The popular “Let It Glow” Drive-Thru and Walk-Thru return Nov. 11 through Dec. 30, 2022 and we are adding ALL NEW lights and displays to this year’s show.
At Mill Ridge, guests can shop for local handmade gifts for sale, hangout with Rudolph in his barn, write a letter to Santa and, new this year, a large display of more than 150 nutcrackers on loan from Edith Adcock of Martin, Tennessee.
Our “Let It Glow” kick-off ceremony at 6 p.m. will feature performances from the Voices of Union City Elementary School, Jackson Symphony Orchestra ensemble and internationally acclaimed singers Merry Ellen Kirk and Marco Alexander.
Marco Alexander has been a talented vocalist since a young age. It was not until 2017 that Marco released his debut EP, “Friction.” Since then, he has performed at such venues such as The Orpheum Theatre of Memphis,The Cannon Center, The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall. He has performed all over the world, including Germany, The Czech Republic, and New Mexico. In January of 2020, Marco traveled to Dakar Senegal, to begin studying for his 18 track album “Kultured Friction.” While there, Marco recorded with over five recording artists from all over Africa, earning him the title of international. Alexander is now preparing for his debut tour.
Our non-profit museum and heritage park has created the one-of-a-kind pop-up exhibit to provide festival attendees with a small example of a larger permanent exhibit coming to Discovery Park in 2023, “Duck, Duck, Goose: Waterfowl of the Mississippi Flyway.” The pop-up exhibit will be located in the Commercial Exhibits Tent at the festival.
Held every Thanksgiving Week, the Wings Over the Prairie Festival is the largest outdoor expo in the Mid-South promoting the sport of duck hunting.
“Because of our relationship with so many waterfowl hunters and conservationists, we were aware of the festival and its importance, and we decided this is the perfect year to attend,” said Scott Williams, president and CEO of Discovery Park. “We’ll have a whole team there sharing a sneak peek at the exhibit, looking for content to include and hoping to meet additional partners who would like to help us tell these stories to our visitors from around the world.”
Discovery Park is located in the heart of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, an area that spreads from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the largest and longest of the flyways. Almost half of the waterfowl in North America use this area as a stopover during their annual migration. Also in the same area is historic Reelfoot Lake, a popular destination for hunters, fisherman and birdwatchers for decades. The lake was created after a series of earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 that sent the Mississippi River flowing into a large gash that had been opened by the earthquakes.
Anyone interested in more information about partnerships in this new permanent exhibit should contact Mary Nita Bondurant at mbondurant@discoveryparkofamerica.com or call 731-885-5455.
We are adding new lights and displays to our popular “Let It Glow” Christmas drive-thru and walk-thru light shows for the 2022 holiday season.
Opening night on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, will include a kick-off ceremony at 6 p.m. featuring performances from the Voices of Union City Elementary School, Jackson Symphony Orchestra ensemble and internationally acclaimed singers Merry Ellen Kirk and Marco Alexander. There will be refreshments and local crafts for sale, and Santa Claus will be available for photos. The “Let it Glow” kick-off is free for members and $5 for non-members. Children 3 and under are free. The Drive-thru is $10 per vehicle.
The Jackson Symphony ensemble musicians will be Keith Herris, Lydia Michelle Cronk, Ryan Nelson, Joey Moore and Brad Churchwell.
Visitors can also get a “selfie” with Santa Claus at the “Let It Glow” Walk-thru every Friday and Saturday night in the Gristmill.
We are especially excited about an ALL-NEW route for the Drive-Thru where visitors can experience never-before-seen light displays. Unlike previous years, guests will enter through the north gate for the “Let It Glow” Drive-thru. It will feature more than a million lights twinkling along with popular Christmas songs, allowing guests to get a unique look at the Titan Missile, the 199-foot-tall Discovery Center, the settlement of log cabins and more, all decorated for the holidays.
The “Let It Glow” Walk-thru will take place on the north side of the park, which will once again be transformed into the “North Pole.” Grab a snack and a drink and take a stroll through the Japanese Garden, European Garden and Mill Ridge, and enjoy the magic of Christmas.
At Mill Ridge, guests can shop for local handmade gifts for sale, hangout with Rudolph in his barn, write a letter to Santa and, new this year, a large display of more than 150 nutcrackers on loan from Edith Adcock of Martin, Tennessee. Adcock received her first nutcracker as a gift for her 16th birthday and has been collecting them for more than 45 years.
