Hometown Heroes & Fiddlers Grove Tornado Recovery

During this challenging time, the Wilson County Fair wants to thank our Hometown Heroes for all they are doing to support our community and our people. They are stepping up amidst the pandemic and caring for those in need in extraordinary ways. Our First Responders, medical personnel and military have been leading the way in COVID-19 testing efforts as well as handling all other daily tasks in heroic fashion. We applaud their efforts and know that our community is in the best hands to lead us through these tough times.

Even though the Wilson County Fair theme “Honoring Hometown Heroes” was selected in 2019, it has proven to be very appropriate for life in 2020. President Randall Clemons expressed, “What a more fitting theme than to honor our heroes during this unusual time in our nation.” To show appreciation for those essential workers who are our heroes, banners are starting to be placed in areas where they work. These banners recognize that “Heroes Work Here” to draw attention to their efforts especially during this time.

The Wilson County Fair presented by Mid-South Ford is scheduled to open on Thursday, August 13, and run through Saturday, August 22, 2020. Many activities and events are being planned in accordance with our theme to truly honor and thank our hometown heroes for all they do in their daily lives as well as during crisis times to support Wilson County. For more details, go to www.wilsoncountyfair.net or look for Wilson County Fair on Facebook for updates and activities

During the early morning of March 3, 2020, an EF3 tornado ripped through Wilson County and our Fiddlers Grove Historical Village stood in the direct path. With more than 60 buildings representing the history of our county, over 30 of the buildings were damaged or destroyed. Recovery efforts started immediately to salvage what was viable and repair and replace buildings as needed.

Helen McPeak, Executive Director of Wilson County Promotions (sponsor of Fiddlers Grove), shared how thankful we are that no one was hurt and insurance will help with the recovery process. Our community of volunteers has always come together and supported efforts in the Grove, and this recovery effort is bringing out the generosity of our supporters. From the first day after the tornado and continuing now, work is being done to clean up debris, repair buildings and replace roofs, windows and other damaged building parts. Progress is being made every day even though there is still much to be done

Fiddlers Grove Historical Village was scheduled to open to the public on April 1, but due to the damage as well as the pandemic, that scheduled opening has been delayed. Updates are being shared on the Fiddlers Grove Facebook page as well as the website www.fiddlersgrovetn.com to keep everyone informed with the progress being made. To support the recovery efforts as well as the operating of the historical village, volunteers can participate in the Big Payback on May 6-7, 2020. More details and a direct link to donating will be found on the website and Facebook page.

As an instrumental part of the Wilson County Fair presented by Mid-South Ford, the Grove hosts demonstrations, music, activities and historical storytelling. The Fair is scheduled to be held Thursday, August 13 through Saturday, August 22, 2020. For more information on all the activities and events at the Fair, go to www.wilsoncountyfair.net.