Harlan County’s residents have always loved the natural beauty of the area of Kentucky they call home, but many throughout the state have never known its charm. Far from any interstate, it’s not easy to access Harlan County. Some have expressed that people and deliveries simply come in, turn around, and go back out again without ever experiencing the people and attractions of Harlan county and its many communities. That is all about to change. A new community development foundation, Harlan 2020, has begun many projects, with the help of the NewCities Institute, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Brushy Fork Institute, to increase tourism and the quality of life for people living in Harlan County. Kathy Jones, who has been instrumental in implementing many ideas, noted that Harlan just “needs to build on what it already has.” Her sentiments are echoed by many in the community. Harlan 2020 works to provide leadership training, planning, and monetary assistance to groups that want to better the county. The foundation showcases its successes in the hopes that others will follow, wanting to better something about their own neighborhoods. Ms. Jones said, “We want you to want to help.”

Perhaps the most exciting project is the Adopt a Vacant Building program created by a group of high school students from Harlan County High School.

Many storefronts in the city of Harlan have been empty for some time. Collecting dust, they don’t reflect the positivity of the town. HCHS student William Parker explained that “downtown Harlan used to be the place to be,” but today that isn’t the case. So the students began to clean and decorate the empty spaces to encourage interest in the downtown area.
In this ongoing program, Parker and other students began to clean one downtown storefront. The students’ energy has proven contagious, prompting others to join the beautification effort. Before they knew it, the storeowner next door, a professional painter, wanted to get involved.
According to Mr. Parker, the point of the project is to entice new businesses to come to Harlan and to encourage old ones to begin again. The cleanup at the Bissells building is the most notable accomplishment of this effort. After just two days, the owner decided to reopen her business. Business has been brisk.
The Adopt a Building project has helped many people take pride in the community. Ashley Parker commented: “I have seen several people stop and actually look in the windows when normally these buildings never get a second glance.”
The project also focuses on breaking down stereotypes about Harlan through beautification and cleanup efforts. Many in Harlan feel that the negative images shown on the news about their community don’t accurately reflect their home. Cleaning and decorating windows has brought some positive attention to Harlan.
The Adopt a Vacant Building project is now taking a break. But be assured, the work will not stop here. The students are determined to “clean up every possible building [they can.]”
“Harlan County is a beautiful area with beautiful land and wonderful people,” said Ashley Parker, “It has so much potential, but it will take all of our community to keep it clean and keep it growing.”