John Sergent of First Tennessee Bank recently presented a check to Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Melanie Minter and Vice President of Operations Andrea Wilke for the Chamber Building Program. The donation contributes to First Tennessee’s commitment to pay costs associated with major renovations of the Chamber building.
Thank you, First Tennessee Bank!
A school grand opening and dedication was held at Carroll-Oakland School on the afternoon of Sunday, November 8. The newly-renovated facility is located at 4664 Hunters Point Pike. Modifications made to the building and grounds cost over $13 million and include a loop drive to help avoid traffic back-up on the highway, a drainage system installed in the playground area, outdoor LED lighting, and a beautiful gym, complete with a stage for performances and seating for close to 1,000 students.
The gym was the site of the dedication ceremony on Sunday, which featured Wilson County Schools Director Dr. Donna Wright, Carroll-Oakland School Principal Carol Ferrell, Wilson County School Board Chairman Larry Tomlinson, Wilson Co. Commissioner Keeny Reich, and Jason Morris of KBJM Architects. The public was invited to attend the event and to tour the school.
School and county officials joined the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber staff for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new entry to the school following the indoor ceremony.
Dr. Kylene Haskins, a new member of University Medical Center’s network of physicians, held a grand opening event on November 3 at her office, located at 1616 West Main Street, Suite 101.
The evening included a ribbon cutting ceremony, delicious heavy hors d’eouvres, and a Chamber Pot drawing. University Medical Center CEO Matt Caldwell introduced Dr. Haskins, who specializes in family medicine.
Square Market/Major Love Clothing hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 5 at their storefront located just off the Lebanon Public Square, at 115 South Cumberland Street.
Patti Major and Cindi Irwin, the sisters who co-own the stores, were joined by friends and family, local officials, and Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce staff and representatives for the grand opening. The crowd enjoyed checking out the beautifully-revamped storefront as well as the merchandise, which includes furniture, home décor, clothing, jewelry, and more.
Ideal Barber Shop held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their storefront, located at 102 Public Square on October 26. Roger Bennett, the owner, has been cutting hair in Lebanon for several years, has been working on the square four roughly four years, and recently became the sole owner of Ideal Barber Shop.
We are excited to welcome him to the Chamber family!
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Veterans Memorial Museum took place on Thursday, October 29. The day also marked the one-year anniversary of the Veterans Park.
The celebratory event continued from 10:00 a.m. until close to 2:00 p.m. and included storytelling by veterans, free hotdogs, a display of military vehicles, and a brief speech by Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto.
On October 31, roughly 2,500 people gathered on the Lebanon Public Square for trick-or-treating and other activities hosted by the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber in cooperation with the City of Lebanon. Face painting, balloon animal creating, flame eating, and fortune telling were all part of the fun. The Lebanon Public Safety Department cooked and gave away 2,000 hotdogs throughout the night.
Though the rain put a slight damper on some of the planned events, there were several costume contest entrants who gathered to compete for the grand prize: $100 in cash, sponsored by Michael’s Cover Up. A panel of celebrity judges, including Lebanon City Mayor Philip Craighead, WEMA Director Joey Cooper, and City Councilman Rob Cesternino, made the tough decisions of who won ribbons in each of three age categories.
Mayor Craighead with the birth to six-year-old category finalists
Mayor Craighead with the 7- to 13-year-old category finalists
Mayor Craighead with the 14+ category finalists
Though the judges agonized over the final decision, the punny Party Pooper was deemed the Ghoul of the Night, claiming the cash prize. He is pictured above with Michael Ezsol of Michael’s Cover Up.
For more photos from Halloween on the Square, please visit the Chamber’s Facebook page.
Friday, October 16 marked the beginning of a grand opening weekend at Firestone Complete Auto Care, located at 1623 West Main Street. Local officials, including Senator Mae Beavers, Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead, and Lebanon City Councilmen joined representatives and staff from the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce and Firestone corporate and local employees for their kickoff event on the 16th. Store Manager Chad Simmons presented a check to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America on behalf of Firestone Complete Auto Care before cutting the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the opening of the new store. The day also included trivia games, music and giveaways by Nashville radio station 105.9 The Rock, and a barbeque lunch.
On October 19, LED worldUSA Owner Narendra B. Patel, General Manager Melissa Parrish, Sales Manager Pradip Patel, and Operations Manager Dhaval Patel were joined by friends and family, Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead, and Chamber representatives for a ribbon cutting at their store, located at 707 S Cumberland Street, on October 19. The company distributes a wide variety of LED lighting solutions, which can be longer lasting as well as more efficient, durable, and versatile than other types of lights, for both commercial and residential use.
Halloween on the Square will take place this year on Saturday, October 31 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. As always, there will be plenty of candy for everyone, as well as free hotdogs, food trucks, games, inflatables, a balloon artist, and activities for the whole family!
New this year, there will be a costume contest and ghoul parade for all ages! Those wishing to participate in the contest & parade may register from 5-6 p.m. Participants will parade around the square two times as music plays and judges watch, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Judges will then choose finalists who will go on stage to show off their costumes to a panel of local celebrity judges. A winner will be selected in each of three age categories, and an overall winner will be chosen as Ghoul of the Night. The overall winner will receive a $100 cash prize, sponsored by Michael’s Cover Up.
Age categories for the costume contest will be as follows: Little Kids – 0-6 years; Big Kids – 7-13 years; Adult – 14+ years
Also taking place on Halloween night in the downtown Lebanon area is First Baptist Church’s Fall for All event. We encourage families to go visit the First Baptist group as well as coming down to Halloween on the Square!