Planning a Christmas party for your workplace, friends or family? Contact Lauren Jones at ljones@discoveryparkofamerica.com or call at 731-885-5455 for more information.
A special thank you to our 2022 “Let It Glow” sponsors, McDonald’s and ATA.
Both the “Let It Glow” Drive-thru and Walk-thru are open 5-9 p.m. from Friday, Nov. 11-Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, and closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Opening night of the “Let It Glow” Walk-thru will be free for Discovery Park members and $5 admission for non-members. Admission to the “Let It Glow” Walk-thru on all other nights is $5 for all guests with ages three and under admitted free. Admission to the “Let It Glow” Drive-thru is $10 per vehicle for all guests every night. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the gates.
Beginning in January 2023, Homeschool Days will look different in several ways.
Three hours instead of two
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Classes will now begin promptly at 1 p.m. so please make plans to arrive no later than 12:45 p.m.
A 15-minute break with snack time will be included. Please alert of us any allergies that your child has in advance.
Threedifferent 45-minute classes and activities, instead of one
Five subject areas – History, Science, Music and Art, Wildlife, and Agriculture (will be offered on a regular rotation)
All grades will now experience all subjects
Three grade groups instead of four:
Grades 1-4 (Elementary)
Grades 5-8 (Middle School)
Grades 9-12 (High School)
While we have separated grades into three groups, you know your child best. It is always at the parent’s discretion to decide which grade group is most appropriate for their child, within reason. If you have questions, please ask!
Updated Version of Discovery Park Exhibit Popular with Young Children to Open Spring 2023
Discovery Park of America is working with Boss Display, an award-winning custom exhibits design firm, on a brand new, updated version of the water tables. The company designed and installed the original water tables when Discovery Park opened in 2013. Located next to the entrance of the Giant Man Slide, they provide one of the more memorable experiences at the museum, especially for younger children. The redesign is being funded by the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation, and the opening will be one of the many events scheduled during Discovery Park’s year-long 10th birthday celebration.
The designers have opted to shift from two sections to one much larger experience that incorporates many new interactive activities and snakes throughout the entire space. New elements added include a fishing pond, fog and water mushrooms, interactive rain clouds, many new water toys and an activity that encourages children to direct fog using a series of pipes. Movable islands and aqueducts will lead to one activity that will be returning — an opened-top spinning vortex into which colorful balls can be dropped.
“However, even that experience will have a new twist,” noted Jennifer Wildes, Discovery Park’s senior director of collections and exhibits. “The designers have added a conveyor belt that can take the ball on a journey straight up and across the ceiling before it lands into the vortex.”
Boss Display designers and the exhibits team at Discovery Park spoke with educators, parents and children to determine what elements should be included to create a fun and STEAM-friendly experience for children and adults.
“Water tables provide a wonderful, open-ended opportunity for families to learn through the power of play, so it’s no surprise they’re now considered a staple in many museums around the world,” said Steve Farrow, Project manager at Boss Display. “We’re thrilled Discovery Park’s Water Table experience has been such a hit that we get to come back and create something brand new for their 10th birthday.
Today is National Read a Book Day, so here’s a look at a very special book that impacted a young man’s life and contributed to a museum and heritage park that today is inspiring millions of children and adults. He was just 16 years old on May 21, 1954 when Discovery Park founder Robert Kirkland stopped by the Union City High School library and checked out the book “Historic Models of Early America and How to Make Them.” One of Discovery Park’s lead docents and an Obion County resident with a passion for local history, Art Chivers, discovered the book at a sale and snatched it up when he noticed Kirkland’s name at the top of the list of borrowers.
The book was written by C. J. Maginley and was released in 1947. Interestingly, as you flip through the chapters and illustrations included inside, you become increasingly aware of the connection between the contents of the book and the museum and heritage park Robert and Jenny Kirkland would open in 2012.
“Historic Models of Early America and How to Make Them” includes the history and purpose of various items used by early Americans and provides illustrations on how a model of these items can be made. The models include a canoe, farm implements, early-American cabins and more.
The Dec. 7, 1947 New York Times review of the book noted the instructions for building the models were “sketchy at best and would not be adequate for the youth who has had no previous experience working with hand tools and wood.” Little did they know one young reader would grow up and recreate the real things for a museum and heritage park that would inspire millions of visitors for decades to come.
