Gov. Moore Announces Downtown Sykesville as Winner of 2026 Great American Main Street Award

Maryland’s First Since 2005

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced that Downtown Sykesville, a community supported by Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Main Street Maryland program, was one of three main streets in America to receive the 2026 Great American Main Street Award. The award recognizes communities whose successes serve as a national model for comprehensive, preservation-based revitalization efforts in their historic downtowns and commercial corridor districts.

“Sykesville’s recognition as a national model for progress proves that when we invest in our local main streets and move in partnership with our communities, we don’t just revitalize a downtown—we generate economic momentum that makes our entire state more competitive,” said Gov. Moore. “This is the true return on investment for our main streets—a thriving, successful community that is not just recognized with the highest honor in the country, but one that is actively defining the path forward for all of Maryland.”

The Great American Main Street Award is the highest honor a downtown can receive. Selected by a national jury of leaders in economic development and historic preservation, Sykesville’s main street organization, Downtown Sykesville Connection, is recognized for transforming the core of the former mill town into a fully occupied, community-driven downtown through strategic independence, inclusive leadership, and sustainable redevelopment. 

“Strong main streets are built on a strong foundation – lovable public spaces, thriving businesses, people-centered placemaking and events that highlight what makes a community special,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “This award was hard-earned and well-deserved by Downtown Sykesville Connection. The Department is proud to have supported Downtown Sykesville Connection through our Main Street Maryland program for the last 15 years on its journey to becoming one the best places in Maryland and America. Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to make this achievement possible!”

Three Great American Main Street awards are presented annually by Main Street America, an organization that has helped strengthen and reenergize downtown and neighborhood commercial districts across the United States for more than 45 years. Since the award’s establishment in 1995, only 115 of over 2,000 main street programs have been honored with the award. Sykesville is recognized alongside Wytheville, Virginia and Farmington, Michigan and is the first Maryland main street to win the award since 2005, when Frederick was named as an awardee.

“Downtown Sykesville Connection represents the very best of the main street movement,” said Main Street America President and Chief Executive Officer Erin Barnes. “They didn’t just reduce vacancies or renovate buildings, they rebuilt trust. By clarifying their mission and investing in inclusive leadership, they transformed downtown into a place where businesses thrive and people feel they belong.” 

Sykesville’s main street program separated from town government and relaunched as an independent nonprofit, Downtown Sykesville Connection, in 2017. The Town and Downtown Sykesville Connection receive support through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to grow local businesses and improve the appearance of its downtown. From its creation in 2011 through 2025, the organization—formally known as the Sykesville Main Street Association—has helped 74 businesses open or expand in Sykesville and created 169 new full- or part-time jobs in the area. Today, supported by the leadership of Executive Director Julie Della-Maria, downtown Sykesville boasts a 0% vacancy rate and a strong community of small business owners.

“Over the course of our development, Sykesville learned to master both the art and the science of the main street approach. The science is in the data-driven decisions, the preservation-based model, and the discipline of building sustainable revenue and strategic investment,” said Downtown Sykesville Connection Executive Director Julie Della-Maria. “But the art is remembering what gives main street life. It’s the understanding that this work is powered by people, for people; that art transforms how we connect to places, that the humanities shape both wellness and prosperity, that diversity is not just welcomed but essential, that green spaces are the lifeblood of a community, and that every voice, every story, and every contribution helps build a downtown people don’t just visit but deeply love, proudly support, invest in, and carry forward together.”

Downtown Sykesville Connection was a semifinalist for the Great American Main Street Award in 2023. The Town of Sykesville has also been awarded the titles of “Coolest Small Town in America” by Budget Travel in 2016 and “Best Main Street in America” by Independent We Stand amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

To learn more about Main Street Maryland and how the State of Maryland supports economic development in cities and towns, visit the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s website.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison Foster,
Director of Communications
allison.foster@maryland.gov