SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - The Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce singled out the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration at their recent board meeting for contributions made to the city, county and region.

Chamber president Garrett Gordon capped off the board luncheon at the Calsonic Arena Conference Room by asking Celebration CEO Ron Thomas to be recognized for leading the Celebration and helping Shelbyville gain a national reputation.

“The Celebration is what makes us the Walking Horse Capital of the World,” said Gordon. “That’s what we’re known for. It gives us an international reputation.”

The Celebration had paid attendance in 2002 of over 224,000 and events on the Celebration grounds drew nearly 300,000 people to Bedford County during the calendar year. The economic impact does not go unnoticed.

“The Celebration has a very positive impact on virtually every facet of the Shelbyville/Bedford County economy,” Gordon continued. "From the obvious annual spike in retail sales to the jump in utility usage, to real estate property values remaining high; we can give a lot of credit to the Celebration.”

Along with recognizing the Celebration, the Chamber board presented Thomas with a banner thanking the Celebration for making Shelbyville famous.

“I was surprised, but very honored to represent our organization and accept the recognition and gift from the business leaders of our outstanding community,” relayed Thomas. "It means a great deal to our board members and staff to receive such an honor and it will be our pleasure to display the banner in a prominent location.”

The next major event sponsored by the Celebration will be the 33rd annual Spring Fun Show to be held at the Calsonic Arena. The Fun Show runs May 22-24 with each night's show beginning at 7:00 p.m.