Senior Fellow for the First Amendment for the Freedom Forum, Gene Policinski, to Speak at Union City Rotary on Friday, Sept. 23
Gene Policinski is Senior Fellow for the First Amendment for the Freedom Forum, where he contributes to the weekly “First Five” commentary on First Amendment issues, responds to news media inquiries and participates in Freedom Forum programs.
One of the founding editors of USA Today, he also is a trustee of the First Amendment Museum being developed in Augusta, Me. A longtime proponent of diversity as an essential element of a free press, he is a member of the board of directors of Journal-isms, a regular report on diversity in the news media.
Policinski writes, lectures and is interviewed regularly on news media and First Amendment issues. He is co-author, with Professor emeritus Robert Bickel of Stetson University, of a multi-media academic course, The First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement. He is a contributor to “Whistleblowers, Leaks and the First Amendment,” published by the American Bar Association, providing a chapter on First Amendment issues and a free press; and has been published in a number of law review journals.
He is a member of the First Amendment Museum instructor team for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) classes, through the University of Southern Maine, on “The Five Essential Freedoms: The First Amendment and Your Life.”
The host of multiple radio and online audio programs during his career, including the current news and interview blog Ciceronia (a local news and information site about the town of Cicero, Indiana), he also was producer and then narrator for the 20-year multimedia musical touring production, Freedom Sings, which toured from 1999 through 2019). Policinski was executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning public television program “Speaking Freely,” several news and sports talk programs on “USA Today Sky Radio;” and was host of “Newseum Radio,” which aired for four years on NPR Worldwide.
He joined the Freedom Forum in 1996 as executive assistant to the president, and later served as vice president and executive director of the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center, at Vanderbilt University. He also served as president of the foundation’s Diversity Institute and retired in 2020 as president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute.
Policinski has directed several programs involving the federal judiciary and journalism. “Justice and Journalism” running since 1999, brings federal judges, journalists and others together to discuss issues of information access and accountability. Since 2019, he helps coordinate federal judges visits with college journalism students to discuss the role and operation of the various U.S. Courts. Both programs are done in partnership with the Judicial Branch Committee of the Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
A former national trustee of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, he is a member of multiple journalism associations, including the News Leaders Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. He holds a Certified Journalism Educator designation from the Journalism Education Association.
In non-journalism related public service, Policinski serves as President of the Nickel Plate Heritage Railroad board of directors, a non-profit enterprise that operates the Nickel Plate Express, an education and historic preservation line, based in Noblesville, Indiana. A graduate of Ball State University, he is a member of the Dean’s Council for its College of Communications, Information and Media. He attended the Nashville School of Law. He was awarded membership in 2012 to Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society, through its chapter at the University of North Georgia.
A 1980 recipient of the Indiana governors’ service award, Sagamore of the Wabash, he also has served as an adjunct faculty member at Winthrop University; on the education committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee; as a trustee of the United States Sports Academy; and on the board of advisors for the Institute for Media, Culture, and Ethics at Bellarmine University. He was a trustee of the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, a member of the board of trustees of the Association of Opinion Journalists Foundation and was co-chair of the 2012 national convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
Policinski’s daily journalism career included working as a reporter or editor at the Greenfield (Ind.) Daily reporter, the Marion (Ind). Chronicle-Tribune; at Gannett News Service bureaus in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. and at USA TODAY, where he held various news executive positions, including Washington Editor at its launch, and later Page One editor and Managing Editor/Sports. Most recently, he is a contributor to the Hamilton County (Ind.) Reporter.
While at the Freedom Forum, Policinski directed multiple programs and initiatives, including the Religious Freedom Center, the annual rededication of the Newseum’s Journalist Memorial program and the foundation’s annual National First Amendment Moot Court; and partnership programs with other foundations and organizations, including for more than 20 years the National Freedom of Information Day observance and the Freedom of Information Hall of Fame. He began writing the weekly Inside the First Amendment column in 2004, which later retitled First Five. He also hosted several online audio and video programs, including the Journalism/Works series running from 2013 to 2018.
What is the Freedom Forum all about? Our mission is to foster First Amendment freedoms for all. We’re a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Our goal is an America where everyone knows, understands and values their First Amendment freedoms.
Being nonpartisan is really important to us. Everyone in this country has First Amendment freedoms, no matter who they are or what they believe.
Why is the Freedom Forum coming to West Tennessee? We want to talk with Americans about what they know and think about the First Amendment. We do an annual survey called The First Amendment: Where America Stands, asking people across the country what they think about the First Amendment.
