The Brunke Building of Excelsior Springs received the award for Best Historic Preservation Project from a statewide business group, Missouri Main Street Connection Inc., Branson. At the Downtown Excelsior Partnership, Executive Director Lyndsey Baxter said Brunke’s statewide win, among so many potential rivals in Missouri, speaks well for the owners, preservationists Gary and Kim Sanson. “It is all of the Main Street communities across the entire state that nominate. They won out of all of the other communities that do downtown revitalization,” Baxter said. “They did a fabulous job saving a historic building, and it was notable enough to be recognized as the best of the entire year.” Due to the coronavirus, the awards ceremony took place virtually on the Facebook social media site. In August 2017, the Sansons bought the Brunke building with the goal of restoration to its original condition. The Brunke family, in business since 1921, had owned the building since 1969. The…