An exciting new restaurant concept called Deckers - the first anywhere in the United States - is being launched in Lebanon, according to the Lebanon/Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. Deckers is located at 636 South Cumberland Street, under the same roof as the recently renovated White Castle restaurant.

A grand opening celebrating the debut of Deckers is scheduled for Saturday, July 10. The day-long festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring local officials and personalities such as David Rife, the White Castle family member who was featured in the CBS hit series "Undercover Boss." (see video at bottom of page)

Both Deckers and White Castle are owned and operated by the same company - White Castle System, Inc., based in Columbus, Ohio.

Immediately following the ribbon-cutting, the first 100 customers in line will receive a free Deckers sandwich each week for a full year!

The grand opening will feature family-oriented activities, including an appearance by country music artist Jason Meadows, runner-up on the TV talent show "Nashville Star."

Here's the schedule for the day's events:

• 9:30 a.m. - Ribbon-cutting ceremony, immediately followed by give-away of free Deckers sandwich each week for a full year to first 100 customers in line.
• 10 a.m. - Other free give-away prizes for as long as they last.
• 1 until 4 p.m. - Balloon artist and face painter.
• 1:30 until 3:30 p.m. - Live performance with country music artist Jason Meadows from 1:30 until 2 p.m., followed by a Meet 'n' Greet with Jason.
• 5 until 7 p.m. - Live performance with country music artist Danielle Peck from 5 until 6 p.m., followed by Meet 'n' Greet with Danielle.

The celebration of Deckers' opening continues during July with the give-away of a "Decorate Your Deck" prize package from Lowe's. The public is invited to stop by Deckers any time and register for the summer-time prize package, which includes a deluxe gas grill and a five-piece outdoor furniture set. The drawing takes place at Deckers on July 24, and no purchase is necessary.

For more details about Deckers, visit www.deckerssandwiches.com.

The Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce that the pioneer spirit of Wilson County will be recaptured by visitors at Founder's Day on Saturday, June 26, through bluegrass music, whole-hog roasts, tall tales, quilting, blacksmithing, weaving, a stump rally, Victorian dress, tin-type photography and greased watermelon races at Fiddler's Grove Historic Village.

Founder's Day will also be the grand re-opening of the Stringtown General Store, where everything from corn cob jelly to scuppernog cider can be tasted at Fiddler's Grove inside the 1872 mercantile. Besides pork barbecue plates, there will also be hot dogs, cookies and lemonade for sale. Admission will be free from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. to Fiddler's Grove, which is now in its 19th year of operation at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center which includes the Wilson County Fairgrounds. Cakes will also be auctioned to raise money for its preservation.

"My grandfather and my daddy came in the early 1900s from Granville in a horse and wagon to Lebanon with all the belongings they had," said resident Jimmy Crawford, who will discuss hand-weaving at Founder's Day on an antique loom. "Many of my relatives were employed at the Lebanon Woolen Mills, including my two grandmothers, my father for about 38 years, my mother for a short while, my son for around three months and me for 40 years."

Ladies and gentlemen can enter the "Best-Dressed Victorians" competition for prizes at Founder's Day, along with young boys and girls. Tin-type-looking portraits will be made in the village, which will also have croquet matches, horseshoe pitching, sack races and other games. The Fiddler's Grove Blacksmith Association will be making "courting candleholders," which fathers would light in the Victorian Era so that male suitors romancing their eligible daughters would know to go home after the wax burned down in the front parlors.

An "Old-Time Political Stump Rally" will be waged at Founder's Day, just months before Tennessee's new governor is elected. From atop fallen logs and tree stumps, Wilson County native James C. "Lean Jimmy" Jones debated incumbent Gov. James K. Polk around Lebanon. For the state's highest office, Jones upset Polk in 1841 and 1843 to become a two-time governor of Tennessee.

Visitors can also see two historic landmarks of prominent Americans - Sam Houston's Law Office and W.E. Du Bois' one-room Wheeler School - which were relocated to Fiddler's Grove. Houston was the only man to ever serve as governor of two U.S. states - Tennessee and Texas - but he started as an attorney in 1818 in Lebanon where he rented this original log cabin for $1 per month for a year and a half on the city's Public Square. The founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), W.E. Du Bois was the first teacher in the 1860s at Wheeler School to educate African-Americans near Alexandria after the Civil War. During Founder's Day, chalkboard lessons can be heard inside the Wheeler School.

The title of Fiddler's Grove came from one of Wilson County's first settlers, Edward (Neddy) Jacobs, who often played the instrument at his cabin in Lebanon at the Town Spring. Since its dedication on April 17, 1991 with seven buildings, Fiddler's Grove has expanded to more than 50 structures in Lebanon, where the Wilson County Fair will also be held this August 13 through 21 at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center.

PHOTO BY BluegrassAnnie

Beginning on Wednesday, June 16, The Roxy Theater in Lebanon will begin hosting 'Free Movie Wednesdays' for children and their parents, according to Anita Sanders, general manager of The Roxy.

"We're going to be offering this every Wednesday morning through the end of July," Sanders explained. "School's out, and a lot of families are looking for a budget friendly family activity. We just want to give back to the community that has meant so much to us for almost six years now, and we've always taken great pride in being Lebanon's hometown theater, offering up excellent customer service with a touch of Southern hospitality."

Each Wednesday, the doors at The Roxy will open at 9:30 a.m., and the week's free movie will begin showing promptly at 10 a.m. on two screens in digital format. Seating is available for approximately 460 guests and will be available on a first come, first served basis, Sanders said.

Free Movie Wednesdays kicks off on June 16 with a showing of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which finds America's favorite singing chipmunk trio dealing with the pressures of school, fame and a new rival group known as The Chipettes.

FREE MOVIE WEDNESDAYS at The Roxy:

• June 16 - Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
• June 23 - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
• June 30 - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• July 7 - Aliens in the Attic
• July 14 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
• July 21 - Monsters vs Aliens
• July 28 - Kung Fu Panda

The Roxy is located at 200 Legends Drive in Lebanon. For movie listings, please visit The Roxy website or call the Roxy Movie Line at 615-444-4RXY.

As the weather heats up, the Nashville Symphony is getting out of the concert hall and heading back to Lebanon for the annual "Symphony on the Lawn" concert on Memorial Lawn at Cumberland University. Thanks to Regions Bank, there is no charge for admission to this great local event this year.

Hosted by the Cumberland University Fine Arts Council (CUFAC) and sponsored by Regions Bank and the Cracker Barrel Foundation, the Tuesday, June 15 event will see Conductor Kelly Corcoran lead the Nashville Symphony through a range of favorite selections.

Gates open at 5 p.m., and guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and chairs for the concert on the lawn. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, or guests may bring their own to enjoy. Pre-concert entertainment begins at 5:30 p.m., and the Nashville Symphony's performance begins at 7 p.m.

A newly designed Wilson County Visitors Guide has been released for 2010 and promises to be an important part of tourism marketing efforts, according to the Wilson County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Official 2010 Wilson County Visitors Guide provides visitors information about points of interest, listings of transportation services, hotels, restaurants, shops, annual events and more.

Designed to provide the most comprehensive tourism information to more than 70,000 consumers, the 24-page Guide includes maps, travel information and targeted advertising to the thousands of visitors and new residents who come to Wilson County each year. It is distributed to all Middle Tennessee hotels and attractions, Tennessee Welcome Centers, local chambers of commerce and sent to thousands of individuals who have requested more information about the area.

"It's a comprehensive listing of attractions, special events, restaurants and accommodations that give our communities its appeal as a great destination," Ricky Rodriguez, director of the Wilson County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said.

To view the online virtual guide or to request a free 2010 Wilson County Visitors Guide, visit the Wilson County Convention and Visitors Bureau's website.

Free evenings of outdoor entertainment for all ages are back at Wilson Bank & Trust this summer, beginning with a baseball-themed event on May 27.

WB&T's Family Entertainment Series, which includes three nights of movies and more, will begin with a free showing of the movie The Sandlot and live music from the Zach Allen Band on Thursday, May 27. Music begins at 6:30 p.m., and the movie will start at dusk. There will be special activities for kids, and children are encouraged to wear their favorite cap or jersey to receive a savings coupon from WB&T's School Bank program.

The Family Entertainment Series will take place on the west lawn adjacent to Wilson Bank & Trust's Main Office at 623 West Main Street in Lebanon.

