By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
There is so much to do and so little time to see and do it all.
That should be the theme of the 
scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Grounds.
“We are the second largest mule show in the United States,” said Marty Gordon, president of the American Mule and Music Association which operates the festival as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. “It is a big deal for a lot of mule people.
“This is about entertainment, competition and education. We put those three together and try to give back.”
Gordon, a native of Wartrace, came up with the idea for the festival in 2021 and wanted it “to reflect a blend of history, music and mules”.
More than 100 classes are scheduled for mules to compete. Thursday there will be a Wagon Train from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Friday competitions begin at 10 a.m. with the American Mule and Music Association Gaited Mule Show with the North American Saddle Mule and Donkey Show starting at 4. Saturday opens with the Steve Edwards Mulemanship Clinic at 10 a.m. along with the North American Saddle Mule and Donkey Show. Mules and draft pulling begins at 3. The American Mule and Music Association Gaited Mule Show is scheduled at 4. The “Fastest” Mule Race will start at 7.
All events will be held inside at either Cooper Steel or Champions Arena,
Music is a major part of the event as well with Steve Hall and Friends kicking things off on Thursday at 5 p.m. On Friday Jessica Horton will perform at 1 followed by Muddy Branch Layabouts at 2 and Stones River Bluegrass at 5. Horton is back on stage at 10 a.m. Saturday, Rounding out the music schedule will be the James Stembridge Band at 11 a.m., the GrassKickers at 3 p.m. and Conspiracy to Kill A Possum at 5.
On Thursday all fourth graders in Bedford County will participate in the Junior Muleskinner Program with 750 expected. Each participant will receive certificate of completion signed by Bedford County Senior Muleskinner Billy Tapley. Friday will be a time for 100 students being homeschooled in the county to attend.
“They learn about mules,” Gordon said. “They learn about blacksmithing, chuck wagon cooking and bee keeping. They will learn how to milk a cow or goat and make goat cheese.
“We have them for two hours. They go through nine sessions. We are real proud of our educational portion. We want to educate people to the old way of life.”
One of the new additions to the show is the Homestead Speakers Series. There will be guest speakers with various programs every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Some of the classes planned are “Basic Animal First Aid for the Homestead”, “Energy on the Homestead”, “How to Raise, Grow and Preserve a Year’s Worth of Food” and “Creating Renewable Energy on Your Homestead”.
“We have nationally-noted speakers to talk about homesteading,” Gordon said. “More recent homesteaders are people with 20 or 40 acres. They are raising chickens. They are trying to put in a garden. They want to sustain their food source and make use of the land they have. It is a labor of love working in the dirt.”
“A lot of city folks have moved to the country and they want to know how to process chickens and how to process pigs and raise pigs. They want to raise their own food and process their own meat. It is a big, big deal now. We have increased our educational portion. This is something we haven’t had before with the homesteaders.”
Sunday will close out the festivities with a church service led by Steve Edwards from Arizona.
All mule show tickets and donations at the gate will got to Greenhouse Ministries.
Better Homes and Gardens Realty Heritage Group has donated money to purchase a mule that will be given away. Tickets are $5 and proceeds will also go to Greenhouse Ministries.
“Weather could be a problem this weekend, but all of our events are inside,” Gordon said. “We invite everyone to come out and support the show and festival and the local Greenhouse Ministries.”
