You might have recognized these details from the front porch of Eddie and Debbie Cannon’s Virginia Street home, July winner of the Hopkinsville Beautification Commission’s Yard of the Month award for Ward 12.

Kelly Jackson, beautification commission chair, said the new contest was set in motion to honor those who put time and effort into making their front yard stand out.

“I’ve said this a couple of times; we’re working on beautifying Hopkinsville one yard at a time,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of people already doing good things.”

This month, the commission awarded many for the good things they’ve done in front of their homes.

Hopkinsville Beautification Commission July Yard of the Month recipients were James and Faith Watkins of 110 Lindwood Drive, Landis and Charlene Groves of 210 Adams Avenue, Jane Hall of 1701 Woodson Dive, Bill and Wanda Stevenson of 205 Blane Drive, Wade and Elizabeth (Bib) Northington of 205 Lewis Bridge Way, Leonard and Patsy Ezell of 2930 Cox Mill Road, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Stratton of 204 Marietta Drive, James and Carol Young of 400 E. Parkview Drive, Carolyn Price of 2302 South Main Street, Hoy and Delores Cox of 921 Rose Drive and Eddie and Debbie Cannon of 1800 South Virginia Street.

Click here to view photos of the July winners.

The Yard of the Month recipient in Ward seven was not available at press time.

Ward representatives are responsible for picking their winner from those nominated either by the homeowner or someone else, based on attractiveness of the front lawn, landscaping and structures like fences and porches.

Extra consideration might be given to yards with accessories such as sculptures, birdbaths, potted plants or furniture. Most of all the yard should tell passerbys that the owner takes pride in his or her landscape and property. Only the part of the yard that can be seen from the street will be judged.

A home can only be selected once per year, but homes that are nominated can be picked for the award any of the months — April through October — when the commission will be awarding the title.

“If you call in a name, they’re still in the running for future months even if they don’t get picked the month they’re nominated,” Jackson explained.

The commission hopes to highlight the beauty in the city and even spur some competition among homeowners to have the best yards in town.

The horticulture specialist sited a study done by the Chamber of Commerce that showed visitors to Hopkinsville have a higher opinion of the town than the people who live here.

“There are a lot of people who already take pride in their property and we need to recognize that,” he said.

Winners will receive a specially designed “Yard of the Month” sign placed in their front yard for month, a certificate of recognition signed by Mayor Dan Kemp, and recognition on the City of Hopkinsville Web site, www.hopkinsvilleky.us.

To nominate a yard, contact the Hopkinsville Beautification Commision at 270-890-0200 or jayres@hopkinsvilleky.us.

QuickInfo: July Yards of the Month

Ward 1: James and Faith Watkins, 110 Lindwood Drive

Ward 2: Landis and Charlene Groves, 210 Adams Avenue

Ward 3: Jane Hall, 1701 Woodson Dive

Ward 4: not available

Ward 5: Wade and Elizabeth (Bib) Northington, 205 Lewis Bridge Way

Ward 6: Leonard and Patsy Ezell, 2930 Cox Mill Road

Ward 7: Mr. and Mrs. Gene Stratton, 204 Marietta Drive

Ward 8: James and Carol Young, 400 E. Parkview Drive

Ward 9: no nominees this month

Ward 10: Carolyn Price, 2302 South Main Street

Ward 11: Hoy and Delores Cox, 921 Rose Drive

Ward 12: Eddie and Debbie Cannon, 1800 South Virginia Street