The first installment of the series will be hosted by the staff at Wilson Bank & Trust's Castle Heights Avenue North office. The next two evenings of free entertainment are scheduled for June 17 and July 15, and they will be hosted by other WB&T branches. Wilson Bank & Trust began hosting free entertainment events for families last year as a way to help families save money during the economic downturn.

On Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22, Garr's Rental and Feed will host a free seminar on pond care. The Friday seminar begins at 6:30 p.m.; the Saturday seminar begins at 9 a.m. Reservations are encouraged: call 615-754-2777. Garr's is located at 11620 Lebanon Road in Mt. Juliet.

At both seminars, Julie Kamp-Williams with Aquatic Pharmaceuticals will discuss water quality and fish care. Each seminar will last approximately two hours and include a question-and-answer session. Light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited, so reservations are encouraged.

"These seminars will explain how to eliminate green pond water so you can better enjoy your pond," explained Roy Garr, president and owner of Garr's Rental and Feed. "The information provided by this seminar applies to every pond, from a small birdbath to a large koi pond."

Garr's Rental and Feed is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

A long-standing Nashville tradition will return for its 12th year on Sunday, May 16, as Grand Old Dulcimer Day fills the air at Two Rivers Mansion with everything from mountain music to classical tunes and even a little rock and roll.

The free event, a celebration of the mountain dulcimer, will take place from noon until 6 p.m. at Two Rivers Mansion, which is located at 3130 McGavock Pike. According to event organizers, the 12th annual festival will include stage performances by renowned artists and dulcimer groups as well as dulcimer exhibits, introductory dulcimer lessons for children and plenty of great food provided by Houston's Meat & Produce.

Sponsored by the Grand Old Dulcimer Club and Metro Nashville Parks with support from Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music, Grand Old Dulcimer Day is tentatively scheduled to include performances by Sarah Elizabeth, Lee Rowe, Joni Bishop, Stephen Seifert and many more.

Festival-goers will enjoy great music and delectable food against the backdrop of the historic Two Rivers Mansion, a 19th century home built by the McGavock family. Restored to the 1870s period - the time when it was originally completed - the stunning estate was left to Vanderbilt University in 1965. The university later sold the home and 447 acres to Metropolitan Nashville government, which made the mansion and a 14-acre portion of the property part of its parks system.

The 40-plus-member Grand Old Dulcimer Club is one of many such clubs in middle Tennessee. The club is a group of dulcimer players and musician friends who meet monthly to play, learn and share. Club members regularly take their music into hospitals, nursing homes and schools. The club meets on the third Sunday of each month at Two Rivers Mansion from 2 until 5 p.m.

For more information, news and updates about the Grand Old Dulcimer Club or Grand Old Dulcimer Day, please visit www.grandolddulcimerclub.org.

Photo Information: Local professional dulcimer artist and teacher Stephen Seifert leads a dulcimer tutorial during the 2009 Grand Old Dulcimer Day event. Seifert is one of many dulcimer professionals who call Nashville home.

Renowned Southern author John Egerton will speak Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the K-Room at Cumberland University as part of the continuing Second Cup of Coffee lecture series. Egerton's topic for discussion will be, "Why is the first Black President not from the South?"

Born in Atlanta during the Depression, Egerton's family settled in Cadiz, Ky., where he graduated high school. He attended Western Kentucky University before spending two-plus years in the U.S. Army. Egerton received a bachelor's and master's from the University of Kentucky and worked in the Public Relations office at UK and at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

He moved to Nashville in 1965, serving as a magazine staff writer for Southern Education Report and its successor, Race Relations Reporter, for six years. He then began a career of freelance writing that has included 20 nonfiction books, dealing mostly with education, desegregation, civil rights and the American South, particularly its food. Among his best-known books are "The Americanization of Dixie," "Generations: An American Family," "Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History" and "Speak Now Against the Day: The Generation before the Civil Rights Movement in the South."

He has won numerous awards for his publications, including the Lillian Smith Award for nonfiction presented by the Southern Council and the W.D. Weatherford Award presented by Berea College. In addition, he has written articles for The York Times Magazine and numerous other publications.

"John Egerton is widely known for his love of the South and its uniqueness," said Monty Pope, programming director for the Second Cup of Coffee lecture series. "Many call him one of the greatest Southern writers who captures the rich feel for the South and the histories of its people."

The lecture is free and open to the public.

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