Cadiz-Trigg Tourism Connected To Four Multi-Jurisdictional Projects

In a Tuesday afternoon meeting with the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist & Convention Commission, Executive Director Bill Stevens confirmed the community finds itself entwined with four multi-jurisdictional ARPA projects — all related to the perceived offerings of the area.

The first, he said, is the “Just Add Water” trail. It’s a digital passport program where visitors have the chance to earn prizes for trips to multiple locations, and utilizes Kentucky’s abundance of waterways — many of which are sought out by adventure travelers, and it markets water-based attractions like Lost River Cave and the like.

This trail runs through Cadiz, Hopkinsville, Bowling Green, Frankfort, Kentucky Lake in Marshall, Morehead in Rowan, Winchester, Horse Cave in Hart, Edmonson, Henderson, Munfordville, Paducah, Georgetown and Prestonsburg.

The second is “Kentucky After Dark,” which has a website at kentuckyafterdark.com.

Unveiled in October 2023, it’s another passport program connecting some of the Commonwealth’s spookiest sites — and for Trigg involves a unique location.

This also means a spot on the “Cryptids Trail,” which will focus on Kentucky’s supernatural and paranormal activities. A phone application will be created as part of the trail campaign, and it will include targeted advertising, content creation and the use of paranormal influencers, website design and sponsorships for podcasts in Hopkinsville, Kentucky Lake in Marshall, Louisville, Mayfield and Graves, Henderson, Lawrenceburg and Simpson.

The third is the “West Kentucky BBQ Belt,” which just released its press kit Tuesday.

This promotion — which begins May 16 — will reintroduce to the public a region well known for its pork, while reminding many of its pit history. In 1985, The Washington Post dubbed west Kentucky the “BBQ Capital of the World,” and today places like Paducah, Owensboro and Hopkinsville still tout some of the strongest meat sweats on the globe.

Another passport opportunity for visitors, a new website is located at wkybbq.com.

And, finally, there is “Kentucky Horsepower” — which focuses on horsepower-related attractions like automobiles, boats and equestrian venues.

This is also a marketing campaign, promoting destinations through a website, social content, app development, art projects, branding material, itineraries and other marketing strategies for Trigg and Lake Barkley, Kentucky Lake in Marshall, Mt. Sterling, Elizabethtown, Henderson, Bowling Green, Oak Grove, Oldham, Somerset and Pulaski, Russell and Lake Cumberland, Central City, Georgetown, Lexington, Lawrenceburg, Lebanon, McCreary, Frankfort, Liberty, Horse Cave and Hart, Harrodsburg, Marion, Edmonson, Owen and Simpson.

In other tourism news:

— Friends of Lake Barkley State Resort Park’s Deborah Johnson noted the group was pleased to see Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism take over the annual fireworks display, and agreed that the $2,250 of typical funding received from tourism should be used for weekend needs at the park’s request.