Overwhelmingly, Americans see the First Amendment – which protects our essential freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition – as vital to our democracy. But people also express worry about free speech on college campuses, for instance, and threats to religious freedom. And many people are afraid to speak freely today for fear of consequences, both online and in-person.
We want to hear more from the people here, and we also want to celebrate these incredible freedoms that Americans uniquely enjoy. We are the only nation to have protected these essential freedoms in our founding documents. The only one!
We’re also marking First Amendment Day on Sept. 25, an opportunity for all of us to celebrate our most fundamental freedoms.
The First Amendment is the way we talk to each other as a nation. Sometimes we agree and oftentimes, we don’t. But we speak out, we publish news and opinions, we assemble in groups to talk and maybe protest and we petition the government for change. And of course, freedom of religion – often called the First Freedom – protects our consciences, it protects our deepest beliefs from government interference.
But why Tennessee? Tennessee has an incredible First Amendment history. It was the Tennessee legislature that finally made women’s right to vote a nationwide law in 1920.
And civil rights protesters in the 1960s in Nashville and other cities sat at lunch counters and rode buses to protest segregation. Those are just two examples of the power of the First Amendment: People assembled and petitioned the government to change. It didn’t come nearly quickly enough, but the First Amendment creates the space for our country to adjust and revise our laws and our treatment of each other.
Today, schools and parents are wrestling with the issue of book selection: Some parents and politicians are seeking to remove or restrict books in school libraries they consider inappropriate; other librarians, educators and other parents are arguing for access to those books.
On a lighter note, Tennessee was the home of Elvis Presley, and his hip-shaking free expression rocked and shocked Americans in the 1950s. People often don’t think about the First Amendment protecting your right to free expression – it protects musicians and artists. It protects dance and the way you express yourself in clothing – and even your tattoos!
We also love that Discovery Park of America’s mission is to see beyond. We hope people will see beyond the political differences so evident today to celebrate the freedoms that nearly all Americans treasure. Because another of our survey findings was that 61% of Americans think the First Amendment can help bridge those divisions.
What do you know about Tennessee, anyway?
I’m glad you asked! We hosted four focus groups with community leaders and asked them about First Amendment issues they are interested in or concerned about.
What they told us was very much aligned with what we found in our national survey: People told us that speech and religion are their most essential First Amendment freedoms. But people are worried that religious freedom is threatened today, and they also feel that free speech is threatened. People feel the divisive political climate we’re living through has made it hard for people from opposing points of view to talk civilly. And people don’t trust the news media.
And we have deep Tennessee roots. John Seigenthaler, an award-winning journalist at The Tennessean and USA TODAY, a member of President John F. Kennedy’s Justice Department and a true champion of First Amendment freedoms, was the leading force for the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment work. His legacy can be seen in journalism programs across the state, from Middle Tennessee State University to Vanderbilt University. And we have offices and team members based on Vanderbilt’s campus in Nashville.
What will visitors do at the First Amendment Festival on Sept. 24?
The theme for the festival is fun, freedom and fellowship. We hope visitors will have a lot of fun celebrating the rights that make our country unique. We will have yard games like Jenga and cornhole, trivia games and a First Amendment scavenger hunt for the kids. We’ll have Fast Facts and Snacks, where people can get a cookie and a quick 5-minute download from our First Amendment educators about free speech, the forgotten First Amendment freedom and being media savvy. Folks can take a selfie with some famous First Amendment heroes in our Walk of Fame.
The big event of the day is a conversation with Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier, who will talk about his career as a journalist and how the First Amendment supports his work. After Bret, we will have a special musical performance by the Grammy-winning Gatlin Brothers. We are really excited!
The Friday before our festival, our Freedom Forum educators will engage with local students from fifth grade on up to college on some First Amendment basics. And they’ll create a chalkboard expression about the First Amendment that will be on display for visitors to the festival the next day.
What else is the Freedom Forum up to these days?
Lots! This fall, we’re visiting three universities – the University of Georgia, Morgan State University in Maryland and the University of South Dakota – to listen and learn from students and engage with them about exercising their First Amendment rights. We know from our survey that the majority of Americans think campuses should foster free exchange of ideas, yet we’re often divided about how to do that. Our religious freedom educators have developed new shareable content and videos about how recent Supreme Court rulings relate to how students and teachers can pray in public schools. And our journalism initiatives are working to improve the culture of newsrooms across the country, and in the process, improve the news. We share First Amendment stories and artifact in museums and public spaces across the country, including exhibits open right now at Reagan and Dulles airports in Washington, D.C. We also host an annual Free Expression Awards event to honor individuals who champion free expression and the First Amendment, and inspire others with their stories.
