of Versailles. Good thing there is still Terry's five and dime!

[Lexy]

You are correct, the Versailles development (or lack thereof) is a true disaster. The sign announcing the devlopment originally said "Coming Summer 2004." What a joke. I have an acquaintance on the planning and zoning commission in Versailles and he told me the following.

The plan was to have a new urbanism development with street level shops, apartments above the retail, other mixed uses, parks, sidewalks and all of that good stuff. The problem: The largest building allowable was too small to hold any of the big boxes. I think the commission had the right idea (keep the buildings small and attractive), but ignored the reality that, without a big box, you have no development in this type of suburban area. So, no major tenant, no development. I am quite sure that the developer wanted to get to the point of a big eyesore (where it is now) and use the leverage created by said big eyesore to get the commission to adjust their requirements so that a big box (read Wal-Mart) would go in. The commission didn't budge, the developer probably had no intention of budging and that is why the roads and sidewalks have been leading to nowhere for atleast three years now.

I applaud Versailles for sticking to its guns and even starting the condemnation process (touche), but it is very said to me to drive past the fields every time I visit my parents. Alas. What can you do. I wonder if keeping tight restrictions on the appearance of the building (like the Mejiers on Reynolds Road) was the right answer.

Of course, the cynic in me thinks that the K-Mart and Kroger lobby forced the commission to come up with the maximum building size restriction so they could keep their discount/grocery monopoly in effect in the little hamlet of Versailles. Good thing there is still Terry's five and dime!

Actually, accoriding to Fred Segalman (sp?), that property was being developed by a comapany that was owned by KMart. When KMart filed for bankruptcy, the company just vanished for the most part. I used to work at 590 WVLK and talked with the former mayor on numerous occasions.

[502ky]

Actually, accoriding to Fred Segalman (sp?), that property was being developed by a comapany that was owned by KMart. When KMart filed for bankruptcy, the company just vanished for the most part. I used to work at 590 WVLK and talked with the former mayor on numerous occasions.

Lexy you need to come back to KY, but I also couldn't fought you for wanting to stay in Nashville. I was in Nashville 3 weeks ago visiting some family and they love it there and I can see why. Despite the growth in Nashville its still a great place to live. Nashville is just going threw what Atlanta(on a much smaller scale) and Charlotte went through(still). Alot of money is now in the South and its just the way things our now. I seriously considered taking a position at another rival insurance company in Nashville but after pondering over it I decided not to. I almost became a Nashvillian.

Midway certainly is a charming town, my soon to be wife is a grad of midway college, so I'm definitly familiar with the surroundings. Midway College seems like a place that would be in a horror film though, but it was a cool place no doubt.

[LexKY]

Actually, accoriding to Fred Segalman (sp?), that property was being developed by a comapany that was owned by KMart. When KMart filed for bankruptcy, the company just vanished for the most part. I used to work at 590 WVLK and talked with the former mayor on numerous occasions.

That could be. I think the company was called Rubloff, but it may have been owned (partially or wholly) by K-Mart or one of its subsidiaries. Fast Freddy is a great mayor (he used to be a pizza chain owner/delivery guy, hence Fast Freddy) and I hope he can get something done with that land. On the bright side, downtown Versailles looks better than ever with a newly remodeled and expanded library (really impressive for a town of maybe 4,000) and a great new mixed use (shopping/condo) development on Main. The best part about Elizabethtown, the movie, was that it showed Versailles' charming Main street over and over. That being said, I live in Lexington now because there is almost no shopping or restaurant options in Versailles. If they could only get a Lowes and, dare I say it, a Wal-Mart, I would move back to Woodford County in a heartbeat.

[Lexy]

That could be. I think the company was called Rubloff, but it may have been owned (partially or wholly) by K-Mart or one of its subsidiaries. Fast Freddy is a great mayor (he used to be a pizza chain owner/delivery guy, hence Fast Freddy) and I hope he can get something done with that land. On the bright side, downtown Versailles looks better than ever with a newly remodeled and expanded library (really impressive for a town of maybe 4,000) and a great new mixed use (shopping/condo) development on Main. The best part about Elizabethtown, the movie, was that it showed Versailles' charming Main street over and over. That being said, I live in Lexington now because there is almost no shopping or restaurant options in Versailles. If they could only get a Lowes and, dare I say it, a Wal-Mart, I would move back to Woodford County in a heartbeat.

Fred delivered a Little Caesars pizza to my apartment once. He used to always bring us free pizza on the Kruser and Krew show at 590 WVLK. I loved it when he came to the station. LOL!!!

[MrFSS]

Our favorite place to eat in Midway is now closed, The Depot. Anyone know if another restaurant will open in that spot?

[The Real]

Our favorite place to eat in Midway is now closed, The Depot. Anyone know if another restaurant will open in that spot?

If you have yet to, check out Bistro La Belle (121 E. Main St.) and Holly Hill Inn (426 N. Winter St., www.hollyhillinn.com). Our wedding reception was at the latter, where everybody was digging on the spoonbread, and the former has some mean lamb racks.