For the first time in more than 20 years, a Maryland community is the winner of the Great American Main Street Award.
Downtown Sykesville is one of three main streets across the country to receive the 2026 Great American Main Street Award. They are the state’s first recipient since 2005, when Frederick won the award.
Gov. Wes Moore said Sykesville serves as a model for investing in local main streets, partnering with communities, and generating “economic momentum” for not just one downtown but for the entire state.
“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,” Moore said in a statement.
Downtown Sykesville Connection, the nonprofit that oversees the Carroll County downtown’s historic preservation and community promotion, was named one of eight semifinalists for the award in October.
In addition to Downtown Sykesville, this year’s other two awardees are Downtown Wytheville, Inc. in Wytheville, Virginia; and Main Street Farmington in Farmington, Michigan.
“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 Jake Day, secretary of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development, in a statement.
A national jury of economic development and historic preservation leaders selected Downtown Sykesville Connection as one of the awardees after recognizing the main street organization for “transforming the core of the former mill town into a fully occupied, community-driven downtown through strategic independence, inclusive leadership, and sustainable redevelopment,” according to a news release from Moore’s office.
“Downtown Sykesville Connection represents the very best of the main street movement,” said Erin Barnes, president and CEO of Main Street America, in a statement. “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.”
After separating from town government, Sykesville’s main street program relaunched as the independent nonprofit Downtown Sykesville Connection in 2017.
Since then, the town and nonprofit have received support to support local business growth and improve the downtown area’s appearance.
The organization, formally known as the Sykesville Main Street Association, helped 74 businesses open or expand in Sykesville from 2011 through 2025. In that same period, they helped create 169 new full- or part-time jobs in the area.
Today, downtown Sykesville has a 0% vacancy rate due to work under the leadership of Julie Della-Maria, executive director of Downtown Sykesville Connection.
Della-Maria said Sykesville has “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,” she said in a statement. “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.”
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.
Before earning the 2026 Great American Main Street Award, Downtown Sykesville Connection was a semifinalist for the award in 2023.
Budget Travel named Sykesville the “Coolest Small Town in America” in 2016, and Independent We Stand called it the “Best Main Street in America” even as the town navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
