The 82nd Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration will be judged by the experienced panel of Rollie Beard, Ross Campbell, Mike Hilley, Sam Sorrell and Leigh Stuart. The panel has a collective 20 Celebration’s judged between them.  “We are excited to announce this panel for our 82nd Annual Celebration. They bring a wealth of knowledge in both our flat shod and performance divisions as well as a geographic diversity in where they come to us from,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.

The Celebration judges’ committee met on Monday July 6, 2020 and made the recommendations to the full board who later that day ratified the selections recommended by the committee. The Celebration affiliates with the SHOW HIO, which is owned by The Celebration and selects the panel from the list of AAA licensed judges at the SHOW HIO. There were 20 AAA judges that expressed the desire and availability to judge this year’s show.

Beard, from Lewisburg, Tenn., is the most experienced of the panel, judging The Celebration eight times previously. The most recent was in 2014 but also includes stints judging in Maverick Arena in 1988, 1994, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2013. Beard has been active lately in some of the industry premier events including the 2019 Spring Fun Show, Money Tree Classic and North Carolina Championships. He also judged the Columbia Spring Jubilee this year.

Sam Sorrell, from Lexington, Ky., has previously judged The Celebration six times. Sorrell marked the cards in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Sorrell most recently judged the Money Tree Classic on July 3, 2020 but has judged most every major venue in the industry including twice at The International in 2005 and 2010.

Leigh Stuart, from Alvaton, Ky., has been a popular choice in recent years and will be making her fifth appearance at The Celebration. Stuart previously judged in 1997, 2013, 2016 and 2018. Stuart also judged the Tunica Fall Classic in 2016 and 2019 for The Celebration and she too has judged The International.  Stuart is respected for her knowledge of the SHOW rulebook and her role in the drafting of it.

Hilley, from Shelbyville, Tenn., will be marking the cards for the second time in 3 years. Hilley judged The Celebration for the first time in 2018. Hilley has judged the Tunica Fall Classic  in 2014 and 2019 and most recently judged at the 2020 Money Tree Classic in Calsonic Arena.

Campbell, from Cullman, Ala., will be making his second appearance in the big oval. Campbell judged with Stuart and Hilley at the 2018 Celebration. Campbell has also judged the Tunica Fall Classic, FAST Spring Showcase, Gulf Coast Charity and Money Tree Classic. Campbell also judged this year’s Columbia Spring Jubilee with Beard.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Celebration felt it prudent to select two alternates for this year’s show in case any of the five initial selections were to fall ill and be forced to quarantine. Chris Bobo and Paul Robbins will serve in those alternate roles, after both received serious consideration by the committee.

“We are extremely excited to work with this group of judges to make our 82nd Annual Celebration the best it can be. Competition has been extremely tough to start the year and we expect large numbers and deep classes for this group to consider later in August,” concluded Inman.

The 82nd Annual Celebration will be held August 26th – September 3rd in Calsonic and Maverick Arenas on the historic Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration show grounds. For more information contact the administrative office at 931-684-5915..

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration board of directors continued to finalize plans for the upcoming 82nd Annual Celebration to be held August 26th – September 5th.  The board met July 6, 2020 and made some final decisions regarding the upcoming horse show in light of the COVID-19 recommendations from local, state and federal guidelines.

Box Seating
The Celebration will reconcile the sale of its box seats on July 15th to check available inventory.  If at that time box seat holders that would like to move their location to a less crowded area they can work with Celebration staff to do so.  The move will be a one-year temporary move and the customer will not lose the right to the original box they’ve previously had.  Also, if the customer moves to a different location they will be refunded the difference in price if the new box is less expensive and charged the difference if the new box is more expensive than their original box.

Blue Ribbon Circle Club
The Celebration will have the Blue Ribbon Circle Club but will add a new outside location which will be located in the front lawn of the current Blue Ribbon.  The area will have a tent and be equipped with table tops for those that would prefer to be in the outside air but also to increase the spacing of the club.  On the most attended nights, the outside location will offer bar service and some food service.  The food selection will be similar to past years in the Blue Ribbon Circle but may be limited in the selection as the food caterer will haver servers in place instead of patrons serving themselves.  The Celebration will follow state guidelines on occupancy and may limit those in the area at any specific time.  We will continue to update our pass holders as we get closer to time.

Corporate Sponsor Party
Unfortunately, the Celebration will not have a corporate sponsor party in 2020.  The board just didn’t feel comfortable with the current executive orders in place of having that many people in one confined location.  Due to this cancellation this year, the board did upgrade the Blue Ribbon Circle decorations, add the outdoor area and on the first Saturday night will have a special meal during the normal time of the sponsor party for those sponsors that would like to eat prior to the show.

