During the dark days of January and February the Sumner County Museum will be presenting two events to offer fun and enlightenment. Activities will begin on January 6 with “Night at the Museum: Day 1”, followed by “An Appalachian New Year’s Dinner” on January 9 through January 11, and the last event is Night at the Museum: Day 2 on February 4.
Trailhead Pediatric Dentistry is the sponsor of the family-oriented “Night at the Museum” events. The first part of this program will take place at the historic Palace Theatre located at 146 North Water Street in Gallatin. The movie “Night at the Museum” will be shown from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.. The cost is $5.00 per person with kids two and under who can sit in a lap being free. Seating is first come, first serve. It is best to order tickets in advance as limited quantities are available. Concessions will be open, and cash is requested when purchasing popcorn and other movie treats.
Parking is located in downtown parking towers. Museum staff suggests arriving at least a half hour early to get parked and situated in the theatre. There is handicapped seating, but previous notification must be made to Jessica Borrelli at [email protected].
On January 9, January 10 and January 11, the Sumner County Museum will be taking over historic Stonewall for their Appalachian New Year’s Storyteller Dinner(s). The food will be provided by Our Place Café and Bryson McCarley State Farm. Considered one of the best caterers in the area, the café will be providing a traditional Appalachian New Year’s dinner of pork tenderloin, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, corn muffins and iced tea.
After dinner each night there will be a different storyteller and authentic music. Cindy Hinton Church will be spinning tales the first night. Born and raised in Clarksville, she has traveled extensively with her aviator husband to “such exotic locations as South Korea, Germany and LA – lower Alabama.” Church says that she uses her storytelling to promote her unique world view and to save money on therapy. One of her short stories was part of “Listen to Your Mother” at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Music will be provided by Susie Monick and Joe Collins.
Joe Collins will be the storyteller on the second night of this event. A babbler of epic tales from his life as a musician and song writer, he has traveled the world as a backup musician with Tom T Hall, Michael White, Rodney Atkins, Paulette Carlson and many others. His songs have been performed by many of country’s best-known acts, including Rascal Flatts, Lee Brice, Randy Travis, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Rogers, Eric Church, The Whites, Kacey Jones, and Jett Williams. Collins was a member of The Drifting Cowboys alongside legendary steel guitar player Don Helms, a founding and longtime member of the vocal trio Phillybilly with fellow songwriters Rich Fagan and Kacey Jones, and his newest band project is Holly Wood and the Extras.
Also a singer and songwriter, the last night’s storyteller will be Susie Monick. Monick is a true Renaissance Woman. She is a musician, dancer and actress. The founding member of Buffalo Gals, the first all-female Bluegrass Band in the 1970s, she currently fronts Holly Wood and The Extras with Collins. She trained in ballet from the age of four and studied with the renown George Balanchine in New York City. Her album “Melting Pots” is hailed as the first jazz banjo album. She played and recorded with many greats including Woody Herman and Townes Van Zandt. Her Grand Ole Opry debut was with Nanci Griffith and The Blue Moon Orchestra. As an actor, Susie was the lead in the 48 Hour Film Festival short film “Miracle on Juneteeth” which won the Audience Favorite Award.
The dinner was originally founded by local storytellers Herman and Patsy Lawson to feature their storytelling group that originally met at Rock Castle. Tickets are $50 per person, per night. They can be purchased here.
Sumner County Museum’s last winter event is “Night at the Museum: Day 2” on February 4. Designed to make history come alive, as visitors tour the museum they will meet characters throughout the building ready to tell them what it was like to be a long hunter in the 1700s, a Civil War soldier fighting in 1864, a teacher discussing school life in 1900 and many more.
There will be three 45-minute tours available. Tours will be at 5:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Limited spots available for each, so sign up in advance. Tickets are $5.00 per person. All ages are encouraged to attend. Please arrive 15 minutes before assigned tour time. Tickets are available here.
These events benefit the Sumner County Museum. It began in the 1970s with the vision of John Garrott, a local businessman, who had a love and knowledge of the history of Sumner County. Garrott was a collector and had hundreds of items in his possession that prompted the idea of turning this passion into something the community and visitors could enjoy. Today, the Museum consists of nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibit space. Today’s exhibits include everything from prehistoric fossils found in the area to modern day vehicles.
