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SHELBYVILLE,
Tenn. – Prices for the 2008
Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration will
remain the same for the third
consecutive year, following
recent action by the Celebration
board of directors.
“We
feel like there were some great
strides made in our industry
during 2007,” said Board
Chairman, David L. Howard.
“After the events of 2006, The
Celebration and our
entire industry had to work hard
to regain the public trust.
That work is ongoing.”
Typically there have been small
increases to keep pace with
escalating costs and inflation,
but the Celebration board felt
it was important to maintain the
current pricing structure.
This pricing
structure includes all box
seats, reserved and general
admission tickets, RV park fees,
stall rentals, exhibitor and
general parking, Blue Ribbon
Circle memberships, and entry
fees.
“We
are well aware that The
Celebration means so
much to so many people, and
having a good Celebration in
2007 was a shot in the arm for
our entire industry,” added
Howard. “We felt strongly that
we needed to do all we could to
go without an increase for
another year. Like everyone
else, our costs have continued
to rise, but our staff has done
a great job in managing
expenses.”
At their 2006
annual planning meeting, the
board committed to play a more
constructive role in the
industry. Those efforts
included measures geared toward
the health and safety of the
horses and maintaining the
integrity of the event.
“The Celebration
is the world championship
event of our breed and is always
held to the highest standard,”
related the chairman. “The
measures we put in place
provided a level playing field
for all exhibitors and
challenged everyone to go the
extra mile to keep the health
and safety of the animal as
priority number-one.”
Howard says
leadership changes within the
major organizations of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Industry
are a great sign that the
industry is moving in a positive
direction.
“Time will tell
how everything plays out, but
the early signs of all the
groups within the industry
willing to work together for the
common goal are there. That is
something we can all be very
excited about as we move closer
to the beginning of the 2008
show season.” |
