Grab the popcorn: See Lexington’s 250 years in a video, filled with historic images
They say time goes by in a flash.
In a new video, the city’s history takes just over a minute.
During her Jan. 28 State of the City address, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton plans to release a video chronicling some of the highlights of the city’s past 250 years.
Created for the celebration of the city’s 250-year history, the video includes images of all aspects of the city’s past -- its people, places and events that make up the city’s rich history.
Many of the images are from the Herald-Leader’s photo archive.
“Starting with humble beginnings 250 years ago, Lexington has blossomed into one of America’s great cities,” Gorton said.
“Throughout 2025, we are celebrating the people, places, and events that have paved the way and shaped Lexington into the city it is today.”
Officials at the nonprofit group behind the city’s celebration, 250Lex, are confident the video will spark excitement for the yearlong festivities.
Hundreds of images flash by quickly, giving viewers a glimpse into the heart of what makes Lexington special, said co-chair Kip Cornett.
“There are well over 250, close to 300 images in it. We started with more than 700 and pared it down to fit,” he said. “Our hope is that people will take inspiration from it and make it their own.”
From images of socialite Anita Madden with singer/actor Dean Martin and A.B. “Happy” Chandler, to shots from University of Kentucky basketball and football games, the images form a tapestry of what the city was and has become, Cornett said.
He said he also hopes it will bring people back to Lexington.
“We tried to be mindful of our history… and to be inclusive as we tell the story of Lexington,” he said. “We hope it will trigger a memory and get people to come back here during June, our homecoming month.”
Set to the music of Lexington’s own Les McCann, the video pops. McCann was born in Lexington on Sept. 23, 1935, and grew up in a musical family of six.
According to the Bluegrass Historic Trust for Historic Preservation, McCann grew up in a small, one-story house on Thomas Street where he listened to opera with his mom and jazz with his father.
McCann got his start at the Lyric Theater, according to his bio on the Trust’s website, working for visiting artists by moving and carrying their equipment.
After joining the U.S. Navy at 17, he was stationed in California and started music school. A short time later he won a music competition on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was signed to a recording contract in 1960 after Miles Davis heard him play in a nightclub.
“I got word that Miles Davis was going to be at Club Renaissance, right up on Sunset Boulevard. When I got there, there was a jam session,” McCann told the Oxford American.
“The big names had already played, so I started playing, and when I got offstage, Miles came over to me: ‘How come you didn’t play when I was up there?’ I couldn’t even speak. He was my favorite of all musicians. He said, ‘Man, I like the way you play—very soulful.’”
McCann played and recorded until 1990. His music has been sampled by some of the best in hip hop, including A Tribe Called Quest, the Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige. McCann died on Dec. 29, 2023, at age 88.
Cornett said the music was a fitting upbeat backdrop to the celebration of the city’s anniversary.
The video is available on Instagram @250Lexington, at @250lexky on Facebook and @250lexky on X, formerly known as Twitter.
For more information on 250Lex’s calendar of events, log on to www.250lex.com.
This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
