WHAT IS FRANKFORT HERITAGE WEEK?
In conjunction with National Tourism Day (May 7th), National Travel & Tourism Week (May 7-13), and the entire month of May being National Preservation Month and National Museum Month, Frankfort Heritage Week will be celebrated in 2023 from May 7-13 with a week of fun and festivities including a multitude of programs and events for all ages dedicated to celebrating historic preservation and the rich historic, cultural, and natural heritage of Frankfort & Franklin County, Kentucky through education and advocacy!
The Frankfort Heritage Week Coalition is made up of a small tight-knit group of representatives of various history, heritage, preservation, and tourism-related professionals, community organizations, local and state government agencies, and like-minded community members. This group also doubles as a heritage tourism think tank for Frankfort and Franklin County - assessing the heritage tourism needs of the community, developing plans to address those needs, and working with community partners and local government to strengthen the future of heritage tourism in our community.
Currently, the core members of the Frankfort Heritage Week Coalition, which meet regularly, are:
- John Carlton, local historian and preservationist, Organizer of Frankfort Heritage Week
- Robin Antenucci, executive director of the Frankfort-Franklin County Tourist & Convention Commission
- Dana Zinger, director of marketing for the Kentucky Historical Society
- Nicole Konkol, archaeologist and Site Protection Manager for Kentucky Heritage Council
- Diane Dehoney, Public Service Librarian, Paul Sawyier Public Library
- Jessica Stavros, director of Liberty Hall Historic Site
- Vicki Birenberg, AICP, Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Frankfort
- Dr. Ellie Hasken-Wagner, Museum & Historic Sites Supervisor, Capital City Museum
- Beth Shields, City Historian, Capital City Museum
- Jennifer Oberlin, chair of the City of Frankfort's Architectural Review Board
- Eric Whisman, vice president of the Franklin County Trust for Historic Preservation
- Betsy Hatfield, executive director of Preservation Kentucky
Other partners:
- Kentucky Division of Historic Properties
- Kentucky State University
- Franklin County Fiscal Court
- Envision Franklin County
- Canoe Kentucky
- Kentucky River Tours
- Bluegrass Land Conservancy
- Sig Luscher Brewery
- Frankfort-Area Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Frankfort, Inc.
