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Signature Projects
Projects originating and managed by Celebrate Lexington!
Community Champion
In 2017, AIB Lexington created the Isabel Yates Community Champion Award to honor this former Vice Mayor for her unceasing work in beautification and historic preservation in the Bluegrass. Rather than present her a plaque, a daffodil drift was planted in her honor at Wellington Park. The award continues to be presented annually with three adjoining drifts/awards per park.
GET INVOLVED to suggest a Community Champion to our Board!
 2026 Winner Tom Eblen Historic Duncan Park |  2025 Winner Dr. Harry Clarke ArtWorks at Carver |
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 2024 Winner Victoria Meyer ArtWorks at Carver |  2023 Winner Ann Garrity ArtWorks at Carver |
 2022 Winner Thomas Tolliver Charles Young Park |  2021 Winner Jake Gibbs Charles Young Park |
 2020 Winner Yvonne Giles Charles Young Park |  2019 Winner Elizabeth Pattengill Wellington Park |
 2018 Winner Marcia Farris Wellington Park |  2017 Winner Isabel Yates Wellington Park |
Celebrate Lexington Brunch
Ever since the inaugural Community Breakfast that started Celebrate Lexington!, our passion has been uniting the diverse mix of government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and local organizations that dedicate themselves to making our city an incredible place to live and work. Alongside our incredible community sponsors, Celebrate Lexington held its premier breakfast on September 10th to celebrate our newest Community Champion, Tom Eblen! We extend our deepest gratitude to all of our Community Champions. Your selfless dedication leaves a lasting, meaningful impact on our entire community.
Be sure to join us for next year's breakfast in the fall of 2027 as we honor our next Community Champion.
Daffodil Drifts: A Living "Thank You"
Since 2017, we have planted 1,000 daffodils every autumn to honor recipients of the Isabel Yates Community Champion Award. Each spring, these daffodils bloom in high-visibility areas across Lexington as a permanent tribute to our city's civic leaders.
To date, our living tribute spans three active locations, with a fourth on the horizon:
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Wellington Park (3,000 Bulbs)
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Location: Highly visible from the Wellington Walking Trail and New Circle Road.
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Highlights: Transformed into a year-round, continuous-bloom garden. Features Lexington’s Official Flower (Purple Coneflower) and zinnias for summer, alongside the Kentucky State Flower (Goldenrod) for autumn, creating a thriving sanctuary for local pollinators and goldfinches.
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Charles Young Park (3,000 Bulbs)
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Location: Positioned at the prominent intersection of Midland Avenue and Third Street.
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Highlights: Completed in 2022. This living landscape serves as an integral backdrop connecting the modern Community Center and Splash Park with historical landmarks along the Kentucky African American Heritage Trail.
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Artworks & Oliver Lewis Way (3,000 Bulbs)
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Location: Completed in 2025, along the bustling Oliver Lewis Way corridor, at Artworks at the Carver School
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Highlights: This garden is nestled directly in front of the historic Artworks at the Carver School facility. Originally built as an educational cornerstone for African American students during segregation, the building has been beautifully revitalized by Lexington Parks & Recreation into a vibrant cultural arts center.
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Duncan Park (Upcoming)
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Timeline: We will establish new drifts of 1,000 bulbs annually during the Autumn 2026, 2027, and 2028 planting seasons. Come help us plant November 4 at 10am, by the historic columns.
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Purple Coneflower
In 2017, after many suggestions from American in Bloom Evaluators, we decided to nominate a city flower. After a city-wide survey, the clear winner was Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). The city council agreed and it was final!
Purple Coneflower makes a remarkable appearance in the Wellington Park daffodil drift and Charles Young Pollinator Garden.
GET INVOLVED to promote this beautiful native flower with seed packets, signs, and fliers.
Growing instructions
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Sow the seeds in an area that receives full sun. The best time to plan is in late fall, just before or after the first hard frost. Coneflower tolerates all soil types.
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Loosen the soil and distribute the seeds, covering with a 1/4 inch of soil and pat the soil down.
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Water thoroughly after planting only. A thin layer of mulch will help to hold in moisture over the winter.
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Seeds will germinate in the spring and begin to grow. Once the seedlings have grown two or more sets of leaves, they may be transplanted if they are too close together.
Book Trail 2023-2025
To celebrate and encourage literacy and nature in Fayette County, Celebrate Lexington has developed a series of Book Trails on fencing in collaboration with Lexington Parks & Recreation. Stop by and read a children's picture book written by Central Kentucky authors at Wellington Park (Dog Park)
GET INVOLVED by sending us a photo of you walking the trail to be featured on our social media.
