Compass awards presented; New Era and The Place owners recognized
Two families who owned and ran iconic Hopkinsville businesses – one for seven years and the other for more than a century – were among the honorees at the Christian County Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Compass Awards ceremony Thursday at the Silo Event Center.
Taylor Wood Hayes, whose family sold the Kentucky New Era newspaper to Paxton Media last fall, accepted the Sunset Award. Hayes was the publisher and a fifth-generation owner of the newspaper, which was established in 1869.
The audience gave Hayes a standing ovation, and he acknowledged he was emotional about the recognition. Selling the newspaper to the Paducah-based newspaper chain was necessary to save the institution, Hayes said.
“I ask you to give them your support,” Hayes said of the new owners. A strong community needs a strong news organization like the New Era, he said.
The chamber also presented a special award to Scarlett Hancock, whose late mother, Myra Kaye Hancock, had established The Place, a popular downtown restaurant, in 2012. The restaurant closed after Myra Kaye Hancock died at her home in early January. The award was also given in memory of Myra Kaye’s husband, Dean Place, who died in March 2018. He started The Place restaurant with Myra Kaye.
Other awards presented to local businesses included:
- Agriculture/Agri-Business Award – Hopkinsville Elevator
- Century Award – Cayce-Mill Supply
- Food Service Award – Chick-fil-A
- Friend of the Community Award – Planters Bank
- Health/Wellness Award – Save-More Drugs
- Horizon Award – Sky Pediatric Dentistry
- Non-Profit Award – Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library
- Quality Service Award – Westside Body Shop
- Regionalism Award – United Way of the Pennyrile
- Residential Services Award – Dulin Design Group
- Retail Award – The Farmer’s Daughter Boutique
- Specialized Service Award – The Silo Event Center
- Spirit of Entrepreneurism Award – Casey Jones Distillery
- New Venture Entrepreneur Competition Award – Vansauwa’s Tacos and Vegan Eats
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
