IT WAS a cool summer in Bedford County. School started after the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Students were excited to show off their new school clothes on the grounds. It was the first time everyone would be back together. Dee Foster remembers those summers well—it’s memories of watching Grand- mother, Lorraine Foster, wave goodbye to Grandfather, Vannoy Foster, as he pulled away in the only taxi service for the Celebration.
“My grandmother would go to the horse show, and back then, people would dress up to go to the horse show,” Dee said. “Our school year didn’t start until after the Celebration. It was our first chance to wear our new school clothes—it was cool back then and not as hot.”
As an adult, Dee has lived everywhere from Fort Worth,Texas, to Nashville, Tennessee. But something about Shelbyville and the horse show has drawn her back year after year.
“For me it’s tradition. It’s my hometown,” she said. Dee has spent many days airbrushing T-shirts for spectators of the horse show.They’d purchase shirts and keep them as a souvenir from the once-a-year event. One day, she airbrushed more than 150 shirts for visitors at her booth. “My hand about fell off !” she laughed. Dee is now working in the Official Celebration T-shirt booth. She airbrushes shirts, hoodies, caps, and more.
As Dee has made an impact at the horse show, her responsibilities have increased as well. She is now responsible for managing the other vendors at the horse show. This is her first year as vendor coordinator and works hard to fill every spot she can to give the visitors a wide variety of shopping opportunities.
Dee’s grandmother and grandfather enjoyed being involved with the horse show, bringing Dee as a young student to enjoy the world-famous event in her hometown. Now, Dee is working with other leaders at the horse show spending hours and hours of work to grow the show. It’s because of people like her grandmother and grandfather that she fell in love with the horse show. It’s because of people like Dee that the next generation can have an opportunity to become involved with the Celebration.
While she herself works hard, she wanted to acknowledge all the people behind the scenes at the horse show. “There are a lot of people that make this event happen,” she said. Her goal is to bring the horse show back to the days where everyone was packed shoulder-to-shoulder. With hard workers like Dee, the horse show can feel like home for everyone, creating new memories for an endless amount of families all across the world. -GN