Television competitors join together to Save the Depot

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The yearlong Save the Depot fundraising campaign kicked off this past January.

As part of the campaign, they’re releasing a commemorative poster for every month.

Today, the second poster in the 12-month series was unveiled during a presentation on the second floor of the Historic RailPark and L&N Depot.

“We really try to create things that showcase our venue in a different light and show you that you can come out here and do something else,” said Jamie Johnson, the Executive Director for the L&N Depot.

“The history of this community is centered right here in this building,”  WNKY Television general manager Julie Milam said. “We need to make sure that we pay tribute to the history that made this community so wonderful to live and work in.”

Each month, the Depot brings in a local community leader or leaders to unveil the new poster. This time, they brought in two leaders – WNKY’s Milam and WBKO Television General Manager Brad Odil.

The two friendly competitors set aside their rivalry to come together in a unified manner, representing just how important it is to this community to save this building.

“We’re giving back every way we can,” said Odil. “Whether that’s [Public Service Announcement] time, or come on our air to tell your story to make sure these events are known because they don’t have a lot of money to promote these things.”

Milam shared similar sentiments.

“It was really important for us to come together because we are public servants in this market,” she said. “We are here to serve our entire community. The L&N Depot is a perfect example of how we can come together to bring support.”

The theme of the poster for February revolved around events at the RailPark.

The poster has the words, “Sponsor An Event – Save The Depot,” as well as an image of a family boarding a train car. The poster is supposed to serve as a reminder of all the family-friendly events that are held year-round on the rail cars behind the Depot.

“What we’re trying to communicate to the community is that we want you to come out and support the events by attending the events, volunteering at the events,”  Johnson said. “If you’re a local business owner, you could be a sponsor for that event.”

With 10 months left in 2019, 10 more posters will be unveiled in the hopes of saving a historic landmark that has become a staple in the Bowling Green community.

“It reminds people of where we’ve come from and how we got to where we are today,” said Odil.

More information about the “Save the Depot” campaign can found at historicrailpark.com, and you can also purchase copies of the posters on their website or at their gift shop.