Recently the Historic Nolensville Buttercup Festival organizers announced that after 25 years, they would not be celebrating spring’s budding this April. Or any April in the future. It is an event mourned by the community it has supported for so long, and it was also a community of artists, food trucks, service and historical organizations, as well as church and youth groups. Supporters feel it is just another sign of the growth of the area and the loss of the “small town feel.”
Over and over again comments online mention families who have had it on their calendar every year, and that it was a tradition shared by generations.
“That one day felt like Nolensville was in a Hallmark movie,” wrote Shayla Henry Carter.
Thousands and thousands of people came to Historic Nolensville to explore the shops and the many artisan booths, enjoy the food trucks and restaurants, listen to the music, and generally enjoy the warm spring day. You could always find families with their dogs splashing about in Mill Creek, biking on the many trails to the area, or having a bite to eat at the tables behind Nolensville Feed Mill.
It put a focus on the historic district, which many believe should be the focus of Nolensville, but feel that its value is fading with all of the new development.
“…[T]he new village was put in the wrong place,” Honora Bates wrote on Facebook. “Instead, it should have been built around the historic district to help promote the historic district. The historic district should be a focus and the town center. The new village will essentially kill the historic district unless something is done, and it is shameful.”
Sarah Ballington Gooch reiterated the sentiment, “This is heartbreaking, and I feel this is just the beginning of the end of what Nolensville has been and is to all.”
Twenty-four years ago, Evelyn and Alfred Bennett, owners of the Homeplace Bed and Breakfast and Nolen House, and a few other local business owners decided to create a festival to bring awareness to the Nolensville Historic District. Evelyn was deeply involved with the Historical Society and an educator. The group wanted to bring people from Nashville and Franklin to their small town to bring awareness of their history, shops, and restaurants. The festival grew from about 20 booths to more than 120, and from hundreds of visitors it grew to thousands.
Besides artisan booths, food, and music, those attending looked forward to the Miss and Little Miss Buttercup Pageant. Recently, they added a dog show, a car show, and the flatbed truck they had used for a music stage for so long was changed over to the real thing.
Many food truck businesses and small artisans got their start at the festival. Because it was one day, and had a reputation for being nurturing, new crafts people could afford to try their hand at becoming full-time artists.
One example is Shelly Lorey. Lorey took a chance playing with the idea of taking drawings of animals she had done for years and turning them into pillows made of old sweaters. After positive feedback from friends, she took a chance and purchased a booth at the Buttercup Festival. In 2022, when the festival came back after the pandemic, she was back to enjoy the sunny day, reconnect with people in person, and sell some of her lively creations.
Another former vendor is Middle Tennessee Engraving. “As a vendor, this festival has helped jump start my business. This would have been my [sixth] year in coming, and I wholly looked forward to it.”
Rick Jenkins and his youth church group became a staple at the festival with their fried Oreos. Their booth helped raise money to send kids to summer camp who would not be able to go otherwise.
Nolensville Historical Society had a prominent place at the festival selling their books on the history of the town, selling tasty treats, and raising money they used to support their mission and the community.
In the early days, Evelyn Bennett would sit on the porch of her bed and breakfast and say hello to all passersbys, taking many on tours of Nolen House. She passed away in 2018.
Her simple gestures were a reflection of what is now a fading small-town life that Nolensville was known for. But Nolensville, like the rest of Williamson County, is growing and changing quickly. The Buttercup Festival seemed to keep that small town feel about it that other festivals do not have.
“While I know there will be other festivals in Nolensville’s future, none will compare to the small town, quaint and wholesome vibe of the Historic Nolensville Buttercup Festival,” said Audrey Spencer Noe on Facebook.
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