Nashville Music Garden’s First Ever “Country Music Blooms Online Auction” Raises Funds To Help Keep Nashville Beautiful

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – December 19, 2011 – The Nashville Music Garden’s first-ever “Country Music Blooms Online Auction,” which launched on Black Friday, November 25 and continued through Monday, December 5, raised more than $15,000, to help sustain the garden and continue to help keep Nashville beautiful. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Nashville Music Garden Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, which endows the future care and support of the garden so the community, Country music fans and visitors to the city can enjoy it for generations to come.

 

The auction, which featured a unique selection of celebrity-owned items – straight from the closets of Country music’s finest – was held on eBay so that garden and country music enthusiasts from across the world could have the opportunity to acquire one-of-a-kind items from their favorite celebrities. Bidders across the globe from the United Kingdom to Thailand, as well as across the United States, from New York to Florida and from California to Massachusetts, bid vigorously throughout the auction. In the end, the lucky winners landed exceptional holiday gifts for the country music lovers in their lives and incomparable keepsakes for their own collections. The auction certainly encouraged the holiday spirit and generous supporters helped the Nashville Music Garden exceed fundraising goals. “With the success of the auction, thanks to the incredible generosity and support of the bidders and the celebrities who donated items, the Nashville Music Garden will continue to grow and thrive,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

 

The success of the inaugural auction is undoubtedly the result of the thoughtful donations of many esteemed country legends and hot contemporary stars, who not only graciously donated priceless personal keepsakes and treasured memorabilia, but who also helped promote their items as well. These include: Barbara Mandrell, Brenda Lee, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Christian Kane, Danny Gokey, Darryl Worley, Darius Rucker, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Kristen Chenoweth, Lady Antebellum, LeAnn Rimes, Little Jimmy Dickens, Love and Theft, Manuel, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert Pam Tillis, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, Zac Brown Band and many more.

 

The auction was also made possible by the extra support offered by Anderson Design Group and Spirit of Nashville, Fontanel Mansion & Farm, Jaime Dudney,  RFD-TV, Tessa Atkins, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, The Country Network (TCN), and by all of those who bid on items.

 

Holiday shoppers can continue to support the fund and find unique gifts for the gardener in their lives at www.nashvillemusicgarden.com. On the site, supporters can take home a piece of the Nashville Music Garden by purchasing one of the many flowering plants featured in the garden or simply donating to the garden on behalf of someone on their holiday gift list.

 

Located in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville (corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun), the idea for the Nashville Music Garden was born when country music legend Barbara Mandrell gave her namesake rose to garden founder and friend, Pat Bullard.  The garden is a “living” walk of fame filled with over six dozen varieties of roses and daylilies named in honor of the music and artists synonymous with Nashville.  Created as a way to recognize these artists, songs and industry leaders and also beautify Music City, the garden was the first to assemble all the flowers of the Nashville Music Garden Collection in one place for the public to enjoy.

 

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 800 charitable funds, providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 20 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $540 million to community programs and institutions. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.

 

 

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