Gallatin's Memorial Day event to move bluegrass Grateful Dead show from cemetery after pushback
After several social media complaints about playing music in the Gallatin City Cemetery led event organizers to rethink Memorial Day weekend plans, officials decided to move the free bluegrass show out of the cemetery and into the Gallatin Downtown Public Square.
The bluegrass show, featuring the music of the Grateful Dead, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 26 in the downtown square.
Originally intended to be held in the Gallatin City Cemetery, the change in venue was prompted after complaints began circulating on social media about music being played in the cemetery.
“Stirring things up started the conversation about the needs of the cemetery, but some people got it wrong about what old-timers had in mind,” said Ken Thomson, president of Sumner Historical Society and a Gallatin City Cemetery Committee member.
“Starting in the late 1800s, the Gallatin City Cemetery was modified to be more like a park, like they had in Europe at that time. Community gatherings just like this were common, and that’s what we were trying to bring back.”
Now the program has been split into two separate events.
The traditional Decoration Day ceremony — now in its sixth year — will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 26 in the cemetery at 250 Cemetery Avenue, featuring a brief ceremony honoring buried service members ahead of the Memorial Day holiday and a volunteer-led headstone restoration.
“Many of the monuments are leaning, broken or damaged by time and neglect,” Gallatin Vice Mayor Lynda Love said. “It’s important for us to advocate for this historic place and do more than simply cut the grass.”
The bluegrass show will take place later that evening in the downtown square, temporarily closing North Water Avenue between Franklin Street and Main Street for the duration of the show.
More:Gallatin City Cemetery turns 200: time for a makeover
Historians and cemetery supporters will speak to the audience about ongoing restoration efforts at the Gallatin City Cemetery between music sets.
Nashville-based bluegrass band Wharfgrass, specializing in bluegrass versions of Grateful Dead songs, and traditional bluegrass band Midnight Ride are set to perform downtown Sunday.
Bluegrass musicians are encouraged to bring instruments to participate in pickin' circles downtown during and after the show, officials said, adding that chairs will be reserved for musicians only in these areas.
Officials encourage attendees to bring their own chairs for the show.
Both the traditional Decoration Day ceremony and the bluegrass show were organized by the Gallatin City Cemetery Committee, led by members including city department heads, historians, business leaders and cemetery maintenance specialists. Meetings and work sessions are held to conduct monument restoration and complete other cemetery projects.
For more information about Decoration Day or to participate in the restoration of the Gallatin City Cemetery, contact City of Gallatin Communications Director Jeff Hentschel at 615-451-5961.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Grateful Dead bluegrass show changes venue after controversy