After Show Entertainment
In the past several years the Celebration has hosted after-show entertainment in the Blue Ribbon Circle Club.  Those band parties have been very popular but due to the current circumstances the Celebration will not host those parties after the show this year.  In addition, in previous years barns have hired bands and entertainment to play at their locations on the show grounds.  Unfortunately, in 2020 this will not be allowed due to the large crowds that gather at those barn parties.  Individual barns can still have gatherings, food and normal customer entertainment but just won’t be allowed to bring in outside entertainment.

Stabling
The Celebration will require all championship entries to stable on the show grounds for 48 hours prior to their championship performance.  The entry deadline for championship classes will once again be 12:00PM two days prior to your championship evening performance (for example Thursday evening championship entries will be required to be on the show grounds by showtime Tuesday evening).

GOLF CART RENTALS
Mikey’s Motors will again be furnishing golf cart rentals for the 2020 Celebration. In an attempt to make booking cart rentals easier for Celebration guests, a link to a form that can be completed with all necessary information to book cart rental is attached. You are also still welcome to call to book, or if you have any questions.
Click here for form: https://forms.gle/8whPX2TyQ7ebuZja7
Mikey’s Motors LLC Golf Cart & Low Speed VehiclesOffice: 615-962-9265

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration® will launch a new online entry system for this year’s 50th Anniversary Fun Show. The Fun Show will be held June 25-27 in Maverick Arena. Due to recommendations issued by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture as well as the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association and Walking Horse Trainers’ Association to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its spread, The Celebration® will implement the online entry system. The system will be available for entry from June 19th – 23rd.  For those not comfortable with the online system, paper entries will be taken at the show just as in years past. 

“We are hopeful that our online system will be utilized by our entrants this year and we are committed to helping everyone through this process should they encounter any issues.  However, we do realize that the online system can be a challenge for some which is why we will continue to offer our traditional system of entry in addition to the new online system,” said Celebration Director of Operations Connie Allen.
The Celebration® intends to utilize the same system for entries at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration® to be held August 26 – September 5, 2020.

Instructions on how to enter online (Reminder you can create an account at any time but entries will be taken from Friday June 19th through Tuesday June 23rd):

If trainers or exhibitors have any questions or problems they should contact Celebration Entry Office Manager Emily Gill 931-684-5915 ext. 133. 

1. Go to www.gaitkeeper.com and click “Log In”. It is located in the top right corner of the homepage.
2. You will then click “Want to register?” and proceed to create an account.
3. After doing so, you will go back to the homepage and click “Log In” and use your log in you created.
4. Once you have done that, you will go to the homepage again, and click “2020 SPRING FUN SHOW”.  It may be located at the bottom under “Upcoming Shows”.
5. Please read the information before clicking “Add Entry”. There will be guidelines listed on how to make your Entry and what you will need to know in order to successfully complete your online entry.
6. We will need all fields completed in order for your Entry to download properly.  If there is a field that you do not know or doesn’t apply to this show, please answer with “0”.  Please provide birth date of Exhibitor.
7. For online entries, back numbers will be assigned by the Entry Office and you will pick those up at the SHOW office.

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration board of directors has selected Smokey Carswell, Chris Bobo and Dickie Scrivner to judge the 50th Annual Spring Fun Show. The Fun show will be outdoors in Maverick Arena May 20-23, 2020 in accordance with state health and safety protocols. The panel is a blend of experience in Carswell and Bobo with a new face to a Celebration event in Scrivner. 

Carswell has judged all three of the Celebration’s horse shows. Carswell judged most recently the Tunica Fall Classic in 2018, the Spring Fun Show in 2008 and the Celebration in 2003. Carswell also judged The Celebration in 1995 and 2000.  Bobo has judged both the Fun Show in 2013 and The Celebration in 2012, 2016 and 2017. Bobo most recently judged the North Carolina Championships in 2019.

Scrivner is the “new kid on the block” when it comes to a Celebration when it comes to the three-judge panel.  However Scrivner has judged many of the industry’s premier events including the Columbia Spring Jubilee in 2019. Scrivner has also judged on multiple occasions at the Mississippi Charity (four times) as well as judging Woodbury over the 4th of July weekend and the Alabama Jubilee.

“We are very pleased to welcome this great panel to our 50th Spring Fun Show. The trio blends a great balance of experience, knowledge and a new face to one of our shows,” said Mike Inman, Celebration CEO.  As has become a recent trend, the Celebration also named two associate judges, Beverly Carter and Joe Herald, who will judge the first two nights with the official judging panel however their cards will not count in the tying of the class. “We continue to be dedicated to expanding the judging pool and allowing as many judges as possible the opportunity to gain the experience on one of the industry’s grandest stage,” concluded Inman.

