• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
See Somerset the Spirit of Southern Kentucky

Somerset

The Spirit of Southern Kentucky

  • Home
  • Events
  • Culture
  • Lake
  • Outdoors
  • Blog
  • #seemyset
    • Story Series
    • Downtown Trails
  • Our Story
  • Contact

See Somerset Tourism receives two Traverse Awards for Excellence at state conference

November 15, 2022 | julie | News

Moonlight Festival, #seemyset Art Market take bronze in experience development during KTIA’s annual conference

The last four years have been marked with scores of new experiences in Somerset, with the addition of festivals and events that celebrate food, music and art.

Two of those experiences — Moonlight Festival, the community’s signature fall event, and the #seemyset Art Market, an open-air market created to celebrate tourism at home – were selected as bronze-level winners in the experience development category last week at the 2022 Kentucky Travel Industry Association (KTIA) Traverse Awards for Excellence.

The Traverse Awards, announced annually KTIA’s Kentucky Travel Industry Conference, celebrate and honor the talent, creativity and effectiveness in marketing among KTIA members. Gold, silver and bronze winners are selected in 11 categories and five divisions based on specific judging criteria and annual budget size.

Three judges from outside the state judge each entry and evaluate its concept, creativity, results and impact, and overall project impression.

The experience development category was new to the competition this year, and with its addition, See Somerset Tourism Director Leslie Ikerd said she saw an opportunity to highlight two of the community’s most popular new experiences at the state level.

two women holding certificates in front of a step and repeat that says KTIA
See Somerset Tourism Director Leslie Ikerd, left, and City of Somerset Communications Director Julie Harris at the 2022 KTIA Traverse Awards Gala.

“Our event team puts so many hours into building experiences that tell Somerset’s story through food, music and art, so that people who visit know how special this place truly is and people at home can celebrate it,” Ikerd said. “To be able to share this story with my fellow tourism professionals and be recognized for it with these awards is an honor.”

Ikerd developed the #seemyset Art Market during the COVID-19 pandemic as a safe, open-air event that highlighted tourism at home. Instead of hosting the market in downtown’s streets, Ikerd selected a venue outside the city limits — taking downtown into the county to promote all it has to offer to residents. The event featured food trucks, local and regional art vendors, and acoustic music sets throughout the day.

During the event, See Somerset Tourism also unveiled its Mural Walk, a collaboration with the city’s Healthy Somerset initiative to encourage physical activity while enjoying outdoor art.

“The art market was a wonderful opportunity for us to think locally and regionally and ensure that those who live in our community know about the talent and creativity that exists in their backyard,” Ikerd said. “It was a welcome event to so many who had been sheltering at home during the pandemic, and to the artists and businesses who needed our support during this time.”

Moonlight Festival has become the official kickoff to fall in downtown Somerset, a celebration that during the last four years has drawn thousands to experience a day full of music, food and live art creation. This free event attracted a record crowd this year — nearly 9,000 people from across the country (including states like New Jersey, Ohio and Missouri) attended on Oct. 15.

Ikerd said Moonlight Festival has become the anchor of all of Somerset’s festivals, and it has been exciting to watch it develop into a community and regional favorite.

“There’s just something about this festival,” Ikerd said. “The crisp fall weather, the sounds of outstanding music floating through the air, the smell and taste of Kentucky’s best flavors — it’s a truly special event that has become a staple in our community. I am grateful the judges saw Moonlight Festival’s uniqueness because I believe it will be an event that becomes part of Somerset’s history.”

chalkboard that says welcome to the see my set art market with a painted bourbon barrel next to it
The #seemyset Art Market received a bronze Traverse Award for experience development at the 2022 KTIA annual conference.

Footer

  • Home
  • Events
  • Culture
  • Lake
  • Outdoors
  • Blog
  • #seemyset
    • Story Series
    • Downtown Trails
  • Our Story
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
kentucky unbridled spirit

Copyright © 2023, The City of Somerset, Kentucky. Site Map. Accessibility.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT