BCP 9-4-24

3DWULFLD )DUUDU %OXH -D\ )DUUDU -DPHV )DUUDU %OXH )DUUDU Ribbon cutting Page 9 Sports Page 12 Bell Buckle • Flat Creek • Normandy • Raus • Shelbyville • Unionville • Wartrace $1 Wednesday, September 4, 2024 Vol. 2 No. 4 B EDFORD C OUNTY P OST Cavender crowned 2024 World Grand Champion Cavender was the unanimous choice of the five-judge panel to wear the floral horseshoe and the tri-colored ribbon as the 2024World Grand Champion of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Cavender was ridden by Tim Smith. They also won Section A of the Walking Stallions class, Five Years and Over preliminary class. Cavender is owned by Robin and Bruce MacDonald of Shelbyville. From staff reports D ebra Webb, a USA Today bestsell- ing author, will be the speaker at Friends of the Library Author’s Lun- cheon. Scheduled for Tues- day Oct. 1 at the Blue Ribbon Circle at the Cel- ebration Grounds, the luncheon is a major fund- raiser for the Shelbyville- Bedford County Public Library. Webb was born in Scottsboro, Alabama and grew up on a farm. The third of four children, there was no end to the adventures she and her siblings shared. One of her fondest memories from child- hood is her maternal grandmother’s story- telling. When Debra’s mother bought her an old typewriter at a tag sale, her interest in sto- rytelling took on a life of its own. Friends of Library lunch to feature best-selling author Debra Webb Chamber set to promote Bedford businesses with Expo By MARK MCGEE mmcgee@bedfordcountypost. com “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.” Those lyrics from the Broad- way and fi lm musical “The King and I” could serve as the theme for the next event hosted by the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce. The Bedford Business Expo is set for September 10th from 5-8 p.m at The Fly Arts Center. “We encourage the public to attend,” Dana Rodriguez, Direc- tor, Chamber Operations, said. “The Shelbyville-Bedford Cham- ber of Commerce is thrilled to bring this exciting event to our community, creating a space where our public can connect with our business community.” More than 50 businesses of all sizes have signed up to have informational booths at the event. “As Bedford County contin- ues to grow, with new businesses and residents calling Shelbyville home, the Bedford Business Expo provides a unique op- portunity for the community to meet and engage with local busi- nesses,” Rodriguez said. “The event will showcase a variety of businesses, including some of our most popular hometown restaurants, retailers, industries, contractors, realtors, and non- pro fi ts. “There will be all kinds of businesses from industries to re- tail sharing their stories. It is im- portant for the public to be able to understand what local busi- nesses do and it is important for the businesses to have a platform to tell their stories.” She added there will be sam- ples, door prizes and giveaways throughout the evening. Admission at the door is $5. Rodriguez stressed the public is invited and encouraged to at- tend. Limited space is still available for businesses wanting to host a booth. The cost is $75 for Cham- ber members and $175 for non- members. For more information, give Rodriguez a call at 931-703- 0638. See Obituaries, Page 5A By MARK MCGEE mmcgee@bedfordcountypost. com T he Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebra- tion is truly a celebration of the breed for 11 days. But all of the successes of the 86th annual edition which ended Saturday night were tempered by a sense of fore- boding. Through it all on Satur- day night a new World Grand Champion was crowned with Tim Smith making the spot- light ride aboard Cavender for owners Robin and Bruce Mac- Donald of Shelbyville. They were the unanimous choice of the fi ve-judge panel. It was the fi rst “Big Stake” win for both Smith and the MacDonalds. “Winning the Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship is the ultimate honor for any horseman and is something I have worked toward my entire life,” Smith said. “His owners, Bruce and Robin MacDonald, are great people and are fun to work for! I’m just so blessed to be able to win this for them and for Cav- ender. He deserved it! Cavender is no stranger to making the spotlight ride re- served for World Grand Cham- pions. He was the Three-Year- Old World Grand Champion in 2022 and the Four-Year-Old World Grand Champion in 2023, both with Knox Black- burn on board. Smith has been working with Cavender since he was fi rst under saddle. This year Cavender and Smith have been undefeated with fi ve wins in fi ve classes. They won Section A of the Walking Stallions, Five Years and Over class the fi rst Satur- day night of The Celebration where they were also the unan- imous selection of the judges. “As soon as I started work- ing with Cavender as a two- year-old, I knew he was some- thing special and was the kind of horse that could win this title,” Smith said. “He’s fun to ride and train and that made winning with him that much more special.” A couple of hours before the show Saturday night heavy wind and rain dampened the excitement of the evening. A large crowd sill made it into “The Big Oval” and stayed de- spite occasional rain drops fall- ing during the show. But no one was prepared for what ring announcer Mark Farrar told them before the last class entered the ring. Of the 10 program entries for the fi nale only four were going to be in the ring. Two entries, in- cluding Justi fi ed Honors, the defending three-time World Grand Champion, were not al- lowed to show due to United States Department of Agricul- ture (USDA) violations. One was a dual entry by a trainer. Three other entries decided not to present their horses for inspection. “They (USDA) were go- ing to make a point and they probably did make a point,” See Champion, Page 5A Cavender, Smith walk away with first “Big Stake”