If people want to learn more about the Freedom Forum or get more involved in championing the First Amendment, what should they do?
Follow us on social media at @1stForAll on Twitter and @FirstAmendmentForAll on Facebook and Instagram.
Visit our new website, freedomforum.org.
And one final thought: If we want to enjoy First Amendment freedoms, we need to protect them for all of us – even those with whom we disagree. That’s what the Freedom Forum is all about: Fostering First Amendment freedoms for all.
Where can I get a ticket for the event at Discovery Park?
Sustainable Ag Program Presented at Discovery Park by The Nature Conservancy and Others
Mitchell Hora, an Iowa farmer and the founder of the ag startup Continuum Ag, spoke about sustainable agriculture to a large group gathered in the Simmons Bank Ag Center at Discovery Park on Friday. It was not his first appearance in the exhibit on innovation in agriculture located in the center; Hora’s photo can be found on the wall behind him among the other photos of hundreds of people working in agriculture today. A video about his work is also included in the section of the exhibit on AgLaunch.
“Food production makes up nearly half of our global habitable land area. And Tennessee is no different, with nearly half of our land in farms,” said Zach Luttrell, director of agriculture for Tennessee and Kentucky at The Nature Conservancy. “Farm conservation is critical to goals that we have related to protecting biodiversity and coping with changing weather patterns. Ultimately, we want to make conservation practices on the farm make more sense to farmers and part of achieving this objective is spreading knowledge through collaborative outreach like today’s event at Discovery Park.”
The Nature Conservancy is most known for its land protection work, having touched around 100 million acres across globe. Since 1978 in Tennessee, The Nature Conservancy has helped to create or expand 31 state parks and natural areas, 20 state Wildlife Management Areas, and 9 national parks, forests and wildlife refuges, in addition to establishing their own system of nature preserves. And beyond land protection, The Nature Conservancy also maximizes it ability to effect change at a scale that matters by developing real-world solutions through collaborative partnerships.
The spirit of creativity, competition and fun was alive and well at the south lake at Discovery Park of America on Sat., May 14, 2022 as 15 teams gathered to compete in Discovery Park’s 9th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta. It was the perfect weather for a regatta as competitors had a beautiful sunny sky and little wind to hold them back. Teams had been preparing for months to build the perfect boat using only cardboard, duct tape and paint. This year’s judges, David Hill, Linda Lu Harding and Cherry Pyron had their work cut out for them as they awarded prizes in six different categories: Cardboard Boat Regatta General Division, Cardboard Boat Regatta Student Division, Champion Boat, the Van Gogh Award, the Titanic Award and Team Spirit.
Regatta color commentators Karl Johnson and Russel Orr kept the crowd entertained with fun and educational observations throughout the event as the Commodore, John Watkins, kept the heats organized.
Special guest, Miss Tennessee Junior Miss, Hazye Wright, joined the Commodore and Discovery Park CEO, Scott Williams, to give trophies and medals to the winners. Congratulations to all who participated.
Cardboard Boat Regatta General Division
First Place: Family Truckster
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Riley Richison, Andrew Richison, Shelly Corlett, Miranda Richison, Cooper Richison, Monte Bass and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Second Place: Sea Josh
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Gary Allison, Austin Davis and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Third Place: Water Hammock
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Jenna Claire Anderson, Cody Anderson, Sarah Anderson, Lori Beth Butler and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Cardboard Boat Regatta Student Division
First Place: Shark Repellant
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Josh Lightfoot, Kimberly Lightfoot, Grayson Lighfoot, Grant Walker and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Second Place: Reidland Pirates
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Abby Hamilton, Jaimison Miller, Barrett Brophy, John Shelton, Catherine Shelton, Brian Brophy, Luke Rowley, Ashton Brophy, Alana Hughes, Joshua Lee and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Third Place: Revenge of Leif Erikson
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Andy Zimmerman, Stewart Connor, Austin Reason, A'loni Harris, Daniel Pitts and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Champion Divison: Union City Fire Department
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Corey Jones, David Stone, Lynne Cox, Timm Hopps, Rick Sanders and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Van Gogh Award: Shark Repellent
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Josh Lightfoot, Kimberly Lightfoot, Grayson Lighfoot, Grant Walker and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Titanic Award: Bubbles
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Cole Barnett, Kalyn Gant, Bryn Goodrich, and Christopher Reamos and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Team Spirit Award: Reidland Pirates
Included in this photo is Hazye Wright, Miss Tennessee Junior Princess, Abby Hamilton, Jaimison Miller, Barrett Brophy, John Shelton, Catherine Shelton, Brian Brophy, Luke Rowley, Ashton Brophy, Alana Hughes, Joshua Lee and Discovery Park's John Watkins and Scott Williams.
