Full Service, Independent Bank to be introduced as a Premier Sponsor for 76th Anniversary Event

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (July 9, 2014) – Officials with the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration have announced a partnership with First Community Bank of Bedford County that will make the bank the premier sponsor for the upcoming Celebration on August 20-30 in Shelbyville, Tenn.

As part of the agreement, the first Saturday night of the 2014 event will be First Community Bank of Bedford County Night.  While the partnership allows it to become one of the Celebration’s most prominent sponsors, it also represents an investment back into the community by the independent, locally-owned bank founded in Bedford County in 1988.

“This show has been the mainstay event in this community for 75 years and provides the opportunity to not only show off this amazing animal but also Shelbyville and Bedford County to the thousands of attendees,” said Scott Cocanougher, CEO of First Community Bank of Bedford County .  “We realize the importance of this event, and First Community Bank of Bedford County is proud to support our community by sponsoring the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.”

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration®, the industry’s premier event, has been held in Shelbyville every year since 1939 without interruption.  The Celebration is annually supported by more than 50 corporate sponsors that have contributed more than $20 million since the Celebration’s conception.  Now the largest annual agricultural event in Tennessee, the event has grown into its own 100-plus-acre equestrian complex that is frequented by many breeds and includes a 30,000 seat outdoor stadium, a 4,500 seat indoor arena, a covered outdoor practice arena, permanent stalls for more than 1,700 horses, and campgrounds featuring full hook-ups for more than 350 recreational vehicles.

“We’re very excited to announce this new partnership with First Community Bank of Bedford County,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.  “It’s our sponsors that help make The Celebration possible, and we look forward to another amazing show next month.”