Downtown Clawson was honored  during Main Street Oakland County’s annual awards celebration Thursday night at The Roxy Rochester theater in Rochester.

The city received the Spirit of Main Street Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in downtown revitalization and community engagement. Clawson earned the award and a $2,000 cash prize.

Two community downtown development authorities, representing Ortonville and Highland, were each honored three times for history, partnership, innovation and event programs. “Downtowns are the heart of our communities, and the creativity and collaboration demonstrated by this year’s award winners are helping Oakland County remain one of the best places to live and visit,” said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners for their dedication to strengthening our downtowns.”

The county also recognized downtown Farmington as a 2026 Great American Main Street Award winner, joining downtown Ferndale (2010) and downtown Rochester (2013) as Oakland County communities to earn the national distinction.

Forty-two nominations for county awards were submitted from 16 of the 29 participating communities.

Other county award recipients included:

Achievement in Community Character or Historic Preservation: Ortonville downtown development authority for Ortonville Historical Audio Walking Tour — Preserving the Past Through Storytelling and Innovation
Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Ortonville downtown development authority for Mistletoe Marketplace — A Community-Driven Retail Innovation Fueling Downtown Ortonville’s Economic Vitality
Community Event of the Year: Ortonville downtown development authority for Vegucation Station Adventurers’ Club
District Placemaking: Farmington downtown development authority for Make-a-Wave Community Mural
Small Business Retention and Attraction: Highland downtown development authority for Commercial Property Open House
Volunteer of the Year: The Illuminators — A Lake Orion Volunteer Corps for Lake Orion downtown development authority
Main Street Resilience: Highland downtown development authority for Earth-‘n’-Soul
Outstanding Partnership: Highland downtown development authority for Highland Station Boardwalk
Main Street Leader: Deya Marchand, Main Street Pontiac

Coulter also welcomed Keego Harbor as the 30th community to join the county’s coordinating program.