Military History and Armed Forces Symposium 2022 Held at Discovery Park of America
Thousands of children and adults enjoyed the 2022 Military History and Armed Forces Symposium that was held here at Discovery Park April 29 to May 1, 2022. The event featured a variety of programs and interactive activities that explored the past, present and future of the American military. For the first time ever, all branches of the military had representatives at the symposium.
Attendees experienced a number of special guests including Bill Allen, one of the last remaining D-day survivors. You can hear an episode of our podcast recorded earlier with Mr. Allen here. Jennifer Horbelt with WPSD Local 6 also recorded an in-depth interview with Mr. Allen at Discovery Park.
Other special guests participated in panel discussions and presentations on a wide range of topics that included details on how to enter the military, managing a military career and tips to apply after leaving the armed services. Videos and recordings of the panels and conversations will be shared in the coming weeks.
Discovery Park CEO Scott Williams recorded a live episode of “Reelfoot Forward: A West Tennessee Podcast” featuring Kevin Rumley. Kevin went from homeless, drug-addicted veteran to having a master’s degree in social work, performing in numerous bands as a drummer and running the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court, a program that helps divert veteran offenders from prison to community service and recovery.
Music was also a big part of the event with concerts and live performances by Operation Song and the 52nd Regimental String Band. Operation Song empowers veterans, active-duty military members, and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. Their performance at the members only reception on Friday night included songs written after spending time with local veterans David Blincoe and Ray Pollard. In addition to performing at the reception, the string band also provided guests with music and dance instruction at a new event, an early-American folk dance.
A number of historic interpreter groups were on hand inside and out to educate guests on the military of the past and authors of military-related books were here to share their stories from their years in the military.
“A Country Divided: Photos from the Civil War,” an exhibit of rare Civil War photos and artifacts, made its world debut at the event and will be on display through May 25, 2022. Designed by Discovery Park’s collections and exhibits team featuring items from the collection of Jason Pate, the exhibit consists of several early photography examples depicting soldiers that either lived in or traveled through Obion County and the surrounding Tennessee/Kentucky region during the Civil War.
The popular Lantern Walk returned to The Settlement with stories and voices from the Civil War. Among the new cast members was Flo Roach who has appeared in films including “The Help.”
New to this year’s symposium was the U.S. Navy “Nimitz” virtual reality experience. Guests had the opportunity to participate in a 360-degree virtual reality view of what it is like to be on a Special Warfare Combatant-Craft crewmen mission in America’s Navy. Outside, guests could also view a Black Hawk helicopter, an M113 armored personnel carrier, Oshkosh M1070 tank transporter tractor unit and more.
Be sure to save the date for the 2023 Military History and Armed Forces Symposium that will be held April 28-29, 2023.
April 18, 2022 – Discovery Park of America would like to honor 2021 volunteer of the year, Carol Whitmore. She has for years routinely distinguished herself through her ability to blend an educational environment with a unique experience. Carol Whitmore is an accomplished basket weaver who enhances the experiences of guests by practicing her craft in the Settlement.
Discovery Park’s Settlement is an area set aside to show the tools, construction, and way of life that predominated in West Tennessee for a great many years of its history. Guests curious about the past are in for an amazing surprise when they enter the Settlement cabin and see the far-ranging and extremely impressive variety of Carol’s creations and workspace, usually accompanied by the pleasant greeting by Carol herself.
When her work invariably brings out the inquisitiveness in guests, she speaks to patrons and answers their questions with the same diligence, patience and calm attentiveness with which she pursues her craft. Discovery Park of America is pleased to recognize Carol for her outstanding volunteerism, and thank her for making Discovery Park of America a more interesting, friendlier and a more memorable place for staff and guests alike.
Polly Brasher (left), director of education, and Scott Williams (right), president and CEO of Discovery Park, present Carol Whitmore with the 2021 Discovery Park of America Volunteer of the Year award.
