The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association is hosting a formal ribbon cutting ceremony for its Commemorative Garden and an unveiling of the Dixie Plantation's historic statue of Midnight Sun on Tuesday, August 19, 2003, at 5:00 p.m., at TWHBEA headquarters, 250 North Ellington Parkway, Lewisburg, TN. Everyone is invited to come be a part of this historic occasion; a reception will be held immediately following the short program.

This event is a fitting way to kick-off the 65th annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, which begins August 20 and runs until August 30, where Midnight Sun’s influence can still be seen in the 2,500-plus horses vying for world championship honors. The 1945 and 1946 World Grand Champion was the first stallion to be crowned as a World Champion and has since become known as "The Horse Of The Century."

On July 29, 2003, the statue of Tennessee’s most famous horse came "home", having been carefully transported from the garden area of the Dixie Plantation near Monticello, Fla., where it was placed more than 30 years ago. The statue now stands majestically in the center of a lovely garden at the breed’s official headquarters where it can be shared with the world.