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration has released the final Class Schedule for the 82nd Annual Celebration to be held on its historic show grounds August 26th – September 5th. Click here to view the final class sheet.

The Celebration released a tentative schedule on January 31st and took comments and suggestions through March 3rd. The Celebration received a significant amount of input from owners, exhibitors and trainers and analyzed the impact of each comment. “The Celebration Board is very thankful to have received so many responses to their request for input into this year’s schedule. The scheduling committee reviewed the nearly 30 recommendations received and are pleased that the majority of those recommendations have been implemented,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.

Each year the Celebration appoints a committee to look at thee class schedule and look for ways to improve it as well as improve the overall experience for our fans. The Celebration looks heavily at participation in specific divisions and classes to see current trends and to put the most horses in the ring for our fans. In addition the current rulebook as well as an emphasis on diversity in our class sheet is considered and The Celebration is doing everything it can to continue to promote participation of our youth.

“We feel this schedule combines both traditions from over 80 years as well as evolving trends in our industry.  Balancing those two elements are essential both to our participants and our spectators,” concluded Inman. 

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration continues to make plans to hold the Spring Fun Show on its traditional Memorial Day weekend date.  This year that date would be May 21-23.  Given the uncertain status of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on events, the Celebration continues to also look at contingency plans.

If local, state and national health experts and officials prohibit the show from happening in May the Celebration will host the Spring Fun Show June 24-27, 2020.  “We continue to hope and plan to host our show on its traditional date, which given the circumstances might allow it to open what assures to be a great summer of shows leading up to the Celebration,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.

In addition to looking at a possible alternative date, the Celebration board continues to look at other measures it can take to assure the public that they are safe and that the Celebration takes the health and well-being of exhibitors, fans and employees seriously.  “The board has opted to hold the show in Maverick Arena instead of Calsonic Arena this year to take advantage of the open-air environment and additional space to host the show,” continued Inman.

 “We hope this decision along with the potential we might add a fourth night of competition to this year’s show will provide some excitement and something to look forward to for our fans and exhibitors during this difficult time in our country.  There will be additional announcements regarding the makeup of the 2020 schedule that will be forthcoming,” concluded Inman.

For more information regarding The Celebration please visit our web site at www.twhnc.com

The Celebration will make stalls available for those affected by the recent storm and tornado outbreak in Tennessee. Stalls will be at no charge and includes electricity and water. The Celebration will also clean the stalls after horses leave. Areas to work or exercise your horses will be made available at no extra charge however horses cannot be “turned out”. Daily cleaning, bedding, and food will be the responsibility of those using stalls. Current coggins and health papers should accompany each equine. RV spots and parking for trailers are available on site. For more information contact The Celebration office at 931-684-5915.

The SHOW HIO recently hired Tim Hatfield as its lead DQP. The position became available after the resignation of John Paul Riner who had led the program for the last two years. Riner, who had been a Designated Qualified Person (DQP) with SHOW since 2010, resigned from his position in December. “We can’t thank John Paul enough for his service to SHOW and our industry. He was a professional and did an amazing job leading our HIO and its DQPs in consistent enforcement of the HPA,” said SHOW executive committee member Jeffrey Howard.

Hatfield has been a DQP with SHOW since its inception in 2009 and actually received his license with the National Horse Show Commission just prior to the activation of the SHOW HIO. Hatfield was a trusted member of Riner’s team over the last several years and has worked all of the major industry shows affiliated with SHOW. Hatfield is from Johnson City, Tenn., where he lives with his wife of 31 years, Bobbie. Hatfield has two sons and is retired from the refractory industry where he had a career that spanned over 30 years.

“I am excited about this opportunity. I loved the way John Paul ran SHOW and I intend to keep things running in the same manner. I look forward to working with the industry and trainers to continue to improve compliance with the HPA and have our horse shows thrive,” said Hatfield

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is sad to announce it will not host the Celebration Great Mule and Donkey Show in 2020. Although the show has been a mid-summer staple for 28 years, participation both in and out of the ring has significantly declined in recent years. The show has typically been held the week after the 4th of July.

Specifically, in the last two years revenues have fallen far short of a breakeven point for The Celebration, which makes the cancellation of the event a necessary action of The Celebration. The Celebration Board of Directors reached out to the participating associations to see if they knew of ways to increase sponsorship to help The Celebration with its financial shortfall or if those associations wanted to continue the show and rent the facilities from the Celebration.

Neither of those efforts were successful as the associations noted a reduction in most of their other events which have posed similar challenges. “The Celebration is truly thankful for the great relationships built with those within the respective Mule and Donkey associations throughout the years and we wish everyone involved the very best,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.  

As a result of the cancellation of the event, the week of July 6-11, 2020 is open and available for rent by another event.