Shelbyville, TN.  – The 71st Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration has been named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society(STS).  It marks the twenty-first time in the past twenty-two years that the signature event for The Celebration has been listed as a Top 20 Event.

When notified of the prestigious award, Celebration CEO Dr. Doyle Meadows stated “We were first put on the list back in 1988 and it has been the goal of the Board of Directors and staff of our organization to continue to work extremely hard to earn this honor each and every year.  We are humbled and honored to receive this award again.”

Since 1985 STS has published the Top 20 Events for each month.  The best events across the Southeast compete to be named a Top 20 Event.  STS publishes the list of winners quarterly and distributes the list to over 1,600 newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV stations, AAA publications, and others.  STS Top 20 Events are also published on the Southeast Tourism Society web sites at www.southeasttourism.org and www.escapetothesoutheast.com.

The Celebration began in 1939 and has grown to an event that draws nearly a quarter-million fans annually.  The 2008 Celebration featured nearly 4,500 entries and distributed over $700,000.00 in prize money and awards.  The Celebration is the oldest continuously running event in the state of Tennessee.

“This is a wonderful honor for The Celebration, our community, and the walking horse industry,” said Celebration Chairman Charles McDonald.  “I am extremely proud of our staff and the hundreds of volunteers working through the civic organizations that help make this a truly world-class event.”

Criteria required to be considered for the Top 20 Event include, but are not limited to, an event being at least in its third year of existence and having a minimum attendance of 1,000.  Founded in 1983, the STS is dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism to its member states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.  Membership in the Southeast Tourism Society is approaching 1,000 individuals who represent a wide range of travel-related businesses and organizations.
 
The 71st annual Celebration is scheduled for August 26th – September 5th, 2009 at the Historic Celebration Grounds in Shelbyville.  Ticket information can be obtained through The Celebration® Ticket Office at (931) 684 – 5915 or by logging onto www.twhnc.com.