The Henderson City Commission approved a request for $12,500 in funding for the 2026 W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival.
Mayor Brad Staton said the festival originally applied for $15,000 funding in the city’s annual grant funding cycle. That request wasn’t approved, however, because Staton said he believed a previous $25,000 grant was for the current fiscal year.
In fact, the $25,000 gift, which was used to pay for a headlining act, was for the 2025 festival, which occurred last fiscal year.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, the city commission had doled out $137,500 of its budgeted $150,000 in the grant cycle. It approved unanimously to give the $12,500 to the Handy Fest for the 2026 show.
Additionally, the Henderson City Commission recognized Henderson Fire Department Chief Josh Dixon as the August community spotlight recipient, an award the city gives for people in the community who do exceptional things.
Dixon was recently named the Fire Chief of the year by the Kentucky Fire Chiefs Association. Dixon said two of the takeaways from his acceptance speech at the ceremony were to surround yourself with rock stars—very talented people—and the greatest investment a fire chief can make is the investment in your people. Read a previous Hendersonian story about Dixon’s award here.
The commission also recognized new employees:
- Jace Powell, Maintenance Technician I, Henderson Water Utility
- Matthew Watson, Water Treatment Operator I, Henderson Water Utility
- David Gee, Grounds Maintenance Worker I, Parks & Recreation Department
The commission also celebrated Nancy Stone, Occupational Tax Technician, who has been an employee of the city for 25 years.
